Normal Wear and Tear vs Tenant Damage

Normal wear and tear is the gradual decline that happens when people simply live in a home the way it is meant to be lived in. Paint fades, carpet flattens in walkways, cabinet hinges loosen, grout darkens and floors pick up light scuffs. None of it comes from carelessness or misuse. It comes from time and ordinary use, and it happens no matter how good the tenant is.

The longer someone lives in a unit, the more wear you should expect. A carpet that looks tired after five years of a family living on it is wear and tear. The same carpet looking that way after six months, with stains and pet damage, is a different story.

Tenant damage goes beyond ordinary use. It is harm caused by an accident, neglect, misuse or a pet, and it usually shows up suddenly rather than slowly. Think of a fist sized hole in the drywall, a broken door or window, burns or deep gouges in flooring, pet urine soaked into the subfloor, large stains, missing fixtures or blinds, or walls painted a color the lease did not allow.

Neglect counts too. A tenant who never reported a leaking toilet until it rotted the floor, or who left a window open through a storm, may be responsible for damage that a quick report would have prevented. How much of that a landlord can recover depends on the lease and the law, which is another reason to read both carefully.

Walls: a few small nail holes from hanging pictures, light scuffs and faded paint are usually treated as wear and tear. Large holes, many anchor holes from shelving, crayon or marker, heavy smoke staining and unapproved paint colors lean toward damage.

Floors: carpet worn thin in traffic paths, light surface scratches on hardwood or laminate and slightly loose tiles from age are typical wear. Burns, large stains, pet damage, deep gouges, water damage from neglect and cracked tiles from impact are typical damage.

Doors, cabinets and hardware: sticky locks, loose hinges and worn finishes on handles are wear. Broken doors, holes in hollow core doors, missing hardware, damaged cabinet doors and broken blinds are damage.

Kitchens and bathrooms: dull grout, minor caulk breakdown and worn faucet finishes are wear. Cracked countertops, broken appliance parts, chipped tubs, mold from never running the fan and clogs caused by items flushed or poured down the drain lean toward damage.

The landlords who rarely end up in deposit disputes are the ones with good records. Do a move-in walkthrough with the tenant, fill out a written condition checklist room by room and take dated photos and video of every wall, floor, fixture and appliance. Have the tenant sign the checklist and keep a copy in the file.

At move-out, repeat the same walkthrough in the same order and take matching photos from the same angles. Side by side before and after photos make the conversation simple, because the difference between the two is obvious to anyone. Keep receipts and invoices for every repair, and write down the age of carpet, paint and appliances, since age affects how much wear is reasonable.

When a contractor handles your turnover, ask them to photograph the condition before they start and again when the work is done. That gives you a professional record of what was repaired and why, which is useful for your files, for owners you manage for and if a question ever comes up later.

As a rough market guide, patching a few small nail holes and touching up paint in a room might run around $100 to $300. A larger drywall hole repaired, textured and painted often costs around $150 to $450 depending on size and texture matching. Repainting a full room typically falls around $300 to $700, and a whole unit more depending on size and condition.

Replacing a damaged interior door with a prehung unit can run a few hundred dollars installed, while fixing a lock, hinge or strike plate is usually much less. Flooring repairs vary widely, from a small laminate plank replacement to replacing a whole room of carpet. Heavy cleaning, trash and furniture left behind and junk hauling add to the turnover total too. Every unit is different, so get a written estimate with photos before you settle anything with the tenant.

Georgia has its own rules about security deposits, including what a landlord must give the tenant at move-in and move-out and the timelines for returning a deposit or listing deductions. Those rules can change, and how they apply depends on your lease and your situation.

We are repair contractors, not lawyers, so we do not give legal advice. Before you deduct for damage or respond to a dispute, read your lease, review current Georgia law and talk with a local landlord tenant attorney if anything is unclear. What we can do is give you a clear repair estimate and before and after photos to support whatever decision you make.

Solve Handyman handles rental turnovers and make-ready repairs for landlords, property managers and investors across Marietta, Kennesaw, Atlanta, Sandy Springs and the rest of North Atlanta. One crew covers drywall, paint, doors, locks, fixtures, flooring repairs, deep cleaning and junk removal, and we send before and after photos for your records. We are family-owned and insured, estimates are free, there is no trip fee and same-day service is available. If something is not right, we redo it at no cost. We speak English, Portuguese and Spanish.

Call or text (770) 744-7051 or request a free estimate as soon as the keys come back.