A video about a Texas landlord’s decision to return a tenant’s full security deposit—despite signs of “wear and tear” in their rental property—has gone viral on TikTok.
Carissa Reese, a 28-year-old landlord who has been a real estate investor for three years, shared the video from her TikTok account @carissareese1. The video has garnered more than 3.5 million views since it was shared on November 11.
In the clip, Reese documents the condition of her rental property following a tenant’s move-out and explains why she chose not to withhold any of the deposit. “I sent my tenants their full security deposit back, because for me, this was a successful move out,” Reese says in the video. The footage shows her cleaning the ceiling fan and doing other “normal turnover maintenance” in the home, such as painting and replacing the frame of an electrical outlet.
Reese told Newsweek that her rental property is located in Houston and rents for just under $2,000 per month. “It is a three-bedroom, two-bath house with a detached office,” she said, adding that “the security deposit is one month’s rent.”
Her decision was shaped by her own experience as a renter. “I have been a renter for five years and have never received a dime of my security deposit back, [despite] never damaging any of the apartments I resided at, which is why I will never be that person for someone else,” Reese added.
Reese’s approach comes as many renters face mounting financial pressure. The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025, a new report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, said the number of cost-burdened renters—those spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing and utilities—reached a record high of 22.6 million in 2023 for the third consecutive year. The report found that more than 12.1 million renters were severely burdened, spending more than half of their income on housing.
‘Normal Wear and Tear’
In the viral TikTok video, Reese contrasts her own rental history with the current situation. “Have I ever left a property in this condition? No. Have I ever gotten my security deposit back? No. Was there actually any damage done to this property? No,” she says.
Reese explained why she does not consider certain marks or minor changes to be damage. “They did pull a fast one on me in the back house…but they didn’t damage this property,” she says in the clip. “I didn’t have to go out and buy any drywall to patch holes. Holes from TVs are normal wear and tear.”
She continues by listing the areas of the home that were unaffected. “My countertops aren’t damaged, my kitchen cabinets aren’t damaged, my appliances damaged, they aren’t scratched, they aren’t dented, they’re working perfectly fine. The windows are fine; there was no damage done to this property,” Reese says in the video.
For Reese, post-tenant cleaning and painting fall under standard turnover responsibilities. “Cleaning and painting for me is normal turnover maintenance,” she explains in the video. “No matter how the property was left, I was going to do those two things to give it that fresh feel for the new tenant.”
Reese adds that preparing the property for the next renter required minimal expense. “To turn this property, it cost me $150 for a bucket of paint and some effort,” she says.
Reese said that she believes upkeep between tenants is the landlord’s responsibility. “When turning a rental property, I believe it’s always on the landlord to assure the house has a professional cleaning, a fresh coat of paint if needed, AC [air conditioner] tuned up, and plumbing and electric inspected so that the property is functional and safe for the new tenant,” she added. “It is important to me that I provide a nice, livable space for my tenants while protecting my investment.”
She also emphasized that common tenant behaviors should not be treated as damage. “Mounting a television, hanging up art, or slightly chipping the paint from a command strip is not damage, and it is what made my house a home for someone else,” Reese said.
In the TikTok, Reese explains that the property was renovated with renting in mind. “I renovated this property, knowing it was going to be a rental [property]; it was all strategy,” she says. “I kept the old doors, the old door jams, the old tiles in the shower, I bought the most affordable floor.”
She adds that wear over time is inevitable. “If you’re gonna be a landlord, you have to know at one point your property is getting beat up,” Reese says. “They did not beat this one up. I already got this room looking brand new.”
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