Trouble recouping tenant move-out charges

[Account Closed]

I have a unit that tenants just moved out of. After doing the move out inspection, there were so many damages that they surpassed the deposit. Some of the damages include: -Cigarette burns on both vanity countertops -Pet, ink, and bleach stained carpets -missing shower heads (she said the old ones had mildew in them so she threw them away then took hers that she bought when she moved out) -serious paint damage past wear and tear (plus they smoked so the walls have to be painted to get rid of the smell) -beat in drywall holes -broken light fixtures -they didnt clean at all so cleaning costs -some items left (tires in basement, hangers, food in pantry, etc) -broken screens -etc. The tenants are not happy and are saying I stole their deposit. If anything I think they are lucky I wasn't planning on recouping the rest. Just recently I got the sewer bill in the mail and they hadn't paid the past 3 months, equaling just under $130. I called them to ask for payment and they replied with "why don't you just pay it with the deposit you stole from us?" then told me I was a crooked landlord and to "f*ck off and have a nice life" then hung up. I know all my charges were very justifiable. I worked in property management for 2 years managing 800 units with a small team of people and have done around 300 move-out inspections. Should I pursue legal action? The extra charges are over $300 plus the $130 sewer bill. Not to mention they illegally had a pet which the lease states $50/per day which equals $12,000 I obviously don't want the $12,000. I just want them to rightfully pay what they owe. (Disclosure: these tenants were in place when I purchased the building and I didn't originally screen them and wouldn't have normally rented to them)

[Jean Bolger]

I would just think of it as an additional acquisition cost (since you inherited those tenants) and move on. It's not really enough money to make a big difference for you, you're probably never going to recoup it, and chasing after it would just cause you needless stress and take energy away from your higher goals.