Security Deposit - Receipts For Repairs Done By Landlord?

[Robert Smith]

From my understanding, if the landlord wishes to deduct any amount from a security deposit after a tenant moves out, the landlord must provide an itemized return letter with receipts for each reported issue.

If a majority of the repairs/cleaning was completed by the landlord, how can you provide a receipt for the work (assuming the landlord had all needed supplies on hand to complete the work)? Or, in these cases regarding security deposits, is it always better to contract the work out?

[JD Martin]

I am in TN. Your time is worth zero. You can bill for anything you buy and anyone you pay. 

Supplies: buy what you need and bill (be reasonable). If you need a dollop of soap don't bill them for 5 bucks worth of Dawn. Even better - use a professional cleaning service. Assuming you provided the unit professionally cleaned when they took it over. 

We provide an itemized statement at the end of tenancy with the remainder of the deposit. Most tenants get everything back. The things that we commonly end up billing for are broken blinds and cleaning services, including excess trash removal. For whatever reason a lot of tenants seem to think that if they leave 5 boxes of trash behind when they move it just magically will disappear :D