Hey, Is there a thread with documents like rental application and lease someone can point me towards?

If the property closes without 1031 documentation and if you touch the proceeds your exchange is dead.  

The purpose of those documents is that they establish the terms of the tenancy, that rent is paid, that there are no outstanding claims vs. the prior landlord, etc.

in the history of BP.

Unfortunately, we've been self-employed in a non-real estate industry for a LONG time now and we couldn't document our income in a way that was sufficient for our lender - so we did a cash deal instead.I thought the equity in that property and in the home we own outright (about $256,000 in total equity) would be enough to reset the conversation for our next deal, but our lender says existing equity will always be overshadowed in our situation by documented income (or lack thereof.)  

I want to take advantage of my financial history and climbing credit while I have it.

It helps to make the paperwork more clear by setting up an LLC for the partnership and using the proper loan documents (lawyer can help with all that).

I’ve seen her snap out before and her history on paper (violence, rental issues) suggests she could be a problem.

My question is, will you invest in this property considering the history of multiple fire damage?

Looking at an insurance document for some dental work, I also think you should stick with dentistry for a while, as that would seem to be the highest and best use of your time.