We set a time to arrive with the officer and have paperwork to serve the tenant; (everything you go over in front of the officer) Here in Texas they can do nothing other than observe but they do have to write a report for their department which is a great tool when you sue the tenant for damages or eviction.Good Luck keep records of every text, email at this point do not speak in person with the tenant unless you have protection and witness. 

I spoke with him yesterday and he’s not expecting to get it all back due to some damages around the house. or maybe deposit plus a couple hundred seriously very helpful.

@Ed KellyYou should get the 3 weeks of vacancy as “damages” anyways.

I looked up the property, and it's zoned for high-density residential, and it's three blocks away from a regional university (I live in a small college town).

I do not allow children in my STRs, nor do I allow pets....I see them both as extra work for me and potentially more damage to the property.

South shore is a solid area, but still a little bit block by block. 

My house is a block away from a middle/high school.

@Luke J Nelsen You may be able to withhold some or all of the Tenant's security deposit as damages for "cost of reletting" (defined as “leasing fees, advertising fees, utility charges, and other fees reasonably necessary to relet the Property.” 

The plumber stopped the leak as soon as they could, and we started talking with water remediation company to assess the damage.

You inherit the leases when you buy, which means you still owe the security deposits to the tenants when they move out (net of any damages.)