Am I asking to much??

[Michael Sockwell]

I have a duplex that I rent out and I’m looking for some feedback on an issue. To be fair I know I handle it incorrectly from the start but I looking to see how to go forward. Had a tenant who was a coworker/friend that needed a place to stay and my unit just became vacant. It is the basement portion of the duplex. At the time I was this persons manager at work for one reason or another I rented it with no deposit and no lease. Tenant lived there for roughly 18 months never paying rent even a day late and very little issues of any kind. 6 weeks before he was getting ready to move out the sump pump stopped working and sewage backed up into the shower. I or course assured him I would make it right and fix it thinking the pump just failed. No keep in mind this is a dirty disgusting job to fix. Not wanting to pay a plumber with the vacancy coming soon I went ahead and fixed it myself. Upon removing the old pump I found that someone had been flushing pieces of old T-shirt and that caused the pump to clog and fail. I sent him a text that it was cashed but him or his child and he would need to pay for the parts as this seems more than fair since a plumber would have charged a lot. He argued a little at first but when he came home and I showed him the clog he agreed and decided to pay. He asked me if he could pay me after the last rent payment as he had incurred some moving costs. I agreed since he always paid on time and we worked together. Around that time I accepted a new position in the company and no longer see him as often and no he has decided to change his tune that he shouldn’t have to pay for my pump since it’s my house. I have messages with him agreeing to pay and he ultimately caused this issue. I learned a valuable lesson on this one. Do I have a led to stand on and would small claims court be a viable option?