Providing Itemized List Of Damages For Security Deposit When Repairs Are Pending

[Ben Haggblade]

On March 23rd, 2023 my tenant in Tennessee moved out in which he lived in the unit with his dog since August 2022. During move out inspection no physical damage was identified that could be considered more than normal wear and tear. However, there was a clear strong pet urine odor. Following move out I had a deep cleaner come to clean the unit and take precautions to attempt to clean the flooring, walls and ceiling. The urine odor still persisted (though less). Over the next 10 days I attempted other remedies to clean the LVP flooring of pet odor such as other cleaning method, deodorizers, and days of airing out the unit via open windows. The smell did not leave and actually got worse as weather heated up. There are two corners that seem to smell the worst. I then began to get quotes to pull up the floor and attempt to identify sub floor damage and replace needed LVP flooring. I have learned that any repairs will not occur for at least a few more weeks and a final invoice will not be available till after the floor is pulled up the and issue identified. 

Issue

In Tennessee you have 30 days to return a security deposit or provide an itemized receipt deducting from the deposit and/or billing for additional damage. Based on my quotes from contractors I will not have the damages fully repaired in time to comply with the 30 day policy. 

Question

Is there a way to extend this 30 day requirement in order to still charge the tenant for damages for when they are repaired and final invoice received? If so, what would that process look like?

Thank you all in advance for your support. This is my first time being a landlord.