Garage door damage - Landlord Forum thread 353815

Garage door damage by Maryclaire (Mo) on August 13, 2017 @23:58

I have a tenant that tried to close the garage door with the rear hatch open on a small SUV. There wasn't a lot of damage and they did pay to get the garage door operational.

Now the tenant is moving. I can't buy a single panel because the door is around 20 years old. Can I make them pay for a new garage door? Thanks!

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Re: Garage door damage by Anonymous on August 14, 2017 @00:23	[ Reply ]

A twenty year old garage door has little value after depreciation. The cost of a new door is on you.

Re: Garage door damage

Re: Garage door damage by Anonymous on August 14, 2017 @11:29	[ Reply ]

It's doubtful any judge would uphold a landlord charging a tenant for a 20 year old garage door.

Re: Garage door damage

Re: Garage door damage by Anonymous on August 14, 2017 @11:56	[ Reply ]

No, you cannot charge them for a new door. At best, you could only charge them for the door panel, but being 20 years old, the depreciation value could only be a few dollars. Do you want to go to court over a few dollars where you could end up paying the tenant even more? Replace the door with a new one and take advantage of the depreciation tax write off. One thing to consider is that they "paid to get the door operational". You accepted that and may have waived your rights to any future claims for the door.