The guy in the fancy leased car? 

(This is not legal advice, it was all made up as a flight of fancy on a slow friday afternoon) But hey, That's how I handle these.  

I included in my contract that tenants must be responsible for routine yard work and say how this falls under that category. 

Unless, you have that built in overall in the analysis.Personally, I would not consider switching to city sewer unless the entire septic system needs to be replaced and sewer is close.Septic is fine when system is designed correctly and routine maintenance is conducted.Hope that helps.

The first thing a scam artist will do is build a fancy looking website and pay for some reviews. 

Code requires functional not fancy.

Or, a charging order may be granted.If you're going the umbrella insurance route, perhaps see if it will cover you for several things including just the routine slip and fall (like mold or earthquake).

It's a fancy way of breaking down your new property into parts and depreciating some of them faster.

Operating expenses are routine and necessary costs to keep the property in its ordinary operating condition, and they are typically deductible in the year they are incurred.You also mentioned the benefits of classifying something as an operating expense versus a capital expenditure.

So, when you replace something and make it bigger, better, or last longer, it’s categorized as CapEx.On the other hand, repairs are generally routine maintenance tasks that keep the property in its ordinary operating condition.