Tenant took deposit from rent, threw out furniture, painted brick and wood paneling
My brother is an idiot who did not have our tenants sign a lease. Me and him co-own this house and he "managed" everything for the first 4.5 years. I took over the last about 6 months and now the tenants have moved out.First they do fess up to throwing out our wicker 4 PC set. Tenant claims "normal wear and tear" because it is "outdoor furniture" and it has rotted because of the elements of being "outdoor furniture". When they moved in it was in good condition, old, but good and with new paint. It was on a COVERED porch so not sure if "normal wear and tear" covers that, either way they did not have our permission to throw it out. I am also not even sure natural wicker is considered outdoor furniture because it is not made to withstand the elements. My grandmother probably owned this furniture and kept it on that porch for 40+ years with minimal damage to the legs.It will be about $400 of damage if I do most the work myself besides professional carpet cleaning. Carpet replaced in about 1/3 of house may not even be salvaged, and is only maybe 3 years old.They were late on their last 2 months of rent so they asked if they could pay it all at once. I said OK and low and behold, they took out the deposit from the total. Told the tenant they had to pay full amount rent then I would give them their deposit back if the house was in good condition, just normal wear and tear. No deposit and they just say they can pay us what they owe.They have painted the wood paneling, the fireplace brick, and wood cabinets without permission. I cannot return these to original condition so painting over them and doing it the RIGHT way with sanding and primer seem like a good option. Any suggestions on how to handle this would be great. They also moved the water heater in the kitchen. It was small and compact, now a large water heater sits in the laundry area with pipes along the wall. So, tenants decide to add a dishwasher. How convenient right? They add a counter to cover the dishwasher and take out the dishwasher when they move (which they said they would leave since they did without permission). The only thing holding up the counting now is a piece of wood they propped it up with. Can a dishwasher hold weight? I thought a dishwasher went into a framed space. If that is the case, not sure how I can remedy that unless by a professional.They also owe for half of January. They pay on the 15th and their rent receipts have always said rent is paid 15th-15th of the next month, paying rent AFTER living there. Ex December rent runs from the 15th of Nov to Dec 15. Tenant says he pays the 15th and that covers the whole month so he refuses to pay the 15th to the 30th of January. Even after I gave extra time to move out.This has become a shiz storm. I know I won't make these mistakes again and will probably sell the house before renting it again. If I do rent, I will make use of a property manager as I am not if I will be in the area because I need to start my career.These people make very little money, so suing them may be out of the question. I do not think I would have a very solid case without a lease. The damage pictures I only have "during" and after pics from their social media. These are very difficult people so I am sure they will argue about every little thing I deduct from their deposit amount. Them taking out the deposit has given them an upper hand to complain about what is owed.Any advice would be great on how to handle this situation. If I have to take my losses I will. It has been a lesson learned, that's for sure!