In that environment buying in the hood becomes very tempting, but that little bit of cash flow comes with a huge cost in headaches, the probability of property damage (things like a charcoal grill in the living room) and long term you might just be treading water.Average net cash flow is probably around $200 per door after you have stabilized the property, so you need a few units before it amounts to something.

Those with higher credit scores don’t want them trashed over pet damage they don’t pay for.

A landlord does not need to provide a reasonable accommodation for an emotional support animal when:The property is an owner-occupied building with four or fewer unitsThe property is a single-family home sold or rented by the owner without the use of an agentThe emotional support animal poses a risk to the health or safety of other people, or a risk of substantial damage to property (but this risk must be specific to the animal and cannot be based solely on assumptions about the animal’s breed)"Definitely have a chat with a local attorney to ensure your local laws apply, nonetheless since its an owner occupant, it sounds like you have some recourse to deny this request. 

During the inspection the inspector found structural damage to the property in the crawl space.

No apparent structural damage, but will be able to confirm after the inspection.

Neither the authors nor the sources cited can be held responsible for any losses or damages resulting from the use of this information.Feel free to reach out if you would like to invest in the Birmingham market.

So you can work for free or you can use the deposit for what it's there for, covering damages, cleaning etc.

You have no damages at this point.

The inspection is an opportunity to (a) document the condition of the rental so I can track tenant damages from that day forward, (b) look into any maintenance issues the tenants may be concerned with, and (c) notify them that a new lease is coming and what that entails.As for rent increases, I don't ever recommend keeping tenants more than 10% below market.

If a tenant is damaging property or causing a hazardous condition, that would be something you can enforce (I presume your state laws have prohibitions in this regard, or your lease agreement as well).