The walls were pretty grimey from their kids. I was waaaay too lenient with these people. They got a dog (not allowed on the lease) had a pool (also not allowed), and her sister moved in with them, so it ended up being 3 adults, and four kids living in my 3 bedroom 1 bath house....
They seem to be doing a good job so far, they patched the nail holes in the walls, etc. If they do a crummy job I will consider charging them. They did a surprising amount of damage, which they are fixing before they move out. Torn carpet in one spot, torn vinyl, bathroom cabinet kicked in, walls dirty from their kids, and half of the brand new blinds in the house shredded. They are replacing all of it. They have been good people to date, so I hope they come through. Push comes to shove I pay a guy to do it over and they foot the bill from their deposit, which may be a bit dicey, as I did not give them the move in inspection required by state law. I filled it out but they never signed, opting to take pictures instead. Live and learn.
I'm doing an annual inspection from now on (was relying on maintenance visits before) and will be adding an addendum for what is considered normal wear vs. damage attached to the lease, using my states suggested guidelines. A scuff here and there on the walls, normal wear. Walls with large holes, grime all over or lot's of small holes are damage. Faded or dusty blinds, normal wear. Broken or shredded blinds, damage, etc.
I also did a better job of documenting my last rental property tenant move in. They got a move in check list, and I took pictures before they moved in. Lot's of pictures...They will be getting a visit in a few weeks for an annual inspection (with required notice of course) not to mention the fact that I renewed them on a month-to-month lease rather than an annual lease, so I can get rid of them easier if needed. I'm learning...