There are a couple of other things that they want replaced that aren’t technically broke, a drip in the shower, a faucet that has a small leak when it’s turned on just the right way.

Plus, mistakes you make with a rental aren't as painful as a flip property.

Seems like it would be a pain from his standpoint.That being said they aren’t hard to replace either if you have a couple hours.

The local building authority?

Has anyone ever done a deal which included a proper and complete residential fuel oil tank decommissioning having been performed by the seller personally (not a hired contractor), using cat litter, then never having the decommissioning certified/filed/inspected with the proper local authorities? 

I'd call the authorities.

Check with your lender to make sure they are on board and you aren't in violation of the loan covenants.

There are a lot of great authors out there on apartment investing.  

If you aren't attached to your current place and are able to make the numbers work then why not.  

My current CPA and recent Attorneys I’ve spoken with aren’t super real estate investment savvy.