Often I'll call local utilities for outstanding unpaid bills, I also ask for a utility usage report, I can see if the place holds heat or air conditioning, perhaps a faulty water line. 

Anyway, this guy never registered the car and it was abandoned on the highway.

All amounts are first applied to outstanding late fees, then rent, then possibly utilities or similar. 

No big changes under way to Searcy area other than Harding's new buildings and new apartment complexes near the highway.

Either I'm an outstanding tenant with the extraordinarily bad luck of running into LL's who, as you allege, cash grab from the margins; or2.

(A reimbursable billing)  If they didn't pay, I deducted the water bill from their rent, which made their rent late.Now...this is stipulated in the lease agreement, that any rent received is applied to any outstanding bills they have with me. 

I have a couple of HELOCs and both have a 15 year interest only draw period, followed by a 15 year pay down period that fully amortized the outstanding balance over the 15 year payment period, so@Jon Holdman 's durations might not be what you get - but that could certainly be what you get.

Or, they have really bad credit, like they are late on everything and or have too many accounts in collection are in bankruptcy or have outstanding federal tax liens or judgments.

Anything east of highway 75 (M-streets, Greenville and Lakewood areas) are mostly older SFRS, but many have been remolded.  

It is there to cover repairs, cleaning, outstanding utilities and other deficiencies when the tenant moves out.