{"id":8854,"date":"2025-05-06T15:14:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T15:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/?p=8854"},"modified":"2025-05-06T15:17:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T15:17:37","slug":"a-tenant-damaged-my-property-now-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/2025\/05\/06\/a-tenant-damaged-my-property-now-what\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tenant Damaged My Property, Now What?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Tenant damage is disheartening to find. Whether you notice the damage during the tenancy or after a tenant has moved out, it\u2019s easy to panic about what it will cost and how you will repair it.\u00a0<\/p>

Luckily, your tenant is responsible for any damage they cause. You can hold them accountable in a number of ways.\u00a0<\/p>

First: Document and Repair Property Damage\u00a0<\/h4>

Usually, tenant damage is discovered after a tenant has moved out and you\u2019re conducting the move-out inspection.\u00a0<\/p>

When you\u2019re inside the home, document any damage you find. In detail. Take photos and notes. Compare the condition now to the way the property looked before the tenant moved in. When you make a claim for damages, you\u2019ll need to be able to document what you\u2019ve had to repair.\u00a0<\/p>

Don\u2019t wait for the tenant to pay in order to repair the damage. Take care of that immediately. You\u2019ll need your <\/span>best vendors and contractors<\/a>\u00a0lined up to complete the repairs that are needed. Not only do you want to send a complete itemized statement and a bill for what the tenant still owes you; you also want to\u00a0<\/span>rent the property\u00a0out again as quickly as possible. Make those repairs and charge the tenant what they owe.<\/span><\/p>

Your tenants are ultimately responsible for the damage, but you don\u2019t want to hold up the repair and turnover process. Move ahead and document every cost.<\/p>

Charge your Tenant\u2019s Security Deposit<\/h4>

After the work has been completed and the repair costs have been documented, you can let your tenants know that you\u2019re keeping all or most of the security deposit.\u00a0<\/p>

Follow all Washington State security deposit laws. When there\u2019s excessive damage, you probably aren\u2019t returning any of the deposit. You still need to send that accounting of damages. Provide an itemized list of what you\u2019re withholding and why.\u00a0<\/p>

Highlight the amount that is still owed by the tenant, and provide a deadline by which you expect payment to be made.\u00a0<\/p>

When the Tenant Doesn\u2019t Pay: Collections<\/h4>

Maybe the tenant will pay whatever is owed immediately after receiving your invoice.\u00a0<\/p>

It\u2019s possible, but unlikely. Most tenants will forget all about it as soon as they leave your property and <\/span>move into a new one.\u00a0<\/p>


Depending on how much the tenant owes you, it\u2019s possible to continue trying to collect from them. You can hire an attorney to help you get what is owed. You can also try to sue the tenant in small claims court for those damages that are still owed to you. This will take a lot of your time and resources. Decide whether it makes financial sense.<\/p>

Preventing Tenant Damage: Screening and Insurance<\/h4><\/div>
You probably thought you had a reliable and responsible tenant in place. Protect yourself and your property by doing everything you can to avoid this type of tenant damage.\u00a0<\/div>

Rigorous screening practices are a good start. Check every applicant\u2019s credit for money that\u2019s owed to former landlords or apartment communities. Talk to former rental references. Find out if any damage was left behind and if they received a full refund of their security deposit.\u00a0<\/p>

\"Tenant<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

You can also require renter\u2019s insurance. This will protect you from any of the tenant\u2019s liability when they\u2019re\u00a0<\/span>renting your home. If they damage something during the tenancy, you can make a claim against their policy. It saves both of you money.<\/p>

Tenant damage is disruptive to your cash flow and your ability to continually rent out a home that\u2019s in good condition. If you\u2019d like some help avoiding or managing this situation, please contact us at SunWorld Group.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That\u2019s understandable. With the online rental sites and social media platforms available, it\u2019s easier than ever to market and advertise a rental home. But, it\u2019s also crowded. Tenants are scrolling through listing after listing, and it can be difficult to stand out. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[9,12,13],"class_list":["post-8854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-houses","category-property","tag-architecture","tag-design","tag-interior"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8854"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8859,"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8854\/revisions\/8859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myaiostagingweb.com\/sunworldgroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}