I rented apartments 50+ years ago and it didn't seem fair to me when my landlords held onto an excessive amount of my money I could use to enjoy things I wanted.As for pets, we charge a Pet Fee that is not refundable and not a Deposit because even if the pets don't do damage they are a pain in the butt with their barking and pooping everywhere.

@Nathan G. part of the issue is moisture too.

I got lucky with rising property prices, refinanced the mortgage at a low interest rate, and used excess capital to pay off the friendly lender.

I got lucky with rising property prices, refinanced the mortgage at a low interest rate, and used excess capital to pay off the friendly lender.

Our lease does have a clause reserving the right to recover costs associated with excessive resource/utiltity consumption (hence the need for a baseline). 

When a tenant moves out, transfer the deposit back to Checking so it's ready to apply towards expenses or to refund to the Tenant.If you end up with excess funds in the Checking account, I recommend you transfer it to a third account that is specifically designated for future investments.

Smoking excessively: during pre screen tenant stated that they only smoke outside, but now the bedroom smells like an ashtray and they are leaving butts all over the premises. 2.

Their rent due was in excess of the security and although I do not have any expectation of collecting, I would like to at least have their debt reported on their credit reports.

In this case you'd see if the tenants were doing things like growing herbal products or other ways of excessive use and put a clause in the agreement that states they will be responsible for the utility reconciliation.

Purchase price: $65,900 Cash invested: $14,700 Sale price: $110,000 We installed a new roof, repaired plumbing, upgraded kitchen, upgraded electrical panel, removed excess trees and shrubs, upgraded bathroom, polished wood flooring, basic drywall repair and paint.