Damages after moving in from inherited tenats

[Steven Catudal]

Updated subject: Damages after inherited tenants move out

Hi Folks,

I bought a home a few months ago and the tenants I inherited are now moving out. There is some damage to the home (broken doors, nails and holes in wall, bad odor due to not cleaning (and cats I assume), and destroyed carpets.  All in all my contractor quoted repairs around $2k.

Am I able to withhold from the security deposit to pay for repairs? What if they say those damages were there before they moved in?

Thanks!