Guide
Last updated October 14, 2026
Every move-out deduction sits somewhere on a line between "this is what happens when a person lives in a place" and "this is what happens when a person breaks something." Landlords are allowed to charge for the second kind. They're not supposed to charge for the first, even though a lot of move-out statements quietly blur the two. Knowing which side an item falls on is most of what you need to push back on a deposit deduction.
Faded paint, a few small scuffs near a light switch, or minor scratches from furniture being moved in and out are what you'd expect after a year or two of someone living there. Crayon marks covering a wall, deep gouges, unapproved paint colors that need to be covered before the next tenant, or holes from removing wall-mounted shelving are a different category. The test is roughly: would the next tenant notice and mind, or is this just what a lived-in wall looks like.
Carpet that's matted down in high-traffic areas, or has lost a bit of its original texture, is ordinary. Carpet with burns, pet stains that have soaked into the pad, rips, or water damage from a leak the tenant never reported is damage. Hard flooring follows the same logic: light scuffing is wear, deep scratches from dragging furniture without pads, or chips from dropped objects, are chargeable.
A handful of small holes from picture hooks or a mounted mirror is standard and expected in most rentals. What tends to tip into damage is the quantity and size: a wall turned into a cluster of dozens of holes, or large anchors drilled in for a shelf or a TV mount that now need patching and repainting to fix properly.
A stove with normal cooking residue, a slightly loose cabinet hinge from years of use, or a toilet seat that's just old are wear. A cracked oven door, a garbage disposal jammed with something that was never supposed to go in it, or a cabinet door ripped off its hinges are damage. If an appliance stopped working because it reached the end of its normal life rather than because of anything the tenant did, that's generally on the landlord to maintain.
Sun-faded blinds or slightly bent slats from normal opening and closing are wear. Missing slats, snapped cords, or blinds that are simply gone are damage, and typically billed at replacement cost rather than a touch-up.
A carpet that's five years old going into a lease has less useful life left than a brand-new one, and a landlord generally can't bill a tenant for the full replacement cost of something that was already most of the way through its lifespan. The same logic applies to paint, appliances, and fixtures. A longer tenancy also means more wear should be expected as a simple matter of time passed, not less. If a move-out statement treats an aging carpet or years-old paint as if it were new, that's worth questioning.
Compare the move-out charge against your move-in photos or notes, if you have them, and say plainly in writing which category you think the item falls into and why. Deposit rules vary significantly from state to state, including what counts as proper notice and how a landlord has to itemize deductions, so check the rules for your specific state at the security deposit law hub before you send anything. If the numbers don't add up once you've sorted wear from damage, DraftMyComplaints can turn that into a formal demand letter citing your state's actual deadline and penalty.
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