My bank will not provide a loan without verification that all the utilities in the given property are functional.

@Billy GullettI recommend that you make the place functional / stylish / comparable to other rentals in the area on as small of a budget as possible.

I would write in the lease that this area is excluded from the rental agreement.

and I value  your time that you spent in writing your reply to share it with me !  

We write in all 50 states, so if you need any advice specific to your project, you can find me below.  

Is it common to write off all of your rental income each year?

So don't write a property off just because it didn't sell to an owner occupant.

. :)One more question - I understand that I can write off losses from one of the property against gains from another rental property.

I am not aware of any free services but my phone provider is cheap and has this functionality if you are somewhat tech savvy. 

Every time an applicant hands you a check (or you write a check), the bank account information in regards to account number and routing number is right there at the bottom of the check.I don't need to know credit card numbers but even if an applicant doesn't want to tell me their bank account name/number the first check I get from them I enter this information into their folder just in case I might find myself filing for a bank garnishment on them sometime in the future.Gail