Determining deposits, rents, and pet charges

[Matt Roberson]

I'm renting my first single family home and based on similar homes for rent I determined the market value for rent was approximately $2,350. I'm interested to know if there are any other general guidelines for determining how much rent to charge and how much of a deposit to collect. Is the deposit always 1 months rent or should it differ based on other variables? Are there times when you would want to collect first month's rent, last month's rent and a deposit? Lastly, what fees are typical if a renter has pets? Is increased rent, a pet deposit or both standard? If so, what is a reasonable amount to charge and does it increase based on the number of pets or is it a flat fee? Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Thanks,

Matt