I just looked at the disclosures on the last short sale I purchased and it says under Lender Agreement to Short Sale that "they (the lender) will generally require that the transaction be arm's length and that all terms of any benefit conferred on the seller be fully disclosed and that the seller cannot stay in the property following the sale".Here's some more reading on the subject if you're interested:Can I Lease The House Back to the Seller After I Buy a Short Sale?

That is your defense against it being a service animal.  

defense won't get them anywhere.  

If they are willing, you can provide them an extra blank Petition Package, but also get their name, phone and email so you can also email them a petition package so they have complete instructions and the ability to print more.Who – Where to Collect Signatures: Friends, Family, Neighbors, Your Tenants, Apartment Complexes, Public Functions, Public Venues.Thank you for your assistanceConcerned Missouri Property OwnersFred J McGary, The Canmore Group, LLC Representative from the Landlord Legal Defense Fund.Kim Tucker, Mid-America Association of Real Estate Investors founder representing over 3000 Landlords, Investors and Property Owners in the Kansas City Metro Area.

If it happened again, they'd have to pay me $50, but I reserve the right to start eviction for nonpayment.Your best defense against a tenant who will pay late, other than good screening in the first place, is by only using a month to month agreement.  

Sure you can , make sure you save enough legal fees ; defense attorney are not cheap 

It is the first line of defense if something happens.

And you couldn't really claim ignorance after the fact (though ignorance of a law isn't a defense, but sometimes a judge will go easier on you), since you asked your accountant about those hours, and she said they can't be counted.I really think you just need to get your name on the titles. 

Of course, in the papers' defense this is becoming fairly common.  

Thanks for the advice; I was somewhat surprised to see such a disparity in opinions on this.After reading this I was prepared to cover at least half $52.50, or maybe even the whole $105, but I was able to get the tenant, myself, and our bank on a conference call today where they dropped all the overdraft fees.