Managing Deposit on Rental Property at Move Out (rentals, house)

[seadoons]

I am turning my rental property for the first time. I have one months deposit in my hands as well as a refundable pet deposit. I found the following issues:

Holes from door knobs in 4 walls
Two broken blinds
Two broken interior doors (kicked)
Burn on kitchen countertop
Several broken fence pickets in the backyard
Broken towel rack in bathroom
Peeling paint from water damage (from hand-held shower sprayer)
One broken tile in the kitchen
Dent in the garage door
And "excess wear and tear" on walls that were freshly painted when he moved in.

Do I need to itemize each of these and add a cost to it? I've read some people just withhold the deposit all together for stuff like this. The paint in the house needs a complete refresh but I would have done that either way. With that said, the rooms that were freshly painted but are now messed up with pen and crayon marks (and food splatter) will be dinged as excessive.

How would you approach this?

[WRM20]

The Texas Property Code is your friend PROPERTY CODE CHAPTER 92. RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES Subchapter C. There's also the lease, which may have additional provisions.

Having said that, I would get an estimate for the repairs, and then send the tenant the accounting for any amounts you withhold from the deposit as required by the statute.

For the door knob holes, get something similar to this https://www.amazon.com/WHITE-Door-Pr.../dp/B002O75DDQ for the repair, as this is a common occurrence, especially on rentals. Heck, I did htat accidentally on my own house one time, which is why I know about the item.

[cheryjohns]

Take pictures and keep in the file - online and hard copy.

Like WRM20 states above, you need to have an itemized cost list - you can't just keep the deposits without itemizing. In the event that the damage exceeds the deposit, send them a bill for it.

Don't forget to include (and do this) the cost of having the house treated for fleas, due to the pet.

[seadoons]

Thanks for the feedback. Most of the broken stuff (doors, blinds, etc) seems very cut and dry to me. The "excess wear and tear" seems more subjective but I'll work through it. For example, they put a burn mark on one section of my kitchen countertop. I need to figure out how to allocate a cost for just that piece even though i'm replacing all counters in the kitchen. I'm replacing them because it is time (going from laminate to granite) but with that said the laminate was still in good shape. Just outdated. Thoughts?

[txdemo]

Originally Posted by seadoons

Thanks for the feedback. Most of the broken stuff (doors, blinds, etc) seems very cut and dry to me. The "excess wear and tear" seems more subjective but I'll work through it. For example, they put a burn mark on one section of my kitchen countertop. I need to figure out how to allocate a cost for just that piece even though i'm replacing all counters in the kitchen. I'm replacing them because it is time (going from laminate to granite) but with that said the laminate was still in good shape. Just outdated. Thoughts?

It seems unfair to charge for the burn when you are replacing the counters anyway.

[unihills]

Originally Posted by txdemo

It seems unfair to charge for the burn when you are replacing the counters anyway.

The counter wouldn't need replacing if somebody had not burned it, so it seems fair to me.

[gwarnecke]

We had a similar issue, where tenants burned a small section of a countertop that was outdated, but previously in good shape. After some haggling, we assigned a "depreciated value" to the countertop and charged them that value. In total, their damages to the unit exceeded the deposit value, so they ended up giving up their whole deposit anyways.

[txdemo]

Originally Posted by unihills

The counter wouldn't need replacing if somebody had not burned it, so it seems fair to me.

That's not what he said.

"I'm replacing them because it is time (going from laminate to granite) but with that said the laminate was still in good shape. Just outdated."

[houstongal22]

You have to give them a breakdown and it has to be within 30 days. Take photos or video. I used to do this when tenant moved in and out to have a record of the condition. Anything other than normal wear and tear could be deducted. Regardless of the reason(meaning if you were planning to upgrade). The damage was done to the countertop, however you should only deduct the amount it will cost to replace that area with the same material. You may have to provide receipts if they decide to take you to court. So keep any receipts or keep teh receipts of the upgrade and just deduct a small portion for that item.

Regarding Paint I would not deduct if is normal wear an tear, however due to crayon and pen marks I will but only those specific walls not the whole house. Refreshing is part of your make ready and a landlord expense.

Hope this helps.

[seadoons]

All good info. Yes, the countertop issue was a gray area. With that said, they damaged the countertop. Doesn't matter what my plans are for afterwards. I'm only assessing a fee for re-laminating that section and the labor involved. Thanks again.