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I told tenant that she can put up shelves in her room. No further was discussed. Upon moving out she was offered money for leaving the shelves in the wall (an offer she never responded to). She moved out and took all the shelves. She left the room with holes in the wall (she also didn't erase the lines she made when constructing the shelves).
I plan to fix the holes and repaint the room so they look acceptable for the next tenant. I think the costs should be paid by the ex-tenant (from her security deposit). She was allowed to put up shelves but at the same time she was not allowed to leave the room in a condition different than what she had moved into. As she was even offered money for her shelves she had no excuse to leave the room like that. Am I right with this?
Yes you are well within your rights. I would take photos before repairing the wall to be on the safe side. Include the written estimate or actual invoice of charges w/ her refund statement. Repainting cost could even be divided into, say, 1/3 tenant 2/3 landlord to allow for some normal wear and tear on her part.
Do you have this type of thing covered in your lease or handbook? For instance ours states that holes made by nails or whatever should be patched and touched up by the tenant upon move out.
I have been always confused by the term 'normal wear and tear', even when I was renting. It seems like a very loose term. As a landlord, I usually don't make a big fuss about things, but I think this time my tenant went too far and acted maliciously. I would have paid $80-100 for the shelves but she rather just tore them out. She did the same thing in the dining room (common area). I don't know if I should pay for some of the cost of repairing and repainting. BTW the walls are sheet rock.
No, I don't have anything in the lease concerning this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KonaKat
Yes you are well within your rights. I would take photos before repairing the wall to be on the safe side. Include the written estimate or actual invoice of charges w/ her refund statement. Repainting cost could even be divided into, say, 1/3 tenant 2/3 landlord to allow for some normal wear and tear on her part.
Do you have this type of thing covered in your lease or handbook? For instance ours states that holes made by nails or whatever should be patched and touched up by the tenant upon move out.
To me, it's above and beyand normal wear and tear. I had a tenant hang a flat screen TV into the studs. When he took it down, he left huge holes with part of the sheetrock paper peeled off. I charged him for it. It wasn't a picture hook hole, it was way above and beyond "normal".
I would deduct the repairs from the deposit. No problem.
Well, we had the holes fixed and painted the room. Still the room doesn't look the way it looked (still can see the holes somewhat). Cost: $200. I really feel bad charging this to her but at the same time I offered her money to keep the shelves where they were...
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaneSA
To me, it's above and beyand normal wear and tear. I had a tenant hang a flat screen TV into the studs. When he took it down, he left huge holes with part of the sheetrock paper peeled off. I charged him for it. It wasn't a picture hook hole, it was way above and beyond "normal".
I would deduct the repairs from the deposit. No problem.
Well, we had the holes fixed and painted the room. Still the room doesn't look the way it looked (still can see the holes somewhat). Cost: $200. I really feel bad charging this to her but at the same time I offered her money to keep the shelves where they were...
Aren't you in it for making money? It's a business. not a charity. You have pics, deduct it from her deposit.
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