Sometimes it can be difficult to collect and some landlords will keep any unpaid utilities out of the security deposit, though CA is one of the trickier states to do this in.

.: You don't need insurance or a deposit.

If they fail to handle it, I will do it and charge them for my time.Another change I made was to add a no-deposit option to all my residential rentals.

His wedding venues in Dallas all shut down suddenly recently & left many couples out their deposits & venues!

You'll be tagging transactions throughout the year with categories that fit the Schedule E so when tax time comes (if you stay on top of it) every deposit and expenditure will already be categorized and it's quick to create the Schedule E and/or run P&L reports any time you need to.

The problem is that they do not usually give this to new people and/or people that do not have big amounts deposited into their accounts.I'm also CT based. 

we would have paid the 10% deposit and have had zero legal recourse to get the money back.

My HOA pays for everything related to the structure and my cash flow is $200 after HOA dues so I only tend to keep 2 months of rent in reserves per unit + the tenant deposit

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.

Pet deposit is $250.