By the Sleak Property Services team ·
Most end-of-tenancy arguments come down to one question: is this damage, or is it just what happens to a home when people live in it? Get it wrong and a deposit claim can fall apart, even when the property clearly needs work.
There's no fixed list in law, and every deposit dispute is decided on its own facts. But after repairing a lot of rental properties across the Fylde coast, we see the same patterns again and again. Here's where the line usually falls.
What fair wear and tear means
Fair wear and tear is the gradual deterioration that comes from normal, reasonable use over time. Adjudicators look at how long the tenancy lasted, how many people lived there, and the age and condition of each item at the start.
A family of five over four years will wear a property more than one person over twelve months, and that's taken into account. So is the fact that paint, carpets and fittings all have a natural lifespan.
Walls and paintwork
Light scuffs, faded paint and small marks from furniture are usually wear and tear, especially after a few years. A few picture hook holes are often treated the same way, though dozens of them, or large wall fixings, may not be.
Holes punched or kicked into plaster, large areas of torn wallpaper, pen or crayon on the walls and unapproved painting in strong colours are generally treated as damage. Patching and repainting is a fair claim, although the age of the decoration still counts.
Doors, handles and fittings
Handles that have worked loose and hinges that need adjusting are wear and tear. Doors with holes through them, doors split around the lock, frames splintered where a door has been forced, and missing handles or keys are damage.
Carpets and flooring
Carpet that's worn on the walkways, flattened under furniture or faded by the sun is normal. Burns, large stains, pet damage, rips and water damage from a bath left running are not.
This is where betterment matters most. Carpets have a limited life, so if the carpet was already old you may only recover part of the cost of replacing it. Your inventory should record the age and condition of the flooring at check-in.
Kitchens and bathrooms
Worn worktop edges, tired sealant and a dripping tap come with use. Burns on worktops, broken cupboard doors and drawer fronts, cracked sinks, broken toilet seats, and grease or limescale that a normal clean won't shift are more likely to count as damage or a cleaning charge.
Gardens
If the tenancy agreement makes the tenant responsible for the garden, a garden left badly overgrown or full of rubbish can be a fair claim for clearance. Plants that died in a dry summer, or a lawn that looks tired at the end of winter, usually aren't.
How to make your claim stand up
Whatever the damage, the same things win disputes: a detailed check-in inventory, a prompt check-out report, clear dated photos and a separate price for each item. A quote that says "refurbish property, £3,000" is easy to argue with. One that lists "patch and skim hole in bedroom 2 wall, two coats of paint" with its own price is much harder to dispute.
That's the kind of itemised quote, with photos, we provide on every end-of-tenancy job. We can't tell you what you're entitled to deduct, because that's between you, the tenant and the scheme, but we can make sure your evidence is clear.
Common questions
Can I charge for repainting at the end of a tenancy?
Only where the walls have been damaged or marked beyond normal use, and even then the age of the decoration is taken into account. Repainting simply because it's been a few years is normally the landlord's cost.
Who decides whether it's wear and tear?
If you and the tenant can't agree, the deposit scheme's free dispute service appoints an independent adjudicator, who decides based on the evidence both sides provide.