What is Considered Normal Wear & Tear?

Faded Paint. Paint may have a "useful life of 2-3 years, depending on who you ask. However, if you paint with a better paint, wiping down the walls works well.

Old, worn carpet when you moved in or furniture marks in carpet. The natural wearing down of carpet or drapes because of normal use or aging.

Worn hinges on doors or locks. Hole or ding in wall from missing door stop. Check each door.

Broken plumbing pipes, unless you damaged them. Central drain problems, not caused by your incorrect disposal of items. Older homes with old sewer lines may get roots growing through them, clogging the system.

Dirty Blinds - as in dusty.

General dust in the apartment. Be sure to clean behind the sofa and under.

Faded" curtains that were in the unit when you came. However, to remove curtains that you placed and did not remove, you may be charged.

Bulb that went out in the refrigerator.

Items To Be Considered As Damaged

Holes in wall from hanging pictures, removal of Decals on the walls. Larger gouges etc.

Tear in carpet, animal stains (even if landlord knew you had a pet). Burn marks - iron, cigar, cigarette, ground in stains.

Doors with holes. Doors or windows broken. Glass etc.

Clogged drains caused by your misuse of sinks or toilets. Disposal of feminine products should be in the trash, not the toilet.

Broken or missing blinds or curtains. If they were there when you moved in, they must be there when you leave. If you don't want them, discuss this with your landlord. If he says "I don't care" send him a letter to confirm..."as we discussed.."

Eliminating Flea infestations caused by tenants animals. The same for smoke damage from smoking or burning candles. Excessive bathroom mildew. Use a good cleaning product like Tilex or Spray 409 weekly.

Broken shelves in a refrigerator. Excessive dirt/dust in the refrigerator vents. This is the area under or behind the unit. Vacuuming improves performance. Every time you vacuum, vacuum around the unit.

Excessive dirt or filth in an oven or refrigerator. Defrost the refrigerator if not frost-free. Stoves can take 2-3 hours to clean if you have it cleaned.