If you give to charity you know where the money is going instead of a blank check to the government plus it's good will for your business.As you can tell I am not a tax expert in the slightest so I was just curious.

Offer less than that as concession for goodwill.

Buying it right and making it look good will go a long ways compared to getting into something you aren't ready to tackle.

Good paying tenants are like gold in my book, I try to keep as much good will between us to be sure to keep it going a long time so they pay my properties off.

However they are not in the best of health and should something happen I don't want to rely on the good will of her immediate family. any suggestions on how to protect myself.

A $4 investment for some immediate goodwill.

I appreciate all of you taking the time to leave a message of goodwill here.You rock!

I also send a gift certificate to a nice local restaurant for brunch to good tenants after they renew a lease, that creates a lot of good will.

This all gives me knowledge of the market so that when something hits I can tell within a few minutes if it is a good buy.Then about a month before I start getting our finances in order, making sure to pay off all credit cards before the statement hits so my DTI is the best it can be, sending "good will" letters to the 2 blemishes on my husband's credit that I have been trying to get removed for years (in case I finally wore them out) ect.Then I watch and wait. 2 of our 3 deals we had under contract within 48 hours of listing.

So as Jon said definitely talk to a lawyer first, and then maybe you can work with the tenants and you get all of their right to the deposits turned over to you and make a single suit for the full amount.That's just a thought to bring up when you talk to your lawyer, it may not be as simple or feasible as that but may be a way to earn some good will with the tenants as well as potentially getting the money due for the deposits.No legal advice.