Visit a wholesale flooring distributor ask for names of good contractors. Better than the Home Depot contractors. Cash talks.
Go with heavy duty or commercial grade vinyl. Cheap stuff tears and dents easily. ( take a look where the refrig rolls in ) Labor cost same just material is a bit higher.
Engineered floor snaps together easily and can be replaced quickly as well. Handyman ok for square/rectangle rooms. More skill needed for nice transitions to other rooms, angles, under stairway thresholds, fireplaces, etc.
Spend the $ to flatten the floor. If not, there will be dips which will flex causing the connection between each board to fail.
One problem w/laminate is the is something heavy drops on it, it will chip. Be sure to include damage replacement costs in lease and note any pre-existing damage w/ photo at time of lease sign. Also water damage will wreak floor too. Nothing new for you here, I’m just on a roll.
Remember to include new baseboards in your budget.
Depending on the property ( style ) some people use different wood floor in each room. Some like the artsy feel, while others do not like the dissymmetry. The advantage is you may find at the wholesale supply small lots of leftover material at a great price. Enough to do a 10×12 room, say.
