I thought the landlords in the US were bad,...rental scams

Just my opinion on the squatters, but as the old saying goes "There is more than one way to skin a cat". And I do mean legally. Do some creative thinking on the squatter situation. There are legal ways to encourage them to leave.

And on the landlord/landlady situation, I have mentioned previously we are running 50/50 out of 4 different ones. Our current landlady is just great, keeps every promise, and even hired a handyman that we have known personally for quite a while to do any repairs we need plus all her other houses/units. It's been a live and learn, but I think we have it pretty well figured out.
I also got to know a local young lawyer quite well and actually bought a car from him. I can tell you from my 2 years experience with him that he is of the highest caliber and his integrity is impecable. He has helped with with many things at no cost, but I have also helped him with a lot of tips that have saved him and made him many 1000's of pesos. I asked nothing in return, nor has he. I think that's about as fair as one can be. Treat others as you'd like to be treated. Well , in most cases anyhow.
With the right lawyer I do believe you can win against a local landlord if you are in the right. As someone mentioned there are 3 sides to every story. Some people are just not desireable tenants, be you a local or so called foreigner. I have seen both sides.
Just keep both eyes and ears open and use that grapevine someone above mentioned. Just watch out for those "sour" grapes.
Have a fantastic day.