I don't know that there is a much bigger vetting process other than if they can pay for leads, but correct me if I am wrong.I have been on here for ten years and sourced hundreds of leads without ever asking for a single thing because all I do is show up and answer questions and add value.

Separate checking accounts not required, but you need to maintain separate books and records.The TREC requirement is correct, but odds of enforcement seem low.

@Tom Dieringer you are correct that they are similar services.

Since I'm doing this myself I did able to correct/complete them.

I am currently moving through my first assignment of RPA escrow period and all of the seasoned people who shared their "assignment of agreement addendum" experiences and insight has given me the confidence to know I am moving in the right direction and taking the correct steps in order to close this transaction correctly. 

We purchased a property in early October and are placing it in service this week (mid November).We had intended to run a cost segregation study and try to accelerate depreciation which we can deduct against our W2 (assuming material participation).However, we have been reading through the IRS guidelines (eg publication 946 on Property Depreciation) and there seems to be the concept of "short year" which would mean that we can only deduct ~1.5/12 of a year's worth of depreciation in 2024.Is this correct or are there any different rules for STRs specifically?

That’s correct.

Yes, that's correct.

He is correct that you NEVER take the security for last month's rent for that exact reason.

Correct.