I'm not familiar with the areas you mentioned but in regards to the foreclosures, the owner can prevent and/or delay (sometimes by months) the auction of their home.

Do they have a spare bedroom and would they be open to a renter (especially if it's a part of the deal to, again, prevent the hemorrhage)?

Mistakes are lessons in process, but help always can prevent them!

I don't think inspecting the property would prevent them from trashing it.

Know this: same-amount payments for the duration, is a (great) feature of conventional loans.But, no-one is preventing you from making extra "principal-only" payments, to shorten the loan!

I know I have made mistakes here and most of these problems are preventable. 

They directly says that the regulations are to prevent developers from building an apartment building and run it like a hotel or prevent an investor from buying a bunch of single family houses just to rent them out and disturb the neighbourhood.

(https://www.portlandoregon.gov/pbem/58572)  In that case, bolting might not do much to prevent total destruction. 

My lease has language that covers partial payment, says any partial payment does not prevent on going eviction.

Once to twice a year exterior only and even that is "preventative".