Supplementing any tenants rent is a losing proposition that hobby landlords mistakenly believe is a benefit in retaining tenants but in fact has zero relationship to how long a tenant will stay.

we have been having trouble renting #22. it's been on the market for over 2 weeks and have had 33 emails/contacts through hotpads/zillow/trulia. those sites have made it super easy for morons to just click "contact the manager now" and a generic email comes to us.our ad CLEARLY says "no section 8" and it's the first thing listed.so we get an auto "email" from a person saying she is "interested". we reply with "when would you like to see it"?

I wouldn't only trust the word of the county person you talked to (they're not always correct unfortunately) but also supplement what they told you by looking at the published zoning code specific to the zone the property sits in (if you haven't already), and internalize the constraints as they relate to this parcel/your plan. 

I use the 1% rule as a generic baseline not a make or break, but it gives me an idea.

This individual would have a more technical aptitude and potentially worth the additional cost.....or perhaps you supplement the budget approach with your aunt and an unbiased, inspector who will just provide the facts based on their experience.Just a thought and a different perspective.I have used the family approach in the past, and while all family is different and costs vary, I just found the discount wasn't worth the results.

There are contracts in the books they have for different states, plus there's a generic one, and you can even just create leases online for different states, too, I think.Here's the landlord/tenant page of products: https://store.nolo.com/products/landlord-tenant

I think a generic clause about terrariums under a certain size are welcome but no other pets can be brought onto the property, even for visits, without the owners prior approval would cover most circumstances.  

I use those generic tools to look for ways to improve my state forms.I'd join a local rental property group, and/or see if your state has a landlord association.  

She'd be more likely to move then.Can the kids work to supplement the household income and support a rent increase?

A lot of the gut kits are generic and won't work right in certain toilets.If you can't do it yourself,I would wait until you have problems.