Sorry, I'm not laughing at your expense, I just found this incredibly humorous in your description...at least something positive came out of the entire "hellish" experience!

In the meantime, they won't be able to sell these properties at their purchase price for another 15 years (or when there is another incredible run up in RE prices). 

Having to heat longer produces more stress on the bottom of the tank - the part that will fail and leak.If this is a multi family as you state, then I would do preventive maintenance as opposed to wait it out.

But I hear its incredibly tough right now to make the numbers work.

You don't want your hard earned investment producing poorly, and too many times this happens by choosing a poor property manager, who doesn't have your best interests in mind.

Sealing them shut is a major fire hazard and would be incredibly reckless to do.  

If your advertised rent is higher than the housing authorities guidelines, you are not required to lower it.It is a sad and pathetic situation we find ourselves in this country today where the leeches are more valued than the producers.

Agree, from what I seen so far the maintenance for an LLC is incredible and without it you’re a ticking legal time bomb.

wow, that is an incredible return in 5 years!

Usually the only thing they can say is they haven't found anything else yet in their rent range or that you are holding the security deposit.If it's they haven't found anything the judge will give the eviction order or maybe one more week to pay up.If it's the security deposit issue the judge might order you to give back the deposit and the tenant to and the tenant to be out by a certain date.If the tenant is claiming they had to make repairs then the judge will ask for receipts from a valid business with a date and time and proof the tenant paid for the repairs.In all the years of the judges being on bench the last one in our area said they have seen the repair defense thousands of times but have never seen a tenant produce repair receipts.I am sure it has happened but it is rare.The judge will validate the receipts are not inflated receipts from uncle bubba their friend or that work was done and they said to bill the landlord when the tenant is claiming they paid out of pocket (trying to double dip and get a repair credit off rent and then stick landlord with the repair bill at the same time).Every area is different but this is how I see these cases go down in mine.If they mention the mold as said give back security deposit and tell them they need to move.Say the place can't be made safe while people are are living there or storing things there.Sounds like a professional tenant just yanking your chain and that you have an older building with issues and they are using that against you.No legal advice.