You can also turn them over to a collection agency. 

Do you have a spare car your not using, a collection that your not interested in or equity in your car or house?

If there is proof of this, will it be presented in the eviction hearing?

I have added it unopened to his file for proof if he takes me to court.

This should help you determine whether you are satisfied with the resulting cash flow after you subtract mortgage, maintenance, etc..As for finding tenants, you can put up posts on Craigslist before you even purchase the multi unit properties and collect as many possible tenants.

However, if I had  done a thorough background check (housing, income, credit, legal) and it were only one item in question and it did not match up with the other background information I had collected, then I would question the validity of the outlier report. 

Should I collect a security deposit, and upfront payment even though I'm sure he did that with the previous landlord? 

@Randy Landman Use this for Molds and Mildew, just mix them together with your paint, I use Glidden Paints since I get 45% off, i buy it from them, and they mix it on my bathroom paints, and I paint around 150 of them at a time. http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/zinsser/cleaners-and-mold-and-mildew-proof-paints/add-2-prevent-mildew-mildewcide-additive.

You need to know the following: *Location, Location, Location, How much rent can you collect in this location?

Multi-family units may very well end up comprising either the bulk or the entirety of my rental portfolio once I start collecting rentals.