You mentioned a couple times that you had "feelings" of some sort about these people- reacting to your feelings when screening tenants is a good way to get caught up in a fair housing case.

Tenant is communicating with the PM, but has yet to secure assistance.

I rely on the Fair Market rents on the HUD website, www.HUDuser.org and my rents are almost always above the median rents on that site. 

Stay consistent for fair housing.

The price seems pretty fair.

What strategies have you used to communicate and negotiate with local authorities?

I care less about the payment process and more about communication, accounting, documentation, processes, etc.

.- Communicate with the county: Try to negotiate with the county officials.

I'll definitely avoid downtown and focus my search elsewhere.Getting pre-approved beforehand is a great tip, and I wouldn't have thought about clearly communicating my ideal vs. maximum budget to a realtor.

A good tenant will always be a good tenant if you are fair and communicate with them.