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!

[Mike Dymski]

This is not "by the book" advice but we are often in those situations, have to make judgment calls, and litigation is extremely rare. I would write up and deduct from the deposit the broken doors, odor repairs, and carpets. If they respond, you can then pivot accordingly. Incidentally, $2k is very reasonable for all the stuff you mentioned.