When she moved out, I put in $16K to repaint, replace the living room/hallway floors, and replace the kitchen. 

easy. since no mold in attic, rip the drywall, replace, repaints and install a panasonic fan.nothing but panasonic goes in my rentals. installed the latest one last night.

I had to re-paint and get professionally clean.       

Now, they have asked us to pay for paint so they can repaint the living room ("the current color was a crappy job", they demand a backsplash in the kitchen....I understand I have repaired more often than what tenants would like but is this ridiculous? 

If you are repainting anyway, I have always like charcoal gray with red brick and your brick looks to have some gray.

You will then likely still need to prime cabinets with an oil-based primer and repaint them.  

 ( It looks kinda cool but I could never rent it to a guy like that )   So I sit there after I take the pics and tell them Its already done ,  But I have to write you all up a bill for new cabinets and to repaint the whole place ,   " Why , its a law that you have to repaint anyway between tenants "    I tell them there is no such law

I expect that to repaint each apartment,  have vinyl plank tile put down,  and a few other odds and ends will cost me roughly $3k per apartment.  

Now the landlord has to repaint and pay more money. 

grandma always painted her floors too,,,had to repaint them all too often!!