The rent from the housing authority will be a direct deposit on the first of every month.

Consider all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.

Can I use the tenant's security deposit to clean up/restore the yard?

The free plan works just as well as the paid, if you don't mind it taking a few days for rent to get deposited. 

I opened a Stessa account like a month ago and tenant deposited $8400.

Take for example like the IRS' rule on laundering, where government entities could launch an investigation if you make repetitive deposits to an account 8-9k once a month and you will do it for a year or more, now the rule is 10k or more gets reported to the money laundering section.

Then I use apartments.com to set up direct deposit.

I am a RETA member and I just (July 2023) put down a refundable deposit on a Samsara 2-bedroom condo; delivery of which is promised for December 2024.  

@Michael Greer unless it’s a small studio or 1-bedroom condo that doesn’t pass local codes for a child’s room, my understanding is that it would be a fair housing violation to not allow the child or charge additional rent or deposit.

On most sales contracts, the most a seller can do is force you to forfeit your deposit.