Problem with landlord charging us unneccesary remodeling and repair

By Jessica

We just moved out of a place and we did give a 30 day notice.  We asked to use our security deposit as last month’s rent.  Well, we didn’t know you couldn’t do that in the state of Idaho.  The very next morning (before we could fix it) she gave us a “3 day pay or quit” notice.  We had had enough of her crap we just moved in those three days.  We were only there for 16 days of the month.  When we moved out, we cleaned the house better than it was when we moved in.  We actually had to clean the house to move in because she just got done with all the remodeling and repair and she wanted renters in it, so we cleaned it up.  Now that we moved out and cleaned it well, she is sending us a bill for hiring a cleaning service to come it and clean.  Can she do this?  Plus the bill had replacement of furnice filters and some small odds and ends that I don’t even know what they are for.  She just submitted a receipt (which does not even have “her signature on it, it has somebody else’s). Can she charge us for that stuff?  I thought that would be normal wear and tear and for the landlord to replace that stuff before new tenants come in?  Plus she is trying to charge us for having both front and back deck’s restained.  In the lease agreement it said to make sure you upkeep on the decks (the decks are new and have been stained).  Does that mean we have to stain them or just make sure they are upkept? The bill said she is charging us for having the decks and house powerwashed.  Should this be her responsibility.  Plus she is trying to charge us a sanitation charge for our garbage.  Mind you we had to pay the water/garbage/sewer bill every month.  But when we left there was a bag that made the garbage can lid stick up a little and a box to the side of it.  The sanitation rules say they charge the tenant and extra $3 if the lid is opened by any means plus another $7 if there is anything on the side of the can.  We set out our trash on Saturday night, but you don’t need to do that until Sunday night because garbage gets picked up early Monday morning.  So in the one day she could have waited, she choose to take the stuff to the dump and is now charging us a fee for doing that.  Can she do that?  Also, when we moved in the yards were awuful.  Full of dead spots, weeds and ect.  We, out of our own pocket, replaced the front yard to make it look better.  We didn’t do anything with the back yard.  So when we left, it still had dead spots and such.  We did mow and weed, but it still was an awful yard.  Now she is sending us a bill for the yard being left the way it was.  Is this legal?  Also, she is trying to charge us for a professional to come in a clean the carpets, but she did not do that herself when we moved in.  We took our shampoo machine to it.  She had a verbal agreement with my husband saying that because we cleaned the carpets moving in, we did not have to have a professional do it when we moved.  Now she is sending us a bill for the carpet cleaning company.  Can she do this?  I am just confused and frustrated with this women trying to take advantage of people.  Please help!!!!

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Holy Cow, we couldn't find any other related post. Sorry. :(