Landlord repair effort when returning security deposit

[Bill Flannagan]

I recently completed my first year of being a landlord. The lease has ended and I owe the tenants part of their security deposit back. I had to have some repairs completed. Some things I had to sub out and have invoices to backup the cost. However some of the work I did myself. It took time and feel I should account for the labor for the repairs. Am I correct in charging for the time it took me to repair the property to its original state? If so, how do I account for those costs when itemizing the costs in returning the remaining amount of the security deposit? Thanks in advance for your help! Bill

[Michele Fischer]

Certain states and municipalities may have certain rules.  We do charge for cleaning and repairs that we perform ourselves, but we also realize that they will be easier to throw out in case of litigation or collections.  We do not provide receipts and photos unless they are requested.  We keep a detailed list of what is done on what day and how long it takes.

I'll paste in a portion of a move out accounting, you can see that we don't indicate who did the work, us or a third party:

Itemized Repairs and Related Losses to get unit back to move in condition:

$622.00 Replace carpet and pad (see comments)

$24.00 Kilz primer to paint flooring to block pet odor from new carpet

$10.00 Purchase and install missing end cap in fridge

$300.00 Repaint unit: walls heavily stained

$20.00 Replace door jamb in bedroom (materials)

$6.00 Replace toilet seat (materials)

$80.00 Labor to complete listed repairs and remove carpet

Total Repair Cost: $1,062.00

Necessary Cleaning to get unit back to move in condition, all at a rate of $18.00/hour:

3 hours to clean kitchen: empty fridge, clean fridge and stove, remove canned goods left, scrub counters and flooring

2 hours to clean windows: remove dirt from sills, wash blinds

1.2 hours to clean bathroom: scrub floor, remove hair from shower walls, clean sink and toilet

4 hours to scrub living room and bedrooms: mop floor, clean walls, deodorize bedrooms, clean baseboards (very grimy)

-4 hours for normal wear & tear/acceptable landlord cleaning for one year occupancy

Total Cleaning Cost: $117.00