If you are self employed you can also look at bank statement loans assuming you have a business with high deposits.

Have them direct deposit into a separate rental account if you can.

For instance here is a snippet I saw on crexi:Non-ContingentEarnest Money Deposit: Greater of $20,000 or 10% of the Purchase PriceMarketing Fee: 5% of the Winning Bid Amount, $20,000 minimum$10,000 Participation Deposit

Im tired of letting tenants bail out with unpaid rent and damages that exceed well past the deposit. 

The rehab funds are for completed work only so your parents would need to front the contractor like 15k let's say to get started and then they get their deposit back at the end of the project because they added 15k to the rehab funds with their deposit so 15k will be left over in the escrow account when job is done. 

Many tax sales require deposit up front and payment day of sale or soon thereafter. 

The Brokerage advises agents NOT to handle deposits, but have buyers send it directly to the closing company (e.g., closing attorney or seller attorney).  

Also check how long you have to notify the tenant that they won't be getting their full deposit back and how long you have to return the balance.

The vast majority of lawsuits against Landlords are for wrongful eviction, security deposit disputes, and Fair Housing Violations.

For example, if you plan to buy a home with a mortgage but you fail to make financing one of the conditions of the sale--and you aren't approved for the mortgage--you can lose your deposit on the home and could even be sued by the seller for failing to fulfill your end of the contract.An experienced real estate agent deals with the same contracts and conditions on a regular basis, and is familiar with which conditions should be used, when they can safely be removed and how to use the contract to protect you, whether you're buying or selling your home.4.