There seems to be a shortage of rentals for families with pets in that area, and I have received two offers to rent should I decide to go forward with this deal.

I didn't plan on allowing pets without a separate deposit.

Doggie rent - charge a fee for pets, per month (in addition to a deposit, if your market allows).I hope this helps!

Assuming your rentals are in Alabama, the law there is: Alabama SECURITY DEPOSIT Limit: no more than one month's rent unless an additional fee is required for pets.

I'm sure fellow landlords have seen this - a repairman at a tenant-occupied unit ends up discussing future repairs or projects with the tenant.

Fortunately this situation has never resulted in a huge headache ...

If a seller shows a lot of hesitation to enter into this type of agreement, there is a good chance there is something they are trying to hide.When requesting an estoppel agreement, ensure that it contains the following information:All tenant and occupant namesLease terms, including start and end dateRent amount and due dateSecurity deposit amountUtility arrangement (who pays, etc.)Appliances (who owns them, etc.)Pet addendum information, if applicableCurrent maintenance list, if applicableAny other addendumsBoth you and the inherited tenants should sign this document.

She had mentioned that they can't find a place where they can bring their pets.

If they can't afford the 3 months I have on occasions allowed them to make the sec dep in a few payments.I will also get additional sec dep when credit looks marginal, or there are pets.

Income, eviction history, criminal history, credit, smoking or not, pets or not, etc.

@Monae Petty-Owens pet rent is common these days as people's attitude towards pets has changed.