@Nick Moriwaki I appreciate that you're discussing this in good faith.

There is a big difference in a tenant that is struggling but makes a good faith effort to pay (and takes care of the property) and one that is "playing" the landlord or is just a flake in general.I have a tenant now on a bi-weekly rent payment because she was starting to struggle and considered moving.

You are given contracts in good time and good faith to read them beforehand, and you have every opportunity to put that contract for further scrutiny by your lawyer.If a term in a contract is not legal, then by definition it's not enforceable, but that's not the case here, OP simply didn't read the contract, and when he did - clear as daylight there's the 6% fee.You don't have to accept a contract, that's not what I'm arguing about, but the moment you put pen to paper - you accepted the contract.And the whole point of having a lawyer is to ensure there is no ambiguity in the first place, from a badly written contract.So frankly, if you don't read a contract, and you tell a court that you didn't read a contract, it probably does become enforceable - because you signed the contract saying that you read the contract in the first place!!!

if i were already loaning them one of my houses, i'd be skeptical to act as their bank and loan them money as well, albeit out of their own security deposit.but that said, i am holding their SD in good faith so yea if its legal i'd do as u say and loan them $ out of their SD to bring their gas bill current but require it to be replenished over affordable installments paid starting ASAP meanwhile yea the gas co monthly plan helps defer the total due, right? 

But I think the landlord would need to make a good faith effort to ensure interpretation of legal documents were made into the language of the tenant, if not by the tenant or by a third party, then by themselves.From a risk management point of view, it may be riskier to have an English document translated (written) into another language and then have the translation proven to be faulty.

Has all the forms you'll ever need and answers all CA landlord questions.If you charge fees that are not allowed, and a tenant sues you, the judge may decide it was done in "bad faith," and then you can pay punitive damages of up to twice the amount of the deposit, pay their court fees, and return their full deposit, and all the pet fees.It's also advised to not call a separate amount a "pet deposit," because you can be limited to how you use that money. 

Even if the complainer finds a willing attorney to pursue it through you, you've demonstrated Good Faith by talking with them already. 

As long as you are acting in good faith and intend to occupy as soon as one of your units becomes available (within a couple of months), you should be okay.

You can go back to the other "many, many" applicants and qualify someone else to rent the unit and there is a good chance you will find another qualified applicant who is able to rent by July 1, 2016, since it's only been two weeks since you turned them down.Let the applicant who signed the lease and paid the deposit know that you will make a good faith effort to qualify another tenant as soon as possible. 

Me actually making an "arbitrary number" payment actually shows good faith.