“Fair wear and tear” is the single most argued-about phrase in deposit disputes — and the most misunderstood. It is not a vague appeal to fairness. It has a working definition, and adjudicators apply it consistently.
That’s the whole distinction. Carpet compresses where people walk; paint dulls; sealant discolours; hinges loosen. None of that required carelessness — it required occupancy. It isn’t chargeable.
Damage, by contrast, took an act or a lapse: something was dropped, dragged, burned, spilled and left, or not reported. That is chargeable — though usually not at full price (see how much you can actually be charged).
The same mark means different things after six months and after six years. A carpet with visible traffic paths after five years is expected. The same carpet after four months suggests something else happened. Adjudicators weigh deterioration against time occupied.
A family of five wears a property faster than one person, and that’s accounted for rather than charged for. Where pets or a shared house were permitted, the wear that comes with them is part of the bargain the landlord agreed to.
You can only be charged for deterioration from the recorded starting point. If the carpet was already worn at check-in, further wear is largely unrecoverable. This is why the check-in inventory decides most disputes before they begin.
| Room | Fair wear and tear | Chargeable damage |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | Traffic paths in carpet; light scuffs behind furniture; faded paint near windows | Burns; ground-in stains; gouges from dragged furniture; pet-scratched doors |
| Kitchen | Worktop micro-scratches; dulled cupboard fronts; worn oven-shelf coating | Heat marks from a hot pan; chipped worktop edges; grease left uncleaned |
| Bathroom | Limescale in hard-water areas; discoloured sealant; loosening tile grout | Cracked basin or tiles; mould from unreported leaks or never ventilating |
| Bedroom | Mattress settling; wardrobe runners loosening; picture-hook holes if permitted | Mattress staining; unapproved fixings; broken drawer fronts |
| Throughout | Paint dulling; minor skirting scuffs; carpet flattening in doorways | Crayon or pen marks; unapproved repainting; smoke staining; missing items |
Cleanliness isn’t wear and tear, and it isn’t apportioned for age either. A reasonable invoiced cleaning cost is recoverable in full — but only if the property was evidenced as professionally cleaned when the tenancy began. Without that baseline there is nothing to compare against, and cleaning claims usually fail.
“Not as clean as I’d like” isn’t a standard. “Cleaned to the documented standard at check-in” is.
Not because adjudicators favour tenants — because the burden of proof sits with whoever claims the money. A deduction needs the original condition recorded, the final condition recorded, and a cost evidenced. Missing any of the three usually means the claim is reduced or fails.
Which is the same reason a well-documented claim tends to succeed.
CheckoutProof records the starting condition properly, then applies these rules at check-out and shows the workings. Free first report for tenants.
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