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Updated over 11 years ago,
Trouble recouping tenant move-out charges
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)