I'm very anti income tax and do EVERYTHING legally to avoid them, and it is getting tougher (somewhere on BP I posted the results of my two MAJOR audits).

We had one with an inherited lease and he put up a fight and there was enough there on other things to justify non renewal under NJ's strict anti-eviction law so I waited them out.

Arlington, VA has what "they" call an "Anti-bordello" law which stated no more than 4 unrelated people can reside in a single family zoned house. 

I'm not anti-HML, just saying, that is not the goal to work toward. :)   

@Chris Gilbert unfortunately it sounds like the cost to build the deck will need to be capitalized.There is an "anti-abuse" clause to the De Minimis Safe Harbor.

Just to briefly touch on the OP I’m an anti-camera guy.

Then work backwards to ask questions that encourage a process-driven focus, and anti-resulting.

I don't think it'll change until prices get so high that developers find the reward to be worth the hassle and the anti-development crowd gets drowned out by the people who can't afford to live in their own town.I guess all of that makes it obvious why I've been buying a lot of rental houses.  

In order, I would research:1 - Anti Discrimination in Housing, including the questions you can and cannot ask during the tenant screening process.2 - Lease law - how to construct an iron-clad lease3 - Eviction process and law - hopefully you will never need this.Read up on some of the success stories here on BP.  

You can get yourself into trouble if you start breaking anti-steering laws saying one neighborhood is better than another.