1) I pay my rent through Clickpay.com - with which my landlord has an account. 2) My small investor clients take either Venmo or Zelle/Chase Quickpay - just be careful about commingling when you transfer it into your rent account if you have one. 3) Banks allow for auto billpay which should automatically send a check to you every month on a date they select.

If you have an SFR, your getting 3-4 locks per rental anyway with an automatic stockpile of keys if you have multiple properties.

Also, does anyone use YourPorter and a particular brand of smart lock to automatically send a unique code to each guest? 

These are great locks because it automatically adds and removes codes if you connect it to your Airbnb calendar, VRBO calendar, or direct booking site calendar.

Also use Cozy/Apartments.com for tenant screening and automatic rental payment via ACH transfer.

You get a construction loan that automatically rolls into an amortized loan.

This way you will automatically take out anyone that does not qualify : ie credit to be 700 or better, applicant to make 2.5 to 3 times the rent amount in income / wages and when the desire move in date will be.

Additionally, Is there any way to do some homework to find out if it’s likely or automatic for this town?

When picking a city to invest in with the BRRR method, should you automatically disqualify a city if the population growth doesn't meet the standards?

I will also make sure the tenant rent is paid directly by the employer from the tenant wages/salary via automatic direct deposit.Goodluck