I just had one last week, it was a broken smoke detector. 40 bux.Potential for Difficult Tenants JUST like cash tenants, screening is the key.Property Damage Issues JUST like cash tenants, screening is the key.Harder to Evict Difficult Tenants NO it's not, in OH anyway.Full-Paying Tenants May Turn Away NOT sure what this means?

You can hold back money if the damage is not related to normal wear and tear (cleanliness, trash).I would charge them back for cleaning and the trashout 100% of the time.  

Mostly put more paint where it is damaged and 5 new windows in the unit which has childrenNow comes the scary part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once a judge signs off on the judgement and the damages, you can hire an attorney to garnish wages or place a lien on any personal property of the tenant and/or co-signers.

I would say the credit card scenario could be even more damaging given the circumstances. 

Mold not only damages your property but can also pose serious health risks, especially if it's black mold.As for the quote you received, $5,500 sounds a bit higher for the remediation of two basements, even with labor and materials included.

My first renter did 12k in damage 5 months later and I rarely slept.

...I wouldn't.To make matters worse, the property isn't appreciating (because it's in a low appreciation market, or even a depreciating market), and the tenant pool is primarily made up of people with bad credit, low/no income, and a history of property damage at the previous places they've rented.

Proof that it is damage vs wear and tear.  

In the event of an insured loss, minor issues will generally be disbursed to the borrower, major losses can end up going to the first mortgage lender leaving the borrower with a property and a second note holder with a damaged property as collateral.