Reasons for holding back deposit?

[muno]

Our tenant is moving out soon.....I have heard from my old neighbour that our garden is now wrecked , grass is mostly gone and is covered in muck.
Also they changed the locks !!! They had some weird excuse about the door being broken in by tge gardai but they had the wrong house & they paid for the locks to be fixed...ARe these both valid reason for holding back the deposit? ( we only found out about the locks when we had a maintenance guy over to do a small job abd our keys didnt work )

Muno.

 

[DeeFox]

A tenant who has left the garden in a messy state is likely to leave a bit of a mess inside too. Arrange a date to meet the tenant and get back the keys. Let them know that the house is expected to be left in such a way as it is ready for the next tenant - any cleaning or repairs will come from their deposit. Carry out an inspection of the house in their presence - be very businesslike about it. Check the keys that they give you - check if there is damage to the actual doors themselves. Keep receipts for any work done after they leave and be very clear about why you are reducing their deposit (if you feel it is necessary).