If you give them an inch they'll take it everything.

I didn’t raise the rent for the first few years, yet since have been inching it up. 

@Kamal Sharma That is a VERY tall order for the Bay Area proper.

It could literally be a matter of inches of your driveway on their property (if at all) and a $200 rental of a cement saw and a few hours will solve your problem. 

In older houses where the ceiling is usually 8 feet tall or higher, this is practically invisible.

The market might continue to inch upward until later this year, but in terms of dollars, how much do you stand to gain from that? 

Handing over cleaning to the tenants for $100 when you didn't know the full scope of the job beyond "the place wasn't that bad."3. 1-inch filters that hadn't been changed for months or years.4.

For clarity, the stairs are not in disrepair, but the first "step" is from dirt to the first rung on the stairs which is a few inches more than standard height.

The wall is about 5 feet tall and each property is 5 to 6 feet away from the wall.

I'd recommend not taking it out of the security deposit to protect yourself down the road and also when you give an inch, people take a mile.