Account Closed I appreciate your comment, and I will not try to defend myself.

In my extensive experience this is intended to provide heirs and devisees of deceased owners ample opportunity to assert and/or defend their claims.I've been on both sides of these cases.

I understand I won't change the minds of investors who have either made their mind up (or had their mind made up for them) but I do feel I should attempt to defend my profession.I too have heard all the PM horror stories and there are good and bad in every profession. 

.- - - - - - - - - -PET AGREEMENT  (Addendum to Rental Agreement)The Month-To-Month Rental Agreement (the “Agreement”) dated_______________________ between __________________________________________________________________________, as Landlord and ________________________________________________________________________, as Tenant of real property located at _______________________________________________________, is hereby amended to include the following terms and conditions: The rental agreement specifically prohibits keeping pets and animals without Landlord permission; Tenant agrees to follow these terms and conditions in exchange for permission to keep a specific pet:Condition for keeping a pet:Tenant agrees to pay additional rent of _____________ per month for the privilege of keeping this pet.Tenant agrees to pay additional security deposit of ______________ for the privilege of keeping this pet.Name of pet: __________________________Description of pet: _______________________ (type, breed, color, age)Veterinarian: __________________________Emergency Caretaker: ____________________Tenant agrees to:1.Provide proper care for the pet in accordance with veterinary recommendations or ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) guidelines.See www.aspca.org.2.Adhere to local ordinances, including leash, vaccination, and tag/licensing, requirements.3.Clean up after the pet and dispose of pet waste properly and quickly.4.Not to leave pet food or water outside the dwelling, as it could attract other animals.5.Not to leave the pet unattended for any unreasonable periods of time.6.Keep the pet from being noisy, aggressive, or from causing any annoyance or discomfort to others.7.Immediately remedy any complaints that arise from pet behavior.8.Immediately pay for any damage, loss, or expense caused to others by the pet.9.Provide pet with regular health care, to include inoculations as recommended by a veterinarian.10.Spay or neuter the pet when it becomes of age to do so.11.Arrange for an emergency caretaker for the pet.Tenant agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend Landlord against all liability, judgments, expenses (including attorney fees), or claims by third parties for any injury to any person or damage to property caused by Tenant’s pet.Landlord reserves the right to revoke permission to keep the pet should Tenant break this agreement or provide false or misleading information.

I'm normally quick to defend someone that made a mistake in the past, especially if it's ancient history or you have other reason to believe that they've turned their lives around.But in this case there are a bunch of other red flags on top of the criminal record.

So I think I'm airtight legally.Since the tenant is moving out of state, I suspect that if she doesn't send payment for the bill related to the damages I will send her, filing a case in small claims court will likely make me the default winner, not because I have all the documentation, but because she isn't going to be able to afford to fly here to defend herself. 

It isn't so much as it would become more important at that point (or based on a higher probability of a crazy one signing up), it would be more of a realistic possibility and benefit of that arrangement.FYI, my wife is no snowflake, and she has the means to defend herself in the event of a meanacing trespasser at our home."...that door you kicked in was locked for YOUR protection."

My thinking is that if they actually sue you, you could probably defend yourself by saying it's not your responsibility, that they should be suing your tenant and not you.But, let's start with who wants money from you, and for what?  

The two best options, in my opinion, are 1) a custom one created by an attorney who specializes in landlord-tenant laws and has experience in court actually enforcing/defending their lease; or 2) the California Association of Realtors Residential Lease or Month-to-Month Rental Agreement (C.A.R.

You could have much more turnover expense than you were planning.You can defend #2 easily just by stating you are looking for a 1 year lease.