The background to this is that I recently turned their account over to a property manager.

I have always done non-refundable. for tenants who have multiple pets (i had one tenants had 4 pets total, dog and cats), we do 500 non-refundable, and 500 refundable. for the refundable part, at the end of the lease if there's no damage, deposit back.And I request reference, and consult with insurance expert on the pets breed, making sure it's not the aggressive type, have good background/history and house trained, etc.Also, I advertised as deposit is per pet, but if they have multiple, it's always a case by case basis, I want to get as much information as possible about the pets first, and then negotiate a agreement with the tenants.

The upstairs tenant says she can hear things too, but to her it's background noise.

I am looking for a good reputable CPA in the Houston area that has a background in real estate investing and is also an active investor.

I have a tenant I ran the background check on today, first thing I found was the current landlord was evicting them,,then I noticed that landlord wasn't the name on the application.  

I do not charge application fees but require a background and credit check.

What I enjoyed most was listening to the other members personal experience, their background story, and personal challenges.  

Don't forget, if you buy as a conventional loan and put down 25%, you also need to pay for the rehab out of pocket too.Thats one of the beautiful things of a hard money lender.

I have an IT background and interest in real estate investing and renting.

I think having some background in real estate investing would be good for those wanting to meetup.