Needless to say I pulled records from the city and nothing was on file. I told my landlord my intentions to make the city aware and he served me with a notice to vacate for my grass being too long the next morning.

You basically threatened the landlord and he responded in kind. You could have handled the situation many different ways without making a threat.

I suspect he sold the house to the owner, oversaw renovations and now “manages” it. No website etc, and his name is tied to some shady dealings.

You are really reaching with all of these speculations and worrying about this stuff does nothing to solve your the issues.

I would love to discuss your homes heating problem and offer advice for how to approach the issues with your landlord, but it's all a moot point because you pissed off the landlord and now you have to move.

It's not a total loss because it sounds like you have learned some life lessons from the ordeal.