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.

They're fine paying an extra deposit and extra pet fee.

People sign leases stating that they agree to no pet policies all the time, yet, they still bring them in.

I am not keen on returning any of this money back to the main tenant as it is very evident that the damage he has caused on the property with a rotating cast of characters and a pet is likely significantly higher than $2000.5) Legal fees and other costs: Can we include a demand for unpaid rent, legal fees, and other costs in the eviction process for our tenant or does this have to be a different suit?

It also gives us a chance to see whether they have any pets that weren't disclosed in the lease - pretty common actually.

I have seen it extended with an LOE - letter of explanation as well.Make sure that you have all of the information on the renters like contact info, length of time renting units, pets, and on the walk through make sure the units are well kept if you plan on keeping renters.

As easy as this sounds, it's not simple and usually like pulling teeth.

@Jesse Santos whenever a prospective tenant wants to negotiate I tell them: “sure we’re always willing to accept more”, and then I don’t say another word.As a rule of thumb, if you enter into the negotiating game with a prospective tenant early on, you will be living with that their entire tenancy on all their maintenance requests, late payments, pet requests, etc.They have already shown you who they are as you thought the initial negotiations were over and then they brought you to round two.

As easy as this sounds, it's not simple and usually like pulling teeth.

How do you handle pets?