Also, take as many pictures as possible before the tenant moves in, again this protects you in case of damage caused by tenant. 

A well written management contract should clearly spell out what is expected of both the PMC and the owner, to PROTECT both and avoid misunderstandings.

Many skip tracing companies have a minimum count or spend.

The big thing is always focus on protecting the public, disclose, and take care of people.

Whether they have personal property protection, and how much, should be left up them.

Spend the $25,000 on a deal not a consultant.

So I want to make it an enjoyable and comfortable experience but I dont want to spend too much

Do you have tips for structuring short-term leases that protect me as a landlord while accommodating their needs?

The later is critical to protect your investment.

We go above and beyond when it comes to protection.. starting with insurance coverage, sings in the listing and in the property that there is no guard on duty (as silly as that sounds), putting extra locking device high enough so youngsters can't reach, an alarm/beep system to alert them that door opens for those with small children (or elderly) so they cannot wander out in the backyard with no one noticing and risk drowning.