The rent maximums that Section 8 dictates will normally only allow affordance of a property in a lower end area.I still utilize Section 8, but it is by no means an all-inclusive cure for the rental problem.

@Becky ReidThat is easy to cure.

With a quick Google search....paragraph 18 E says if you find structural/environmental issues, and seller refuses to cure, you can cancel.  

If it is prior to Auction date with time for default to cure still?

LOLthe upshot is we may see and or are going to see a drastic slow down in new construction because of this.. so again PDX has caused the exact problem they were trying to cure.. there will be NO low income housing coming on line by private developers.I suspect this will be a boon for those that already own and are not subject to the rules and yet again with no new units coming on line in a few years and growth still steady rents will rise yet again or stay very strong and this will NOT solve the high rent crisis that those in city hall are trying to fix.it really seems to me to becoming full circle.those of you who may have lived and worked in SF in the 60s and 70s probably are familiar with all the housing projects that were built in those years...

So while it's not a bad idea at all it's not a cure-all from a liability perspective.

Late fees can start no sooner than the first full day AFTER the rent is due (time to cure?). 

And as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

In it, you detail the total of their deposit minus deductions for damages, unpaid bills, repairs and so forth.This, along with your move-in/move out inspection report will be a slam dunk in court.Also, once you discovered the pets, you should have issued a cure notice to the tenants to remove the pets or move out. 

Start documenting EVERYTHING now.Send them a CURE NOTICE for the son living there without having been cleared.