As soon as I and renewed the lease the tenant wrote me this long message with all these thing wrong, including drain smells bad(she’s been putting bleach down the drain to kill the odor, the lights in the kitchen and bedroom are flickering(this ones easily fixable) & the bathroom floor is in-caving because of water damage(she suggested a new shower door).

After that, focus on easy changes like light fixtures.

We did this by using transom windows in certain spots so plenty of light can shine through.

Be sure to tweak the lease where needed, so for example, your tenant is responsible for establishing utilities with Seattle City Light, etc.  

Can anyone shed light on this?

Some easy things you can do is put new matching door hardware throughout the home, new bathroom fixtures, light fixtures, etc and paint.

So it makes it feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

On a more standard rehab, where I am replacing drywall, floors, and doing light interior remodeling, this will likely not be the case, right?  

These scumbags always get off way too light......."

Well, it didn't light.