Tenant chargeback

Photos and a vendor’s note on the work order are what make a chargeback hold up. Rules on what you can charge and how differ by state.

The line that matters is damage versus normal wear and tear. Faded paint, worn carpet in a hallway and loose grout after years of use are wear. A hole in a door, a toilet clogged with wipes or a window broken from inside are damage. Many leases say how chargebacks are billed, and state law sets what a deposit can cover and how deductions are itemized.

An example

A plumber clears a kitchen drain and writes on the work order that the blockage was grease and food scraps, with a photo of what came out. The manager sends the tenant the invoice, the note and the photo, and bills the cost under the lease. Without the note and the photo, the same charge is the tenant’s word against yours.

What makes a chargeback hold up

• A move-in report with dated photos of each room
• The vendor’s written cause on the work order, not only the fix
• A photo of the damage before the repair
• The invoice, and the lease clause you are billing under

How Now Ours handles it

Every message and booking is recorded on the case, with who it went to and when. A job counts as done when the tenant confirms the fix, or when the vendor or technician marks it done with a photo or a note, so the record you need is already on the case. Whether to bill the tenant stays your decision.