Is There A Safe Way To Pay A Deposit Before Signing A Lease? (usa)

TLDR; I want to pay a deposit before signing a lease to ease the landlord’s trepidation in renting to me(out-of-state, can’t meet, Section 8). I need to know if there’s a way to do this where he will legally owe me the money if it doesn’t pass inspection.

I’m looking for a rental from another state and can’t visit until it’s time for me to move. I have a Section 8 voucher and this has added to the difficulty in finding a landlord who is comfortable renting to someone in my circumstances. I found a rental via Zillow with a landlord with an okay reputation. I sense he’s reluctant to rent to me given that I can’t meet up with him for a tour, though he’s accepted my application for a unit before(someone else viewed/signed the lease as I waited for him to meet up with my realtor at the time for a viewing).

I want to show him I’m serious, have the ability to pay, and otherwise quickly move things forward. I know Section 8 inspections and paperwork can take ~2 weeks to sometimes over a month. I understand that’s a long time for a rental to sit vacant.

So is there a way to go ahead and pay the deposit and possibly the first month of rent with a guarantee that he’ll be legally obligated to pay me back if it doesn’t pass inspection(I believe it will) or something else goes awry?