I’ve been a landlord for over 3-and-a-half years now and, before owning property, I was a renter (even as a kid – my mom always rented). I can remember the times when landlords would refuse to return her security deposit due to “abnormal wear and tear”.
We lived in poor areas; in rental properties that were subsidized by the government (section 8). So it wasn’t uncommon for a lot of landlords to try to take advantage of good tenants like us because we didn’t have many options (and didn’t want to be homeless).
Eventually, my mom learned how to make sure her security deposits were returned. And I received decades of teachings about wear and tear.
Table of Contents
What is “wear and tear”?
Wear and tear is basically the deterioration that happens during a tenant’s daily use of the rental unit.
What is considered normal wear and tear?
Normal wear and tear is the expected deterioration that happens during a tenant’s daily use of the rental unit over the entire lifetime of the lease agreement.
While extremely difficult to accurately measure “normal wear and tear” – many landlords will consider a lot of things normal wear and tear as long as nothing is broken and they don’t cost much money to fix.
What’s an example of normal wear and tear?
Let’s say a tenant signs a lease with the landlord for 1 year.
During the initial walk-through inspection(the tenants and the landlord should be present for this) – you’re told and can see that you have new carpet.
This new carpet may have a “useful life” of 10 years.
So, during the tenant’s 1-year lease agreement, you’d expect them to use up 10% of the “useful life”. This basically means that at the end of the tenant’s lease, the carpet should only look like it’s 1-year old.
If that’s how the carpet looks – that’s considered normal wear and tear.
However, if it looks like worn carpet (i.e extremely dirty or cigarette burns) – like it only has 50% of its life left (instead of 90%), that would be more wear and tear than normal (aka damages caused by a tenant).
This may result in a portion of the tenant’s security deposit being used to cover repair costs associated with bringing the carpet back to looking like it’s only 1 year old (or the tenant being held responsible to return it to the proper condition).
Things that are typically considered normal wear and tear:
Remember, “normal” wear and tear is dependent on how long a tenant lives in the rental property.
If a tenant remains in the same rental property for 30 years, the amount of reasonable wear and tear on the property could be massive. However, that same amount of wear and tear could be considered property damage if the tenant occupies the property for only 1 year.
Here are a few additional items that are typically considered normal wear and tear vs being labeled as actual damage:
- Small scuffs on the walls
- Minor scuffs on the floor
- Minor scuffs on doors
- Fading paint
- Small nail holes (this depends on the landlord and if the lease allows nails for hanging items on the walls)
- Worn door knobs and locks from use
- Wear on the lawn/driveway from being used
What is considered property damage?
property damage can be summarized as anything more significant than normal wear and tear.
This doesn’t mean that the tenant damaged the property intentionally. It could have been accidental, such as setting a hot pan on countertops not suited for it or putting a hole in the wall while moving furniture.
Tenant damages also extend to unexpected damage caused by guests.
What are examples of property damage?
Similar to normal wear and tear, what gets classified as property damage is dependent on the property owner (or property manager) and how long the tenant has lived at the property.
The shorter the tenants live at the property, the more broad the list of potential property damages is.
If you live in the property for 1-year and at the end of your lease – you have (for example):
- large holes in the walls from mounting a TV (requiring the landlord to patch and repaint that wall)
- doors that no longer close because the hinges pulled out the side of the doors from being constantly slammed/pulled/abused –
The landlord is likely to label it as significant damage.
Here’s an example list of things a landlord might classify as tenant damages:
- Large holes in the walls
- Big scratches in the flooring
- Unauthorized paint or wallpaper
- Cracks in bathtubs
- Tire marks on the lawn
- Urine stains from pets
- Broken windows
How normal wear and tear affects security deposit
Normal wear and tear shouldn’t affect a tenant’s security deposit at all. The rent that tenants pay monthly should include normal wear and tear.
However, if you read my story at the beginning of this post – there are landlords who will try to take advantage of tenants and use any excuse they can to keep security deposits. So, be prepared from the beginning by following some of the advice in the “protecting yourself” section of this post.
How property damage affects security deposit
Unlike normal wear and tear, damages caused by a tenant – including intentional damage, accidental damage, and damages by guests – will affect the security deposit.
Landlords are supposed to only use the security deposit for repair costs. But it’s not uncommon for landlords to inflate the prices of things and take more of your security deposit than needed.
Protecting Yourself
Regardless if you’re the tenant or the landlord, you should take the steps necessary to protect yourself (and your security deposit or rental property) and prevent confusion later on.
Three important aspects of protecting yourself are:
- An initial walk-through inspection before the move-in date (with both the new tenant and landlord present)
- A move-out inspection. This confirms the condition of the property, releases the security deposit (to the tenant), and lets the landlord know what needs to be done for the next tenant.
- Take photos and videos of the entire property before and after a tenant moves in/out (this can be done at the walk-through inspections as well)
Initial move-in inspection
The main goal of this walk-through is to make sure the property is in good condition before the tenants take responsibility for it.
Since it’s difficult to spot everything wrong with a rental before a tenant is actually using it, this is the perfect time to take photos and videos of the unit.
Taking photos (and video) gives tenants the following benefits:
- Tenants have visual proof of the condition of the property. This comes in handy if the landlord ever says the tenant damaged something that was already damaged when they moved in.
- Tenants may be able to spot problems that they didn’t notice during the excitement of signing the lease and walking through the property.
Landlords get the following benefits as well:
- Landlords have visual proof of the condition of the property. This allows the landlord to hold the tenant accountable just in case the tenant says something was always damaged and that they shouldn’t be responsible (the photos and video will be the judge).
Move-out inspection
The main goal of the move-out inspection is to make sure the property is in good condition and has normal wear and tear before the tenant moves out.
Similar to the move-in inspection, this is the perfect time for photos and videos.
The benefits that a tenant would receive include:
- Visual proof of the property’s condition which, when bundled with the move-in photos/videos, will prove that everything is normal wear and tear and you should receive your full security deposit (or not).
The benefits that a landlord would receive include:
- The same benefit as the tenant – you’ll know if they should receive their full security deposit (or not).
- You will also have photos and video footage of things that need to be repaired. This allows you to send it to contractors to get quotes remotely and will help you put together a project management list of tasks that need to be done before the next tenant can move in.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are picture holes normal wear and tear?
While this depends on the landlord and what it says in the lease agreement, typically landlords will accept picture holes as normal wear and tear.
When can a landlord deduct fees from a security deposit?
A landlord can deduct fees from a security deposit before the tenant moves if there have been any damages done to the property that are not categorized as “normal wear and tear”.
Can a tenant take a landlord to court over security deposit arguments?
While I’m sure this depends on where the tenant lives in the world, in my area, tenants absolutely can (my mom has done it multiple times). The thing to consider when taking a landlord to court is that the tenants need proof. Without proof, it’s the tenant’s word versus the landlord’s.
However, if you’re doing the walk-through inspections and taking photos/videos – you should have enough evidence to prove that you’re in the right (or wrong).
What is normal wear and tear on a couch?
For the sake of renters that may be living in a furnished rental, I think the answer to this question can be helpful.
Normal wear and tear on a couch would include:
– Cushion softening from lounging
– Minor dirt that can be cleaned
– Fading fabric (or leather)
– Minor scratches
Typically, things like tearing or big stains would be categorized as damage. However, this depends on how long you’ve lived in the rental and used the couch.
For example, if you’ve lived in the property for 15 years with the same couch, “normal wear and tear” could mean the couch is barely usable at that point.
