Seems that there was essentially no tenant screening done at all. No verification of the assets that the tenant had. No screening of the account statements. I am not saying a PM is or is not good to have, I believe that the use of a PM is dictated by each individual case including the experience of the landlord as well as the logistics of the property itself. However the person who posted on sdcia is more of a victim of his own inexperience then anything else. So yes he should have used a PM however he seems to have made little if any attempt at some rudimentary measures he could have easily done on his own to avoid the mess he is now in.