Upon formal inspection for Home/Pest found unpermitted electrical/plumbing/foundation/HVAC work that is a section 1 safety/health problem.Bank won't reduce price to meet rehab costs, looking to call county permit office and place permit violation liens on the property to see if bank sees them as more serious issues and reduce the price.

You need to call your insurance provider.They will tell you a list of what is okay and not.Mine no aggressive breeds of animals is permitted or they will pull the policy on all the buildings.Rottweiler,Pitt Bull,etc.Some insurance policies have weight exclusions but some do not.Another important factor is the BITE HISTORY of the animal.If it's deemed a non-aggressive breed but that little dog has a bad history of biting people then I won't take the animal.I don't like pet deposits.You have to hold it like a security deposit.Instead I like a one time "pet acceptance fee" that is non-refundable.The tenants will say the pet won't do anything etc. but the amount of pet deposits that actually go back to the tenant after they leave I would guess is very,very small.You can also get the tenant to pay a pet fee per month.With the pet fee you need to figure out the cost of the unit for new carpet and damage to the base boards.The cost to be carpet,pad, and labor to install plus baseboard finish and paint.Used to you could put a vapor barrier between the carpet and the pad but it would be really noisy.Now if you spend just a little more you can get a scotch pad made out of rubber that is stain resistant.Then when you go to replace the carpet the pad is still good.Have in your lease that the tenant will be responsible for clipping claws,neutering,getting rabies and other shots to maintain the health and well being of the animal,etc.

May be worth getting written approvals and maybe even permits and plans before approaching the bank as it will show you are serious.

The addition is permitted, up to code, and legal, which can all be verified at the city permitting office.  

I really want to learn the ins and outs of the process from permits to completion, but will take whatever is willing to be offered.

A new tenant decided to build a 300 sf patio there and we discovered that they did not apply for a permit.

Additionally, he is expecting permit fees to run 3-4k.

To say the least I fired the first contractor do to not pulling permits I hired another contractor that wasn't on the job and let his subordinates handle things.

If it's not obvious at the site, talk to any of the subs there, they can tell you who the builder is.Go to the permit office and tell them about your project.

Since it was so minor with no permits and would only take a few hours, I failed to get a contract signed or even ask about his insurance status or anything to that effect.