Tenant left the house with minor damage

Tenant left the house with minor damage

Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2017 · 125 posts · 14 votes

We typically give back the rental deposit to our tenants, because our tenants typically leave the house in good enough shape where we don’t have an issue.We had a renter that let their adult son live with them. Their adult son smoked in the house, and when he moved out, he drove a U-Haul trailer onto the lawn to load it.  I was taking pictures of the lawn and the neighbor came out and told me yeah he drove the U-Haul onto the grass and parked there overnight.

The damage is kind of minor and I think it will correct itself, the smoking in the house was isolated to a back bathroom and you can hardly notice it, they didn’t mow the backyard, I had to do it for them, it kind of just needed this first mowing of the season and they didn’t do it, they also left the stove dirty.   They were there for a year, they did not hang anything on the walls, nor did they hang a TV on the wall.  

We have it rented again, actually two weeks after they moved out.   I did not pay anybody to repair the front grass, I did not pay service pro to fix the cigarette smell. I mow the yard myself, andI have no receipts for the damages. Honestly I’m just super irritated that they disrespected my property.

I’m curious if any of you would charge some kind of deposit fee for these minor infractions?  I do realize this is the nature of the business and I should probably just get over it.  

What are your thoughts




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Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
5mo
Quote from @Cali Skier:

We typically give back the rental deposit to our tenants, because our tenants typically leave the house in good enough shape where we don’t have an issue.We had a renter that let their adult son live with them. Their adult son smoked in the house, and when he moved out, he drove a U-Haul trailer onto the lawn to load it.  I was taking pictures of the lawn and the neighbor came out and told me yeah he drove the U-Haul onto the grass and parked there overnight.

The damage is kind of minor and I think it will correct itself, the smoking in the house was isolated to a back bathroom and you can hardly notice it, they didn’t mow the backyard, I had to do it for them, it kind of just needed this first mowing of the season and they didn’t do it, they also left the stove dirty.   They were there for a year, they did not hang anything on the walls, nor did they hang a TV on the wall.  

We have it rented again, actually two weeks after they moved out.   I did not pay anybody to repair the front grass, I did not pay service pro to fix the cigarette smell. I mow the yard myself, andI have no receipts for the damages. Honestly I’m just super irritated that they disrespected my property.

I’m curious if any of you would charge some kind of deposit fee for these minor infractions?  I do realize this is the nature of the business and I should probably just get over it.  

What are your thoughts





You have three options:

1) Return deposit and not worry about it.

2) Pay someone to fix the issues and deduct from deposit, return the rest. 

3) Try to "game" the system and deduct from deposit what you think is "fair" and hope tenants don't challenge you or take this to courts.

How much effort do you really want to put into this?

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  • G. Brian DavisPro Member
    Investor · Hatboro, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 850 votes
    5mo

    Hi Cali, If you didn’t have to pay to fix anything or can’t document it, it’s usually cleaner to return it and move on. The good news is you had minimal issues and got it re rented quickly, which is a great outcome. Did you have anything in the lease about smoking and expectations around yard and cleaning?

  • Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2017 · 125 posts · 14 votes
    5mo

    Yes, we did have a smoking addendum. And we talked to them about it early on in the lease.  But I agree with you, probably not much we can do.   I do smell it in the bathroom and the new tenants may be able to smell it in the bathroom, but it’s pretty faint.

  • Lender · Lake City, MI · Member since 2019 · 118 posts · 42 votes
    5mo

    @Cali Skier

    If it was me I would make them aware of the following two things; smoking in the bathroom, and the damage to the lawn.  I like to help educate people when it comes to landlord / tenant operations so they have an oppourtunity to improve in the future.  I would probibly only charge them a fee for the cleaning of the bathroom to remove the 'smoke damage.'  You can make it a smaller amount.

    I realize this is at the end of the lease, but if I was to live out this situation when the conversation happened early on about smoking inside I would have given them the option of them getting it professionally cleaned and providing me with the invoice as proof or when they move out I take the cleaning out of the deposit.  This gives them the option to address the issue themselves or accept the charge at a later time.

  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    5mo
    Quote from @Cali Skier:

    We typically give back the rental deposit to our tenants, because our tenants typically leave the house in good enough shape where we don’t have an issue.We had a renter that let their adult son live with them. Their adult son smoked in the house, and when he moved out, he drove a U-Haul trailer onto the lawn to load it.  I was taking pictures of the lawn and the neighbor came out and told me yeah he drove the U-Haul onto the grass and parked there overnight.

    The damage is kind of minor and I think it will correct itself, the smoking in the house was isolated to a back bathroom and you can hardly notice it, they didn’t mow the backyard, I had to do it for them, it kind of just needed this first mowing of the season and they didn’t do it, they also left the stove dirty.   They were there for a year, they did not hang anything on the walls, nor did they hang a TV on the wall.  

    We have it rented again, actually two weeks after they moved out.   I did not pay anybody to repair the front grass, I did not pay service pro to fix the cigarette smell. I mow the yard myself, andI have no receipts for the damages. Honestly I’m just super irritated that they disrespected my property.

    I’m curious if any of you would charge some kind of deposit fee for these minor infractions?  I do realize this is the nature of the business and I should probably just get over it.  

    What are your thoughts





    You have three options:

    1) Return deposit and not worry about it.

    2) Pay someone to fix the issues and deduct from deposit, return the rest. 

    3) Try to "game" the system and deduct from deposit what you think is "fair" and hope tenants don't challenge you or take this to courts.

    How much effort do you really want to put into this?

    • Lender · Lake City, MI · Member since 2019 · 118 posts · 42 votes
      5mo

      @Drew Sygit this!

      when evaluating I always add 'is it worth my time and stress' or should I just move on

  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    5mo

    I would say you have been lucky so far and count your blessings.

  • David PeschioBusiness Member
    Richmond, VA · Member since 2019 · 358 posts · 181 votes
    5mo

    Option 1.  All worked out and move on.  

  • Bruce WoodruffPro Member
    Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
    5mo

    Not worth dying on that hill...you're lucky you got off that easy :-)

    Make the next tenant(s) aware of the rules. Just smile and move on.....

  • Real Estate Agent · Memphis · Member since 2026 · 546 posts · 316 votes
    5mo

    This is one of those situations where the answer is less about the dollar amount and more about consistency in how you enforce your standards.

    From what you described, the actual damages are minor and didn’t require out-of-pocket repairs, which makes it harder to justify significant deductions — especially without documentation or receipts.

    That said, things like smoking (if prohibited), lawn damage from a vehicle, and basic cleanliness do fall outside normal wear and tear. The question is whether you want to set the precedent of enforcing that or letting it slide.

    In practice, most owners land in one of two approaches:
    • Strict enforcement — charge for any lease violations, even minor ones, to reinforce expectations
    • Practical approach — only charge when there’s a measurable cost or clear impact on the next tenant

    Neither is “right,” but inconsistency tends to create more issues over time than either approach on its own.

    Going forward, this is where having a defined move-out standard (including cleaning, smoke policy, and exterior condition) with clear documentation and photos helps remove the gray area.

    If it were me, I’d probably lean toward a small, reasonable deduction tied to the lease violations — not to recover costs, but to stay aligned with the standards you’ve set.

  • Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2017 · 125 posts · 14 votes
    5mo

    All this is great advice, thank you guys. I know what I want to do, and it may not be what I actually do and we’ll make a decision tonight.

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