We used a % of exit price as compensation to the Interior Designer, so they would be working for sweat equity.

She said it will be done in an hour AFTER she learns the new wire system they just received...I get a call from the title office stating they do NOT have the funds & we have 10 minutes before the courts close for it to be official.....I call my bank manager and she says she will follow up on it asap (she is emailing me how she is sweating bullets....)At 3:55pm, title office received the funds and called the courts....with 5 minutes to spare, it officially CLOSED.MORAL OF THE STORY...

It does not matter if your soft skill is data manipulation, person to person networking, social media, people management, there are some universal talents that you can use to build invaluable relationships worth far more than one grand with only the cost of some sweat equity. 

We were successful thanks to a lot of sweat equity.  

This is not to say that sweat equity doesn’t pay off but Investors make money in the cleanest and less stressful manner possible....rarely does this include ripping up carpet and painting.

And you’ll be sweating that out until the last second.

With the rent increase, personally I wouldn't sweat also increasing the deposit (at least not for the next year, or whatever duration the new lease will be).You're not risking much by keeping the deposit amount as-is.Regarding how to show it in the new lease, it's not a huge deal.

Again, I agree with Adrian - finishing an attic around here will be a lot higher than 10-20k even with sweat equity.

This business is about perseverance, improvising, and some times adding a little sweat equity.  

I put a lot of my own blood, sweat and tears into the renovation and really tried to make it a place that we could enjoy while keeping in mind that it would ultimately become a rental...so I thought.