That news by the builder was designed to piss off the tenant so they won't have to pay for an upgrade.  

With new bathroom, widening one bathroom door, upgrading a toilet in master, granite on kitchen island (had ugly tile), hardwood flooring, upgrading lighting in dining and kitchen to can LED lights and paint, we spent about $19K in upgrades.

I assume you mean from a broken pipe, not rising rain water?  

They are starter cards, so upgrade when u get your score up, & try to then keep balances under 50%, & pay off or on time every month! 

They have gotten me on windows that will not stay open (broken sash cord) and missing window screens.

@Aaron MazzrilloWe just got broken into a 2nd time on our current flip.  

We've been discussing how we want to deal with upgrades too.

My argument against the deal above is that there should be another $150/month saved for broken any/everything.

I googled "whirlpool washer won't spin, drains ok" and got this: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf89187482.tip.html (I don't make money off this site, and am not promoting it it was just the first thing that came up in google) which says it could be somthing as simple as a broken belt and how to fix it.I fixed a washer this way before, by googling the problem and breaking out the screwdriver.

And you lease should be written such that both the unapproved "upgrade" and the failure to pay for the damage are grounds for lease termination.