Wear and Tear vs. Property Damage

It’s time for you to move out of your rental property, but you don’t want to lose your security deposit. You paid that deposit to your landlord or property manager what seems like a long time ago, but you are determined to get all or most of it back. So to be best prepared for what’s to come, you need to know what is considered property damage and what is considered normal wear and tear. In basic terms, property damage is typically unexpected, extreme damage that usually comes from tenant neglect. Normal wear and tear is damage that you may have caused unintentionally by living in the home. Wear and tear is to be expected and it is not something that you should be charged for under California law. Once you and your landlord or property manager understand the differences, you can both be on the same page and hopefully agree to a fair deduction, if any, from your security deposit.

 So what exactly is “normal” wear and tear and how is it different from actual damage? Normal wear and tear is damage that occurs over time by living in a space, and by parts of the living space aging overtime. For example, a carpet’s “useful life” is typically from 8-10 years, so if the carpet is showing worn patches or clumping 8-10 years later that’s to be expected, and should be fully paid by the property owner. However, if the carpet is only about 4 years into its useful life and it has damage like burns or stains, then this would most likely be considered property damage, and the cost to replace would be deducted from the tenants security deposit. To better understand what’s normal wear and tear, you’ll need to know the expected useful life of common materials used in the home. 

Wood Flooring: Typically have a useful life of about 25 years. During this time, light scratches and sunlight damage is to be expected. If there’s more extreme damage like missing or broken panels, or warping from water damage, then the tenant will usually be on the hook for the replacement cost.

Tiles: Typically have a useful life of about 25 years. Of course, any grout around the tiles may have to be replaced sooner. But if you have chipped or broken tiles in less than 25 years, you may be responsible for the repair cost. 

Windows: Typically have a useful life of about 20 years. So any minor damages, scratches or loose hardware is to be expected over the lifetime of the window. However, if there is broken glass or ripped screens, then that would likely be considered damage that would likely be taken out of the security deposit.

Blinds: Typically have a useful life of about 3-4 years depending on the quality of the blinds. Flimsy plastic blinds tend to go through their useful life quicker than wood blinds. If blinds are cracked, broken or they don’t operate and 3-4 years hasn’t passed, it will likely be considered damage.

Paint: Typically have a useful life of about 3 years. Scuffing, sun damage and other minor scratches are to be expected as normal wear and tear. Large marks on the paint, or colors painted by the tenant without approval would be considered damage.

Walls: If you put any nails in the walls to hang pictures, you have to remove the nails and fill the holes with putty before leaving. Home Depot sells wall repair kits. Any holes left in the walls will be charged as damage to the tenant.

Countertops: They can vary wildly based on the materials chosen. Laminate countertops have a lifespan of 10-12 years, while a stone countertop can last over 100 years. Minor scratches, and watermarks are to be expected during that lifetime. However, burn marks, chips and other major damage would then be the tenants responsibility. 

Cabinets: Typically have a useful life of about 45 years. Small dings, scratches and even small water spots are to be expected during this timeframe, but holes, missing hardware or broken cabinets will be charged against your deposit.

Cleaning: Cleaning is a touchy subject. What a landlord considers a space clean enough to rent out to a future tenant and what a tenant on their way out thinks is clean can extremely differ. No matter how clean you leave the place, if the space needs any work from damage, it will likely need to be cleaned again. A cleaning fee is extremely hard to avoid, but not cleaning can increase the cleaning costs significantly. We recommend you clean as best as possible, but you should still expect to be charged a minimum cleaning fee. For example, if the carpets need to be deep cleaned because of a spill, that will be in addition to the cleaning of the rest of the space.

Pets: We love our furry friends, but they can sometimes cause damage to our rental units. If you have a pet you most likely pay pet rent or have a pet deposit with us. If they damage the space or leave a “pet smell” behind we may have to deduct it from your deposit.

So how do you make sure that you get most of your security deposit back? Firstly, make sure that you do a thorough walkthrough with your landlord before you move in so that you can note any existing damage that may have been caused by previous tenants. Then during your stay at the property, make sure that you alert the landlord of any repairs that are needed, before they turn into a larger issue. For example, if there’s a water leak, you’ll want to tell your landlord as soon as possible rather than waiting months and allowing a huge water stain to damage the walls or flooring. Finally, as your lease is ending, do a walk through with your landlord so that you may get their perspective on what damages could possibly be deducted from your security deposit so that you may have a chance to remedy these problems before the final decisions have been made. 

Sometimes landlords will still charge you regardless of your best efforts. But landlords are required to give you itemized deductions for every repair charge that will be deducted from your security deposit. We hope this guide was helpful and we wish you the best in your next space!