Fine line between wear/tear and abuse?

[Sam Leon]

How do you draw the line between wear and tear vs just excessive force & abuse?

Example, if within a two month period you had the microwave oven door handle broken off, refrigerator door handle broken off, the exterior front door hinge pulled off (which happens when you swing open the door to 240 degrees when it hits the wall but if you put your body into it bang bang bang it may pull loose the hinge screws.  The sink cabinet hinges are also loose to the point where they won't shut tight.

Some people open and close the car doors, some people kick open their car door, get out, and close the door with a forceful butt bump.

Where is that line?  as a landlord is there a way to reasonably define that line?

[Andrew B.]

Wear and tear is something you should expect to happen when something is used. Carpet wears out when you walk on it, that's a fact of life. Handles don't just break when you pull them occasionally, nor do hinges just pop off every now and then. What you are describing is damage, not wear and tear. If those are actual examples of what happened in your property, you should fix everything, and then bill tenants for the damage. Next lease enewal, get them out.