When I told her the rent, deposit and other basic info, she practically started yelling at me about the price of rent.

The value of your labor is stored in that money and now, Joe, your partner, gets the benefit of your previous hard work.I’m not trying to be weird or philosophical, but simply trying to keep you from feeling guilty by believing you are not earning your half of the deal because you “only” funded it and provided no extra labor.There are more practical reasons.

While effective, traps are standard practice.

Disclaimer: While I’m an attorney licensed to practice in PA, I’m not your attorney.

That is one of many irresponsible financial practices that contributed to the recession.  

You are young and if you are methodical, you can do very well by just continuing with what you learn and put into practice. 

That is where having someone familiar with the nuances of each state can be helpful, since many states handle the buying and selling of property differently, or have obscure laws/practices that would be good to be aware of.Andrew

Regrettably, their business practices have left much to be desired.

However, I consider it best practice to issue them.

That is accepted practice in my area and is in the lease.For my multi's, I provide a community icemelt bucket and 4 shovels, including a flatheat dirt shovel and sidewalk scraper for ice scraping.