I dont think they can actually do that in most states.. or at least there would need to be a written agreement amending the lease to NO deposit and tenant agrees to use the deposit for rent.. and landlord acknowledges they now have no damage deposit. ???

@Matthew Irish-Jones That's a mistake we made, not putting it in writing on an amended contract.

Amends to clauses, warnings ect. 

I definitely won't make this mistake again and will amend my future lease to have some of the clauses you mentioned.Before I had seen all these great suggestions, I ended up contacting a real estate attorney.

If not they are already in violation of the lease.. now if you are going to allow pets then you can amend their lease and inform them of the cost with having a pet that they must comply with or they have to leave or get rid of the pet.

(Prior code § 78-72; Amend Coun.

Not paying a bill on time is a source of shame and I would apologize profusely and offer ways to make amends. 

In CA, he probably would have won against his landlord, because the landlord probably didn't do everything he should have.And many landlords put in their contracts or amendments that cleaning fees are mandatory, but that's not legal. 

As an emergency ordinance, it needed seven votes, and it passed unanimously with nine.Councilmember Alex Pedersen attempted to add a series of amendments, most notably a small landlord exemption, but was decisively repelled by his colleagues in a 8-1 vote.

@Julie Marquez the reference Dave gave you provides a overview of the SCRA statues its states "The SCRA, enacted in 2003 and amended several times since then, revised and expanded the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940 (SSCRA), a law designed to ease financial burdens on servicemembers during periods of military service.