It does go towards to purchase price but is not refundable like a standard earnest money deposit would be.

. * Don't allow financing or a finance contingency (it can be a good indication they are selling above market value)* Don't allow for your own independent property inspection* Are not realistic with their pro forma's (i.e. they don't include vacancy or maintenance projections or use      unrealistically low vacancy factors)* Require you to pay for any renovation upfront* Sell only in cheap. low end neighborhoods* Don't accurately represent the neighborhood/property classification* Don't have consistent rehab standards for all properties* Don't provide a scope of work for the property* Can't provide references of repeat investors* Require you to close before a tenant is in place

You may also be held to additional standards which could cost you more money than intended (i.e. some shingles come off or some of the vinyl siding gets cracked. 

The company that I worked for had a couple of sober living facilities. 

A Bargain and Sale deed is a standard deed in many states.

“This is incredibly timely, given our collective commitment and my personal commitment to addressing homelessness and housing in our city,” Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas, one of the ordinance’s sponsors, said during Tuesday’s council meeting.Currently, background checks are a standard part of applying for rental housing, and applicants with a criminal record often are denied.

If you are dealing with an addition built on 12" beams (or if the original foundation is old and not built to current standards), the repair company might not be able to push the piers down to refusal depth or psi due to the beam not taking the load, thus leveling it, but not guaranteeing it will not continue to move in the future, thus not providing warranty.9.

If this was a standard rental process then yes, I'd recommend going through the process of applications/screening steps, a background check, and then require the deposit; since it sounds like the house is being rented to transient workers though, the very nature of the work situation calls for a bit more flexibility on the renting end.

One partner wants to set this up as a monthly $550 charge, saying it is "standard practice." 

The storage facility is under 20 units and has not been maintained in years.