I think in a minor hurricane (category 1-3), this would result in $20M in damage max. 

So finding foreclosure information for the District is notoriously hard and the reasons Ive heard given for the DC foreclosure situation have been far and varied from very good sources, so its really impossible to tell what is causing the situation there.I heard one knowledgabe person tell me that after they foreclose on a property in DC, the former owner becomes a tenant and needs to be evicted.

Lot's of more red tape to get through because a project of that size will cause ripples into other areas so they scrutinize it heavily versus smaller projects that tend to fly under the radar.

I have a single family home I will be looking to rent so I won't be attached as I could see where that could potentially cause some confusion.  

It wouldn't of been able to stay anyways because I had to rip that wall out to fix the damage It took me about 3 and a half months, working on days off from work.

Once we started construction, we ran into several major problems including a steam pipe running through a kitchen wall that we were planning to open up, a huge leak inside a couple of walls that required the replacing of a whole exterior wall, damaged subfloors, major termite damage that resulted in a replacement of the sill plate in the master bedroom, needing to upgrade full electrical service (and split it into two separate panels) and a corroded water line that required emergency replacement all the way to the street in the middle of winter during record setting cold temps and a snow storm.

The property needs a new roof, two ceilings have severe water damage and there is some mold.  

The landlord, however, can charge a security deposit (but not a separate pet deposit or larger one because of the pet) and may still seek money from the tenant if there is any damage caused by the animal to the home." 

As a side note, the appliances covered, unless damage is the fault of the tenant, it is usually covered by the landlord.

The contract shall contain at least the following provisions:(1) The full names and then current mailing addresses of all the parties to the contract; (2) The date when the contract was signed by each party; (3) A legal description of the property conveyed; (4) The contract price of the property conveyed; (5) Any charges or fees for services that are includable in the contract separate from the contract price; (6) The amount of the vendee's down payment; (7) The principal balance owed, which is the sum of the items specified in divisions (A)(4) and (5) of this section less the item specified in division (A)(6) of this section; (8) The amount and due date of each installment payment; (9) The interest rate on the unpaid balance and the method of computing the rate; (10) A statement of any encumbrances against the property conveyed; (11) A statement requiring the vendor to deliver a general warranty deed on completion of the contract, or another deed that is available when the vendor is legally unable to deliver a general warranty deed; (12) A provision that the vendor provide evidence of title in accordance with the prevailing custom in the area in which the property is located; (13) A provision that, if the vendor defaults on any mortgage on the property, the vendee can pay on that mortgage and receive credit on the land installment contract; (14) A provision that the vendor shall cause a copy of the contract to be recorded; (15) A requirement that the vendee be responsible for the payment of taxes, assessments, and other charges against the property from the date of the contract, unless agreed to the contrary; (16) A statement of any pending order of any public agency against the property.