Our attorney told me just return the money as the brain damage of going to court and potentially losing (court is really just rolling the dice - small claims court is not about justice and the law but what the "judge" thinks is "fair") is not worth the possible gain.We always sign a lease and any funds paid are first applied to rent and the SD is collected last.

Higher deposits might be an option to cover more damage.

The Tenant Classgreatly impacts rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.Both Property Classand Tenant Class affect what type of contractors, handymen and property management companies will work on a property.If you buy & renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what Tenant Class will rent it?

I wanted to get some thoughts from those folks who know the insurance industry on a few points:- What if anything does a standard property policy cover (less the EQ endorsement) in the event a building sustains damage from an EQ event.- Are there any other endorsements / options that can be added to a standard policy which act as a substitution or supplemental for an EQ policy?

Cats do more damage than dogs in my opinion.  2.

AI is becoming a game-changer in real estate, and one of the coolest ways we use it at DealMachine is to analyze property images to detect signs of distress—straight from Google Street View.Instead of relying on manually spotting potential deals, our AI can scan publicly available images and flag properties with indicators like:✅ Overgrown grass✅ Boarded-up windows✅ Roof damage✅ Neglected exteriorYou make the list and you tell AI to look at the images in your list.This makes finding distressed properties way faster and more automated, helping investors focus their efforts on leads with the highest potential.AI also summarized your conversations with sellers in the DealMachine dialer, takes notes, and tells you what to say during the conversation.Hope this helps!

If there’s major structural damage, liens, or unpaid taxes, those become your problem.

If there’s any damage from demo, now’s the time to fix it:✅ Patch up any holes or cracks from plumbing and electrical work.✅ Hang fresh drywall where needed.✅ Finish, tape, and texture to create smooth, paint-ready walls.💡 Pro Tip: A clean drywall job makes all the difference.

They claim that the prior home did not give enough time and rushed the notice and caused emotional damage.

The states that I know require you to try to mitigate your damages if a tenant breaks a lease early.