Refund of Deposit (Texas)

[Matthew Mucker]

My last tenant left my house in need of paint that (in my opinion) goes beyond normal wear-and-tear.

If I do the painting myself, what charges are reasonable for my time? Can I charge the tenant what a professional painter bid on the job?

[Michele Fischer]

I'm not sure about rules in Texas, but we charge the true cost of paint and supplies, plus $20/hour for our time. We keep a log of which day, which person, and what was done. We keep before and after photos.

We try to prepare tenants for the standard of care and cost; best not to have the rate be a surprise. At move in we discuss that paint jobs should not need to be done with under 3 years of tenancy. And when they give notice we let them know our cleaning and repair rate so they are motivated to do it themselves.

Our rates are a little below market price.

The problem with bids is that the judge may throw it out if you didn't proceed with that solution, but I'm not sure.

[Bri R.]

I totally agree with Michele!

[Matthew Paul]

I have written in my lease the base hourly rate for repairs (excluding licensed trades) . The minimum rate for labor is $ 85.00 per man hour excluding materials . This may seem high to some but in the Central Maryland area this is the general hourly rate of home improvement contractors . I put this in the lease so the tenants know this from the beginning .

[Wayne Brooks]

In most jurisdictions, you can not charge for Your time, only what you pay out.