One dog may be trained to perform one task (alert to low blood sugar in a diabetic) and the other dog may be trained to perform DPT for autism etc. 

So, to look at the untaxed income in the same light and with the same calculations, you should "gross up" the untaxed income 25%.So, when looking at 3X the monthly rent, you first add 25% to their untaxed income, then multiply that by 3.An example: In CA, SSI income including the state supplement, is $890/month.  

I can however say that the scenario you outline is not a wholesome one - agreeing to one rate and then paying some kind of supplement on the side.

With that being said as long as I have the rental income to supplement the mortgage, with a little extra wiggle room, to me its worth it to stick to your guns in the event of any market dip.

Supplementing any tenants rent is a losing proposition that hobby landlords mistakenly believe is a benefit in retaining tenants but in fact has zero relationship to how long a tenant will stay.

I wouldn't only trust the word of the county person you talked to (they're not always correct unfortunately) but also supplement what they told you by looking at the published zoning code specific to the zone the property sits in (if you haven't already), and internalize the constraints as they relate to this parcel/your plan. 

This individual would have a more technical aptitude and potentially worth the additional cost.....or perhaps you supplement the budget approach with your aunt and an unbiased, inspector who will just provide the facts based on their experience.Just a thought and a different perspective.I have used the family approach in the past, and while all family is different and costs vary, I just found the discount wasn't worth the results.

If newbies like myself actually pay attention to everything being taught here on the forums, the podcast and the books, you'll see they don't sugar coat the fact that in order to be successful in real estate you need savings.

She'd be more likely to move then.Can the kids work to supplement the household income and support a rent increase?

A woman I'd been chatting with realized that the coffee she'd just poured for herself had ants in it, because there were ants in the sugar container.