How to Get Reimbursed for Damage Caused by Resident Negligence or Abuse

When households move out of a unit, they may leave behind damage that’s expensive to repair. For example, a household may damage the carpeting so badly, it must all be replaced. Although you can deduct this cost from the household’s security deposit, the security deposit may not be big enough to cover the full cost of the repairs. Or there may not be enough of it left—the household may have moved out owing back rent, so you may have already applied the security deposit to the unpaid rent.