Tenant damage to a cabinet door

[Phillip Vaughan]

Hello,

  I have a question about tenant responsibility. Tenant for a property in Michigan wants a kitchen cabinet door replaced. The door did not just fall apart from "normal wear and tear" but From the image I got, it looks like the door broke into two to three pieces. Is it possible for me to repair the door and pull the money from the security deposit? If so would I be able to subtract from those funds now or have to wait until the tenant leaves?

Thanks for any guidance on this.

[Roy N.]

Phillip:

In such a situation, we would repair/replace the door and invoice the tenant: invoice would be due with the following month's rent.   

I would not plan on using the security / damage deposit to recoup this cost at the end of the tenancy ... you may arrive there and find you have new expenses (missed rent, damages, vacating w/o cleaning) and may need the full deposit at the end of the tenancy.