However, adding a real estate investment property adds some complexity to your tax return and you normally want to reach out to a CPA to make sure you are covered compliance wise and so he can provide you some tax strategies.By chance are you living in one of the 4 units(househacking)?

Most rental complexes were landscaped and irrigated.

my husband gained employment for an apartment complex which included a discount on our rent here in sonoma county a year ago in august. he decided to seek employment elsewhere.

People are complex, unique, and ever changing, to say one demographic has some explicit benefit to a business over others is short sighted. like @Andrew Johnson said, you want to evict grandma in December when the time comes?

If they don't get their stuff, only then may you dispose of the property, in CA anyway.As you can see, the state laws pertaining to tenant's abandoned property are complex, at least in tenant-friendly CA. 

I only own an 8-plex, so I don't need anything too complex or expensive.

I know there are more sophisticated methods, but I can do a year worth of accounting in a day for 4 properties and you don't need anything complex for a few properties. 

If I were you I would call the competing apartment complexes in the area and ask what their specials currently are as a "perspective renter" and then try to beat those deals.

Just make sure your furnace tech takes along some milk bones for the sweet puppy dog and everyone is happy even bowser.  

Ruthlessly exploit opportunities to use technology to lower cost / complexity.