Can A Landlord Charge My Security Deposit For Hardware Buildup/regular Use Damaging Fixtures? Az

Hi,

I posted this yesterday and didn’t get any responses, and in that time a couple of things happened so I’m reposting with new information and my three questions.

1. I called my landlord and explained that I thought the deductions from my security deposit were unfair. I used the word excessive and he came back with a laundry list of wear and tear items he didn’t charge us for. My question here is: Did he waive his right to charge for these after providing the itemized list of repairs, or can he come back with more repairs after the fact and demand even more money if I pursue this further?.

2. I’ve decided, after looking at the photos I took when I moved out, that the “hole” my landlord refers to is part of the decorative feature/label on the center of the showerhead. There are hairline cracks coming from that area, caused by the hardwater buildup and/or regular use from the water pressure. (the shower head was not new when we moved in) I maintain we should not be responsible. Can he say this is our responsibility?

3. I was reading the AZ tenant/housing handbook and it said if I take the landlord to small claims would possibly be able to recover twice the amount withheld in damages. Is this a correct interpretation, since he only withheld a portion of our deposit?

Yesterday’s post below: How to dispute repair costs taken out of Security Deposit (AZ)

Hello,

Landlord provided an itemized deduction for the single repair we agreed to on the move out inspection: the replacement of a shower head. We received the itemization for the repair totaling (along with an estimate from a handyman) as below:

Shower Hardware Kit: $250 Materials: $80 Labor: $125 Total: $455

This seems unreasonable to me. The move out inspection clearly states a “broken shower head” and that being the only thing needing repair, which should reasonably only cost $100 to $150 MAX. I feel as if the handyman is packing more costs into these line items.

The total deposit was $2,499.

How do I proceed with disputing the repair costs? Do I need to call a handyman and get another quote to support that the amount charged is unreasonable? Does he even need a handyman to fix this, or would a reasonable repair charge be for the shower head, given it is a simple repair and replacement.

For more background, the hard water calcified the rubber parts of the shower head and then those rubber pieces broke off. Can he even charge for this at all, given it is a fixture and water issues are not a tenant responsibility?