Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Washington

Re: Rental Damages

I'm not sure what you mean by "list of prices."

Regarding damages left at a rented premises, the law does not provide a specific amount of money you can charge the tenant. The amount you charge is expected to be reasonable, and accurate. If you hire someone to clean the place, for example, you can charge your tenant the actual amount spent on the cleaning.

This is really one of those gray areas because if the carpet is damaged, but not completely ruined, its difficult to allocate a specific price for that.

The best advice is to be as accurate as possible, and be fair. If your numbers are "unfair," it will smell if the tenant takes you up on it in court.

Also, remember that you only have a limited amount of time to provide your tenant with a list of the damaged items, and the amounts you will withhold from the deposit. Provide this list, and the return deposit to your tenant promptly.

Our office (wolfelaw.com), can help you further if necessary.

Good luck.