I've been deliberating over the same issue (long-term rentals vs. medium-term rentals) and am inclined to invest the extra effort to manage a medium-term rental, given the appealing additional cash flow it promises.

Quote from @Whitney Leighton: The contract is between the legal owner and the legal resident.

I had no idea non-QM loans were even legal.

@Brian Willie if you work with a reputable PMC, they should be following all the state and local legal requirements.

My house is on a corner with an empty lot next door, so it was not an issue for me.

If I cashout refi one property , that would resolve my debt issues, but I'm torn.

The seller can not include abandoned property (vehicles, trailers, etc) if they are not the legal owner.Game cameras are a god send!

I think this makes everything cleaner for taxes, documenting historic rental payments, and legal issues that may arise due to the barter, etc.  

The best part about Reno / Tahoe Nevada are it's landlord friendly, Real estate taxes don’t reassess on the sale, insurance is low and we continue to have increased in migration, jobs (no state income tax) and our own land constraint issues which prevent the market from getting overbuilt. 

We've had issues with Mario and his various business ventures.