Maintenance honestly doesn't require much other that the occasional clogged sink.

Does it need work to prevent deterioration like a roof?

This give the house a warm blanket and prevents thermal bridging.      

The regulations restrict landlords from requiring certain information, that does not prevent you from asking.

In my most recent one it had a few leaking walls from clogged drain tile and it had tree roots under the slab which was causing the water table to rise and come through the floor.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design... look up the principles on the internet and employ them.  

You have to do it right but someone being a REA gives them no special insight on being a REI.I had to deal with the same thing when using a agent to find my first rental, they kept making comments about not wanting to deal with clogged toilets.

We definitely don’t tolerate late rent but if the tenant communicates we usually work with them and the late fee should hopefully prevent them from paying late again.

Watch out for these five areas that prevent you from managing your time effectively.ProcrastinationProcrastination is one of the biggest time management challenges investors face.

Figured it was worth it to spend some money up front to prevent a nightmare down the road.