I found an article where State attorney sued his previous company and fined up over six figures for fraudulent dealings - I won't go in details to protect the identity. 

However, I would be responsible for sending you a text/email/voicemail, depending on your preferred method, with a detailed explanation as to what happened.2)It is imperative that as an owner/investor you specify in your agreements that if the repair (non-emergency) is over X amount of $$$,  the PM is required to submit proposals that are identical in scope and that only you, as the investor, can choose the contractor.  

You just have to be careful because Craigslist and Zillow hide your identity where fb marketplace will not.

I might also consider staggering the leases if all the units are identical.

If you get to identical tenants, you must offer the place to the first applicant, offering them a defined deadline to pay all fees to you.

My situation is alarmist identical to yours and so far it has worked out well for me.

In this age of identity theft I would NEVER rent to someone I have not met eye to eye. 

Remember a lease does not prevent a tenant from vacating when ever they want and the terms of the lease are identical regardless of term or M2M.

And then how would I handle verifying their identity and all that prior to signing a lease?

If the loan has matured the reinstatement amount is the payoff amount. here is an example:$100,000 mortgage (also known as UPB - unpaid principal balance)  at 10% interest.