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HUGE holes to mount a TV? Is this hyperbole? Are we talking lag screw holes that can be filled with spackle here, or holes the size of a gopher hole that will require sheetrock repair?
Spackling and painting should probably be considered normal wear and tear upkeep that you will always have to do between tenants. If that's your only complaint, and they were otherwise good tenants, I'd give them their deposit back.
On a rental I got back last year, I had to remove over 200 drywall anchors- this was a property that had been fully rehabbed & had zero defects in the walls upon move-in. Context is key. The sheer volume of holes on the most prominent walls of the home required professional drywall repair & a full repaint, at a cost of nearly $2000. Even little holes can be quite bad if it looks like someone took potshots with a 12-gauge to the walls.
Towel bars add no value & ceiling fans might add liability if they were installed without the proper brackets in the ceiling. I'd hire a licensed contractor to remove the "upgrades" & tack the total on to the bill for the tenant. Don't really care if they get mad.
Filling nail holes or even large lag screw holes takes MINUTES to 'repair'. Unless there is actual drywall patching needed this sounds like exaggeration to attempt to keep the deposit on otherwise good tenants who added some nice features and left the place clean. Painting is normal upkeep between tenants. Yes, the whole wall. The whole apartment.
Have you ever personally written a check to have an entire house/apartment painted professionally? Even a small apartment could easily cost $1000 & depending on how long a tenant stays, that could easily be an excessive expense. A five-year tenant, maybe- someone who was there for a year, not so much.
HUGE holes to mount a TV? Is this hyperbole? Are we talking lag screw holes that can be filled with spackle here, or holes the size of a gopher hole that will require sheetrock repair?
Spackling and painting should probably be considered normal wear and tear upkeep that you will always have to do between tenants. If that's your only complaint, and they were otherwise good tenants, I'd give them their deposit back.
Any repairs done between some tenants is damage once it becomes the norm to spackle and paint you may have an argument for this being wear and tear. If I have to fill holes from a TV mount I'm charging for it because there were zero holes when they moved in. That is hiring someone to come out and fill, and maybe texture, and paint is an easy $250. TV mounts are the worst in rentals as they take 2-4 lags which are bigger holes than nails for pictures.
As for the fans they add zero value to the property and if they added wiring then you now have an unpermitted alteration that will cost you money to get permitted. If they were light fixtures installed before the fans then you need to pull down the fans and make sure they are fastened into something that is designed to support fans. Technically you can put it back to the way it was originally and charge them for that since they made an unapproved modification, which is what I would do and hire it out so I have a paper trail for the charges.
Tenants that like to DIY stuff that doesn't belong to them are almost as bad as irresponsible pet owners, good luck
Unless you have a written agreement regarding the fans/towel bar, simply thank them for the upgrades and then deduct the damages from the deposit.
This is the best advice, IMO. That said, depending on how much more attractive the upgrades made my unit, I might be willing to give the former tenants their entire deposit back in appreciation for their upgrades, even if unauthorized.
Filling nail holes or even large lag screw holes takes MINUTES to 'repair'. Unless there is actual drywall patching needed this sounds like exaggeration to attempt to keep the deposit on otherwise good tenants who added some nice features and left the place clean. Painting is normal upkeep between tenants. Yes, the whole wall. The whole apartment.
I have to disagree. Sure small finishing/picture nail holes are easy to go over. Usually a bit of silicone rubbed with finger takes care of it
But lag screw holes require patching and texture and paint. I dont care if they added "nice" features. Because those nice features are now MY problem. So say they added some fans. I now have to exclude the repair use or maintenance of those fans. And if they weren't properly installed and one falls now it's a liability to me.
If it breaks I gotta fix it if I didn't exclude it.
If they paint and used latex or water base paint but I used oil based paint I may have a peeling issue later. Which again I have to deal with. Costing ME more money. The tenant is long gone and I sure can't go back now fir damages.
So if you want a house to modify go buy your own house and do as you please. If you're renting keep your hands away from any modifications. I dont care how tasteful or nice they are. Any additions are a headache later
I agree that holes are easy to fill and walls repainted. The thing is that they are large lag bolt holes on darn near every wall in EVERY room. The holes are so large that they will have to be texture-matched. This is a three bedroom, 2 bath house, including a walk-in pantry and utility room. So we aren't being pansies about having to fill and repair the walls. We were only going to ask for a portion of the deposit until they asked to be compensated for the unapproved updates.
I agree that holes are easy to fill and walls repainted. The thing is that they are large lag bolt holes on darn near every wall in EVERY room. The holes are so large that they will have to be texture-matched. This is a three bedroom, 2 bath house, including a walk-in pantry and utility room. So we aren't being pansies about having to fill and repair the walls. We were only going to ask for a portion of the deposit until they asked to be compensated for the unapproved updates.
Stop asking them for permission. Call a drywall guy and a painter. Have them fix the holes and any drywall damage. Get receipts. Take the costs out of the deposit. The modifications were unauthorized. You're not liable to pay or reimburse. I would have the modifications removed and charge for the repairs to bring the property to original condition. Send them a itemized letter if charges with copies of receipts and the remainder if their deposit. They dint like it let them take you to court.
They damaged the property from the original condition. It was not returned in original condition lesswear and tear? Then they get to pay for the damages.
I agree that holes are easy to fill and walls repainted. The thing is that they are large lag bolt holes on darn near every wall in EVERY room. The holes are so large that they will have to be texture-matched. This is a three bedroom, 2 bath house, including a walk-in pantry and utility room. So we aren't being pansies about having to fill and repair the walls. We were only going to ask for a portion of the deposit until they asked to be compensated for the unapproved updates.
You don't need permission. Stop talking to your tenants after they move out and turn the unit over. The first time you should be contacting them is to send the deduction letter and a check for the rest of the deposit/demand for payment. Even when they text you asking for their deposit either ignore it, I do, or say it is being worked on you are following state law so they will get it when it is ready within statutory deadlines.
OP, just follow the laws regarding security deposits where the property is. If you did everything according to the law, you're good to go. So, did you? Were you required to do inspections and give them a complete list of what they needed to do to get their deposit back? In CA you are, and if you don't, you have no right to the deposit, for instance.
All depends on the law where the property is.
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