I'm fairly competent at credit management, but here's what I've learned and offer to pass along:  Monitor your credit all the time and don't let the credit agencies or any business control your credit.  

I had a bad partnership years ago in another business that ended in near bankruptcy after I gave up controlling interest to merge my successful business with two other partners. 

Being a new investor I sometimes am unclear about the relationship between a buyer and the agent and end up giving away control under the pretext of a benefit of the doubt.

Mowing, edging, fertilizing, weed control... sure.

I've used a local pest control person for some termite damaged base boards.

Try to stay in control of everything you are responsible for.

It takes a lot more work but I feel more comfortable being in control of my investment.

The landlord is also barred in any action brought by the tenant to recover the deposit from asserting any claim or raising any defense for retaining any of the deposit unless the landlord shows that circumstances beyond the landlord's control prevented the landlord from providing the statement within the twenty-one days or that the tenant abandoned the premises as defined in RCW 59.18.310.

@Dustin Willard Sounds like a Margin account... only without the controls and protections.

Possibly using a professional third party vendor for the pre-inspection is a great idea, give a copy to the owner and tenant Excessive holes in walls Broken tiles or fixtures in the property Plumbing backups Repainting where a tenant has repainted from the original color Tears, holes, stains or burn marks in carpets Missing or damaged blinds Broken windows and window screens Broken doors and locks Broken or damaged appliances Excessively Dirty Pest control if you see Bugs and or fleasJunk or trash left behind Past Due rent Fees incurred from fines from the association due to the tenants conduct or lack thereof Water damage to hardwood floors Missing outlet covers Remotes for garage or gate if not returned Rekey of locks if tenants did not return the keys Unpaid utilities, as long as they were part of the lease agreement Undoing a tenant alteration This is a sample of things that are usually considered to be normal wear-and-tear and should not be deducted from a security deposit: Slab or plumbing leak Normal rug wear.