I disagree with some of the points here that 3rd party companies don't work. I left my day job in December to start one of these of my own, and I've found that the margins are really hard to work with. In order for me to be able to pay myself a living wage, I needed to get up to almost 20 properties managed. I think other people who get into property management typically try to cheat the slow pace that these types of companies take to grow. I can imagine that's why your $8,000 job resulted in some cheap furniture.
I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you can nicely furnish an entire 2 bedroom apartment nicely (on a budget) for about $5,000. Now the fact that they took the furniture with them is DISGUSTING. You should be filing for theft, honestly. Frankly I'm nervous when I'm purchasing for my own clients because I don't want to accidentally get something over budget, and I have to report accurately to them for tax purposes. I don't know how anything about this situation that you have can be interpreted as anything less than theft.
You have a good reason to hire a lawyer, so I recommend that you do. As for property management companies, just look for the good ones. For example, Blue Ground property manages corporate rental units, and they're revered in the industry for their quality.
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