The frustration has often been getting burned out on reinventing the wheel and trying to create/find a system/structure to copy.

So many rental homes in the area have energy saving additions such as the solar panels?

You have to know the areas well and know what you are doing or you can get really burned.

You should have 100K or more in equity to protect before it makes sense to spend that money - compare that with how much you spend in annual insurance for the same property/equity (on the same FEAR principles, just in case your property might burn down).Again, this is a simplified rule of thumb, as there is a lot more to the LLC question - when to do it, how to do it, current mortgage, proper transfer to preserve title insurance chain, DOS, future financing, management, distribution of properties per entity, insurance, partners, etc. - stuff barely touched in current thread.There is no one-size-fits-all - the risk threshold is a subjective measure particular to each individual.

I am guessing that I may have burned the bridge with that company from the claim, but my agent their said that this claim will follow me for 3 years and could affect my ability to get insurance. 

There's another category called "prepaids" you'll want to get familiar with as well, which are the taxes and hazard insurance premiums a lender requires to be paid in advance so as to ensure their collateral (your home) isn't go to be a loss if you don't pay the taxes and the Govt comes and takes it away or it burns down in a fire. 

Personally I got burned on a ROTH IRA a few years ago. 

Now, if the lightbulb was out or burned out at the very beginning of the tenancy, I would replace it on my dime.

@Kevin Martin What I believe your lender is referring to is they want to see the full years premium paid in full which is typical of bank mortgage requirements.Bank underwriters don’t like monthly payments on insurance because if you don’t pay the policy lapses and if it burns down with no coverage they think it’s likely you won’t pay them back.

They kept telling me that the wood chips destroyed their landscaping, that the wood chips were causing allergies to their children and burning their lungs, etc.