From my read of the post, it sounds to me like the guy does his own management, is going to be out of the country for a while and wants someone on the ground to watch over things while he's gone.

My inclination would be to dig in my heels and take the "there was grass, it was destroyed on your watch", but the advice of "let them out of the lease and move on" may be the best. 

I have been reading, watching BP podcasts, and trying to educate myself as much as possible.

I watch the real estate markets closely in both places.

@Dan Heuschele I've just been watching Cali for awhile.

I had a brand new construction home I bought 200k and the tenant for some reason totally destroyed it.. now it was so bad that the insurance company covered it and went after the guy criminally.. but it was over 40k in damages.. but lots and lots of stolen items stripped items.. contractors stealing .. its a challenge and one that I think is best suited for someone like you who lives there and watchs them like a hawk and with your background that is a HUGE bonus.when I started funding turn key companies in Detroit in 02.. they had some pretty unique systems on the rehab side.. 

Watch their interactions with other professionals and take what you can use and practice!

A DIY mentality would dictate that you purchase repair books from Autozone, watch hours upon hours of Youtube videos, buy tools you need but don't have, and probably still throw your hands up in the air and have it towed to a garage because it's overwhelming.A tax return on the other hand is like the tip of an iceberg. 

From the research I’ve done, Phoenix area seems to be ranked amongst the hottest real estate market to watch out for for 2019.  

But I would just caution you to watch out for lawyers that appear to be merely in the business of selling high price/volume trusts.