But they auto-deposited $50 into my "marketing account."

Earnest Money DepositAnd if you want to cover all your bases, you can also consider saving for an earnest money deposit (EMD).

It's written into the lease that tenants must deposit their rents into that particular account (either by online bank transfer or by walking in a check/cash); I do not collect rents directly, nor would I if anyone asked.

We are now suing them in TX small claims court as the security deposit was not enough to cover the 2 - 3 months rent after they trashed the house. 

Sellers rarely mind the low deposit and extended closing period due to the nature of the property, or at least they can be made aware of the fact that their lot has issues that will take MY time and MY money to solve and then they come around.My terms on the flip are: Minimum 10K spread between purchase and flip value.  1-2K deposit upfront to hold the property for 7 days then the deposit becomes non-refundable after the 7th day and the buyer has the same amount of time that I originally negotiated with seller typically 8-12 months(its a purchase contract but because of contingencies its essentially an option).  

Hello @Yvonne Wang,The scope of work should include the following:- Basic info: Property address, client name, contractor's contact info, address, license#'s, signed general/operating agreement b/w contractor and client- Specification of repairs: Repair item, Quantity of items needed, total & per unit cost of items, taxes (if applicable), Completion hours, title of the person responsible for the repair item, written summary describing the work- Add'l info: Schedule of repairs, additional payment schedule details i.e. disbursement schedule, method of disbursement, deposits, holdback amounts, etc.The screenshot below highlights a couple of repair items.

.: You don't need insurance or a deposit.

One land speculation I bought 4 acres in sonoma County CA ( wine country) in 96 for 27k it was unbuildable at the time ( could not get a septic system on it) Well city grew to us The Graton Casino comes in right across the street and we sold a few years ago for over 2 mil to a land assemblage investment company.

You take a deposit per usual and charge them for any damage beyond wear and tear.

-Decreased security deposit to 1x for MTR.