Laws aside, why would the PM refuse to provide a lease? 

Nice to meet a local thank you for the info :)  I am in East Greenbush 

It's a legal issue determined by your state's laws, so you may want to consult with a landlord-tenant attorney to get a good understanding of that before you make a claim on the deposit.

Partially by circumstance, albeit those that I created, I will confidently say that I am the amongst the very few local Real Estate Professionals that are as intimately familiar with the rules, regulations and requirements to reliably invest in a permittable vacation rental property ANYWHERE on the Oregon AND California Coast's. 

It is just the tax law. 

I am a local RE Broker in Cape Coral and understand your concerns.

Hey guys,I've been self-managing for 5 or so years now but recently turned over the PM on a couple properties to a local property management in town.

You've confirmed what I understood to be true about the Fair Housing Laws.

I spoke to a local agent based out of Toccoa and she seemed to be very upbeat about it but I wanted to take opinions from investors who actually own rentals out there.  

The home is spacious enough to house 11 young college students; at a local growing private college.