I typically use my own cash for rehabs and deposit the budget into the checking account at the beginning of the project.

The vast majority of lawsuits against Landlords are for wrongful eviction, security deposit disputes, and Fair Housing Violations.

You can control prospective tenants "trashing" the place with a strict contract and higher up front deposit. 

Thats all after you find the tenant, screen them, get a deposit, and submit the packet. 

This is where it gets fishy for me because I was never told about this %10 deposit.

for example $500 off first months rent, lower security deposit, free flat screen tv?

In many states, the last month's rent is or at least was an addendum to "security deposit" so much so that most renters no matter the state will tend to still ask to apply their remaining amount on deposit (last month deposit, NOT security deposit portion) to their 'last month' - yet CA landlords are now well as of since July 2023 going forward, prohibited from applying ANY deposit to the unpaid last month, thus Newsom is giving all tenants who don't care about their credit a FREE LAST MONTH EVERY TIME THEY MOVE OUT if they make the case that their security deposit cannot lawfully be applied to the last month of rent in arrears?!.

They don't charge application fees or security deposits, don't do background checks - they take ANY S8 tenant no matter how bad they are:(You really want Class C and B-minus areas for solid S8 tenants.Let us know what else we can assist you with.

If a check is made payable to a company, the bank upon which it was drawn will not cash it - you can deposit it but it won't be cashed.

Additionally, you can charge them a pet deposit and pet rent, as well as call it out specifically in the lease in the additional notes section (i.e.