Completely agree!
We were the same way when we rented. We always got our deposit back, and when we were renting from people we also worked on improvements with the owners permission and got rent credit for it.
You're right, I probably should have been more clear about what I meant when I said "Lot's of Renters"... There are lots of good folks that rent and take care of their place.
When we lived in our first apartment, I got a glimpse of what had to be cleaned up in the unit next door when they left. Even in a gated apartment complex there were people who destroyed the places...