Tenant moved out - Left empty TV boxes & styrofoam!

[Ed Clare]

I purchased a duplex back in June (my first investment property), and one of the tenants is moving out due to outgrowing the place (it's a 1 BR)

I've begun cleaning the place out today, and I found that he left a large number of boxes including 2 TV boxes filled with the styrofoam and plastic inside. There was a total of 4 boxes and other random things, like a lamp, and 2 children's toys.

I'm thinking about possibly holding some of his security deposit to pay for removal and disposal of the items.

Some background: The guy had been staying in the apartment for about 2.5 years. The kitchen smells of curry and I'm going to need to scrub all of the cabinets and ceiling and replace the appliances because they're caked with material. The guy was very polite and also paid a few days early for the 2 months he paid me. 

I just think that the $10 fee for disposal would be more than fair for him. What do you think?

Let  me know what you think...

Also, it seems like people are coming out of the woodwork saying they are interested in either renting the unit outright or they know someone who they think would want to rent. I'm trying to run this like a business and plan on being very picky with my tenants. Any advice on how to force people to realize I'm not going to just rent to anyone?