Security Deposit Charges

[Cara Fazio]

I just had tenants move out a week ago and have incurred some significant expenses getting it cleaned and ready for new occupants.  This is a class A rental that was spotless when the tenants moved in 1.5 years ago.  These tenants had a large dog that was the source of most of the damage. We did our best to clean the affected areas and avoid replacement, but we ended up having to go the replacement rout after spending considerable $$ trying to clean.  

I spent $550 with Stanley Steamer to deep clean and deodorize the carpets and deep clean all of the tile surfaces (mostly the kitchen and back hall area that smelled horribly of dog urine).  The house is mostly hard wood floors with carpet only on the 3rd floor and staircases.  The 3rd floor carpet came out great and looks new again, but the carpet on the stairs from 1st to 2nd floor still smelled like a dirty dog dog bed after cleaning (it was clear they never used a vacuum).  We are now having to replace the carpet on the stairs (I don't have a quote for the carpet replacement yet).  What is reasonable to charge? Carpet was about 2 years old when they moved in. I am thinking I will charge them the full $550 for cleaning and take the hit for replacing the carpet. 

We also discovered the garbage disposal was broken and had been leaking (tenants had a bucket under the sink).  I am now going to be replacing the garbage disposal (which was also only 2 years old).  Is it reasonable to charge the tenants for the replacement since they clearly knew there was an issue and didn't report it?

I also spent $360 having the place professionally deep cleaned, $260 to have furniture they left hauled away and I am having to replace all of the deck boards on the back porch that their dog urinated all over (still waiting on a quote for this).  It is not looking like there will be much left over from their $1,750 deposit.   

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Cara Fazio:

I just had tenants move out a week ago and have incurred some significant expenses getting it cleaned and ready for new occupants.  This is a class A rental that was spotless when the tenants moved in 1.5 years ago.  These tenants had a large dog that was the source of most of the damage. We did our best to clean the affected areas and avoid replacement, but we ended up having to go the replacement rout after spending considerable $$ trying to clean.  

I spent $550 with Stanley Steamer to deep clean and deodorize the carpets and deep clean all of the tile surfaces (mostly the kitchen and back hall area that smelled horribly of dog urine).  The house is mostly hard wood floors with carpet only on the 3rd floor and staircases.  The 3rd floor carpet came out great and looks new again, but the carpet on the stairs from 1st to 2nd floor still smelled like a dirty dog dog bed after cleaning (it was clear they never used a vacuum).  We are now having to replace the carpet on the stairs (I don't have a quote for the carpet replacement yet).  What is reasonable to charge? Carpet was about 2 years old when they moved in. I am thinking I will charge them the full $550 for cleaning and take the hit for replacing the carpet. 

We also discovered the garbage disposal was broken and had been leaking (tenants had a bucket under the sink).  I am now going to be replacing the garbage disposal (which was also only 2 years old).  Is it reasonable to charge the tenants for the replacement since they clearly knew there was an issue and didn't report it?

I also spent $360 having the place professionally deep cleaned, $260 to have furniture they left hauled away and I am having to replace all of the deck boards on the back porch that their dog urinated all over (still waiting on a quote for this).  It is not looking like there will be much left over from their $1,750 deposit.   

You can charge them for the cost of cleaning and replacement, since the cleaning didn't work. Carpet should last ten years and it's only two years old, so I would charge them 80% of replacement cost, plus the cleaning costs, plus the garbage disposal. They also owe for the removal of furniture, deep cleaning, deck boards, etc.

Bottom line, you're going to spend a lot more than $1,750 to do this. I would charge them for everything, keep the entire deposit, and send them a letter showing how much they still owe. They probably won't pay you another dime, so you can just write it off and move on.

Question: what were your qualifications? It's unusual for a Class A tenant to do such damage and leave things behind. You may want to consider increasing your standards (higher rent:income ratio, higher credit score, larger deposit, etc.)