Mold in rental property, do I charge my tenant?

[Anne Whalen]

Hi everyone, I have a property management question. I have a self-managed rental property in San Jose that recently turned over. After the tenants moved out, we noticed pretty extensive mold on both sides of the sliding glass door--wall and baseboard as well as the blinds and spots on the glass and frame. We got a water damage company to clean up and a handyman to come in to replace and refinish. Total cost is about $2k. My question is, do I charge the previous tenant for the work and take it out of their deposit? I've owned the condo for 12 years (since it was built) and never had this issue with previous tenants. My contract indicates that everything should be in the shape it was when the tenants moved in minus normal wear and tear. I don't think this qualifies under normal wear and tear? Thanks in advance for your advise.