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I would like to ask for the opinions of fellow landlords in this matter.
My tenants just moved out after less than 2 years (21 months)in the apt. When they moved in apt. was absolutely new. We gut renovated the whole bulding. They were the first tenants in the apt. We had it clear from the begining that apt. has to be left thoroughly cleaned and damage free (have a separate rider to the lease). When they moved out the kitchen countertop was gamaged by water overflowing(I guess), it was also warped. The wall they hanged they TV had four wholes (about 1 inch in diameter each) plus 2 feet long deep scar. Also some water damage under the window sills on the wall. The glazing on the top of the bathtub was severely damaged.
But the worst think was the filth. We had to use acid to clean the bathroom floors and tiles, stove and oven took 5 hours to clean with 3 applications of Easy Off, all the kithen cabinets were dirty inside and out. All the doors in the apt. had to be repainted because they were beyong cleaning. We replaced the countertop, repaired the walls, painted almost all of the walls and windowsills, cleaned everything. I deducted 490.00 for the damage and cleaning from the sec. deposit. I e-mailed them pictures of the damage and itemized account of the deductions. But tenants are disputing the deductions saying it was normal wear and tear and they cleaned the apt. They did hire the cleaning lady who spent in the apt. 4 hours picking up trash and cleaning fridge after the moved out. For cleaning everything else she said she was not going to do it because it’s too much. In all the repair of the damage cost twice the amount, but we only charged them for work that was done by repairman. For repairs that we did ourselves (took almost a week of hard labor)we didn’t charge them. Any thoughts?