Property Damage Versus Wear & Tear

Screening tenants is important however not an absolute guarantee that a tenant will not damage your property; good screening manages and minimizes financial risk.  Our experience is to check the overall ‘rentability’ of a tenant prospect and that includes employment and credit checks, confirming with previous landlords, and to visit when possible the property they currently reside at to view the overall condition, which in combination gives us information to predict how a tenant will perform should we accept them.  Furthermore, collecting and holding a security deposit at the time of lease signing is some financial protection which can be used to remedy damage if applicable however this amount can be used up quickly if there is cleaning required, replacement of expired light bulbs, some yard work and so on.  It is required to conduct thorough move-in and move-out inspections to provide evidence of tenant neglect for deductions from a security deposit if necessary.  Citysearch conducts inspections during the tenancy to assess the condition of the property and address any lease violations.  Interim inspections are useful however when a property is furnished, it is not practical nor possible to assess walls when artwork and TVs are in place, floors with area rugs, furnishings, and so on.   In summary, if a home is left unkempt and requires cleaning, damage by pets, broken appliances, Citysearch has a fiduciary duty to its owner to charge these expenses back to the tenant which means a reduction in the tenant’s security deposit refund.  The difficulty here lies in the fact that the tenant, owner and property manager each may view the condition differently.  It is our objective to be reasonable and fair to all parties.

Examples of typical wear and tear items include on the basis there are no signs of tenant neglect: broken strings on window blinds from regular use over time, a gas ignitor on the stove that does not turn on, a sticky door lock and a garage overhead door chain off its rails. Examples of damage might include: garborator with broken glass, plugged drain caused by a child’s toy or build-up of hair, hole in the wall, large deep scratch in the hardwood floor and a stain in the carpet. When evaluating the cost to remedy damage, we have to consider betterment and appreciation. If the carpet’s life is 7 years, and there is one year remaining at the time of the damage, the amount we can deduct from the tenant’s security deposit is considerably less than that for a brand-new carpet. The same applies for other items such as wall remediation followed by interior wall painting.

There is an expected life on all components including appliances, interior and exterior painting, deck and its railings, roof, mechanicals and so on.