Tenant negligent and causes damage

We rented our home to a mother with 2 teenage daughters 6 mos ago (1 yr lease). We recently had a couple of plumbing problems in the guest bath. The 2nd time the plumber came he ran a video cam down the pipes and found out that sanitary pads were being flushed down the commode. Two weeks later the tenant calls and tells us there is mildewed carpet in the guest room due to the water standing in the guest bath. This was the first time she told us there was any water standing. We tore out the carpet and pad in the closet and treated the room. The tenant has also painted the two guest bedrooms and bath outrageous colors (we had just had them professionally painted before they moved in. Can we give her a 7 day eviction notice?

[OHlandlord]

Since you have a video (proof) of the reason for the plumbing problems, and it was proven to be the tenant's fault, you should bill the tenant for the plumbing repair. The tenant should be made to pay for repairs that are from their negligence. Bill them and state that payment is due immediately. If they do not pay before the next rent, subtract the amount of the bill from the rent. Send them a receipt showing the plumbing bill is paid, but the rent was not paid in full. If they do not pay all of the rent the next month (the arrearage from the previous month and the full rent due) then you can refuse to accept a partial payment and evict. Tenants should always be billed for repairs that they caused.

You didn't state the reason for water standing in the second bath. Was this something the tenant did, or did she just fail to report it when it happened? In this heat, mildew can occur quickly.

As for the painting, you can subtract the charges for the unauthorized painting out of their deposit or require that they repaint the rooms back to a neutral color when they vacate.