Tenants want to counter sue for damage they did not report

[Mark Forest]

After my tenants finally left we found extensive damage to the floor from their dog urinating on it plus scratches from moving furniture etc. The damages exceed their deposit and I have sent them a letter stating we are keeping the entire deposit and they owe us about $3000.00. I do not think they are disputing us keeping the deposit, but they do not want to pay anything above that. I received a letter from their lawyer stating that if we sue them they are going to counter-sue us for damages they claim occurred to their property that has “black mold” from being stored in the basement. When they stayed there they never complained verbally or in written form as our lese requires about mold in the basement or any damage to their property. The lawyer claims they have pictures.

When they were there they crushed the gutter downspouts when they mowed the lawn and they had a tremendous amount of clutter in the basement. I never saw the basement flood, but there were some humidity problems in the basement. What do you all think of their lawyer’s threat?

As always, thank you to all who give their learned advice.