Wow, where do I start . . . . .
First I would like to mention that My boss from my electrician work owns some rentals and this:
is the prevalent mindset from what I have experienced.
some of the grimiest things simply have to be simply replaced. like those switch plates. if they are metal, then try running them through the dishwasher.
I am sorry you have to go through this. Many time I would go and do a repair for him and the occupant would expect something to be repaired that they broke with the attitude of "Well he is making ALL this money off me" when first of all the occupant was on section 8 and not paying any more then 50 dollars per month, second he was actually barely making any profit off the venture after all the repairs he has to do.
To cross link this topic, this lack of understanding about money and costs is similar to the "Getting paid for GMing" thread where I've broken down how to compute the basic rate you'd need to charge.
People just don't think about what things cost. How much of that $2500/month is sabrinacat getting as profit? How much is paying off the existing mortgage and repairs/maintenance?