A step into that direction included me getting involved on the internet.

He put a lien on my property for all of the work including the unstarted and unfinished work plus $3500 for nothing.

The benefit of renting is all maintenance/repairs are included. 

It's part of your PITI and should be included as such in your math.Just like a deal might not make sense because someone's FICO yields a higher interest rate, there are also cases where a deal might not make sense because of the high property tax bill, HOA dues, etc.

For that reason we chose to stay in Buda on the NW side where there is a lot of new development including a new High School (under construction) and elementary and middles schools that are ranked well.  

I rent out an apt/condo, I rent out the rooms.Utilities are included with the rent..When doing this it's important to put on lease your utility Caps and to be clear.For example for water my cap is $50 anything above it gets divided by 4 (each tenant)What I notice is very important to these tenants is high speed internet they typically don't even watch Cable TV.

One it could be destroyed and the owner could take a loss of rent on their insurance (if they have this included)Two, they could have the tenant vacate for the portion of time that they need to fix the property back to habitability.

This is pretty basic stuff here.Do you think the hoa (which does include you) should be responsible if your 8 year old turns on the water in the tub, then let's it overflow for hours?

The second is non-recourse loans required by many states including here in Arizona.

This should all be included in closing documents..Owner give you copy of lease, addendums,  the amount of security deposit plus interest is paid to you within the closing fee's.. any rent is prorated to day of closing and is factored in closing fee's.