Now, I would think that the minute those new tenants signed their lease, that terminates OUR lease.... correct? 

If the consensus is that I should agree to rent to them, as the landlord, how should I articulate the leasing terms in writing to protect myself? 

They are all in stable neighborhoods composed of primary owner/occupiers in markets with strong 30 year population + job growth forecasts.Sources of risk come from a variety of sources, starting with (1) the market, (2) the property and location, (3) price you pay, (4) management strategy, (5) rental rate you set, (6) rehab budget, (7) service provided to your tenants and how strict you are with them, (8) your ability to attract and retain high quality brokers, leasing agents, inspectors, handyman/contractors/agents, etc, etc., (9) level of investment experience you have, (10) familiarity of the market, etc.As an investor, one of my primary responsibilities is risk management... my ability to fully understand all of the risks that I am taking and put processes/structures in place to minimize or control these risks.And if you are a successful risk manager, i have found that in REI you are able to mitigate the downside and generate returns that ARE NOT commensurate with the risks you are taking and do so by providing a triple win to your investors, your tenants, and yourself!

I recently closed on a 3/2 in Tampa with existing tenants (lease ends next month - they are moving).

Could we deduct 50% of the security deposit as a new tenant placement expense when the previous tenant breaks the lease? 

The closing I used called it a "Lease Purchase." 

I’m just starting out in my real estate career and as looking into doing a lease option for one of my properties.From my understanding, rental credits are a big no-no, as it makes the deal a financing agreement with equitable interest.My question is, for those deals where the initial option fee counts toward the purchase price of the house in the end, would that ever be considered a financing agreement since they are pre-paying so to speak?  

They do not have financials for the property itself, no rent rolls, expenses, leases etc.

Both sides are leased at low rent with no security deposit.

What does your lease say and what does the law say?