Your friend should send a demand letter for the return of his security deposit, or whatever portion of it he feels should be returned.

We do have simplisafe which might have failed to ring.My idea is to have a security guard who can be present at the property while no one is working there.

Roughly speaking, my mortgage payment would deflate (reducing my "rent payment") or if I rented it out the rent increases would inflate, keeping the previous numbers "real."4)  Social Security @ age 62, $1,760.The above scenario does not include my taxable account of  ~ 110K, which is about 15% stocks, 10% bonds, rest high yield savings cash.  

Did you collect a security deposit to assist?

I will be sending my contractor through once financing is secured.

Sounds like your goals are consistent with many of us....financial freedom and security.

(d) A public or private water supplier shall not impose a lien against real property to secure unpaid charges for water furnished unless the owner of such real property is the person who incurred the charges and shall not deny water services when such a lien has been extinguished.

FHA security instruments require a borrower to establish bona fide occupancy in a home as the borrower’s principal residence within 60 days of signing the security instrument, with continued occupancy for at least one year.Source: https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/4155-1_4_SECB....

Sometimes an owner will consider selling off market but does not want to officially list it.

Couldn't you just deduct money from the previous tenants security deposit towards this?