[Normal Wear & Tear] - how much would you deduct for holes?

Question

As per the above, tenant left me some nice wall holes upon inspection. It was where a TV was mounted on the wall. They have been occupying this unit for 7+ years. Lease states that the property must be returned in the condition it was received. There were no holes prior in these areas. Would you count this as normal wear & tear vs. damage? And how much would you charge?

I'm tending to lean towards the former, but want to make sure I am making a reasonable assessment to ensure the tenant doesn't throw a berating response to my charges.

Marc Winter · Answer

Quick question:  during the 7 years the tenant occupied, did you paint the interior?  If you painted recently, then take the deduction from security deposit.

If you DIDN'T paint in 7 years, be happy they stayed that long and let the handyman prep the walls as normal before you paint the unit to spruce up for the next tenant.

Sandy S. · Answer

Holes update - The largest hole (4 of them in the property) is 1.5in end to end, both horizontally and vertically.  So definitely not small.  There are other smaller ones to show for comparison.

How does one go about calculating the cost?  Is it by square footage of the damaged area vs. # of holes?

Nathan Gesner · Answer

My lease specifically states they are allowed to put in a few small nails but they are not allowed to hang shelves, TVs, or other large items on the wall.

I would not charge them for painting but I may consider charging them to fill/patch the holes since there are several walls damaged in the same manner. You're talking $100 which is pretty reasonable.

Dennis M. · Answer

That’s not small picture nail holes . I’d charge a couple hundred off the deposit . A handyman that charges 350 bucks is ridiculous high ! I’d find a new one after that quote . I wouldn’t pay anyone more than 50-60 bucks to fix that . 10$ in supplies and an hour of work tops

Theresa Harris · Answer

Those aren't small holes and are not normal wear and tear.  Charge them what it costs to repair it.

Sandy S. · Answer

@Michael Peters - Got an updated painting quote.  Its $2400 (materials + labor) for entire unit, 1710 sq. ft. approximately.  To clarify, this is 1 of 4 similar holes found throughout the property.  Don't know if that changes anything, but curious to hear if it does.

Michael Peters · Answer

I'm in agreement with Marc.  If it was just a one year lease then yes I would hold them to the entire cost of the repair.  If you received 7 good years with the tenant and this is the worst problem I would be extremely happy you missed out on the maintenance costs you saved by not running through potentially 5+ renters. If you can get by 7 years without having to do any major repaints and can get by with some touch ups your even more in the clear.

Would also love to hear how the breakdown of how each room comes to $350.  Sounds like you need to start vetting some new handyman in your area.

Jim S. · Answer

If your handyman wants $375 to fix what's in your pic you need to get rid of him unless that includes painting the entire room.

Sandy S. · Answer

@Mike McCarthy - Handyman quoted me per room, not per job.  IIRC, the estimate was about $375/room (materials + labor).  So a bit hard to tease out the specific effort, but thanks for the guidelines you posted.

@Marc Winter -  Excellent point, one I had not considered before.  No, the unit had not been painted for 7 years.  I recognize that some of these things are not black and white, especially when it comes to damages related to a long-time tenant.  In general, how often should rental units be repainted?

Leah Slaughter · Answer

Most leases in Texas say only a small number of small nails may be used. This is not small nails. I would bill the actual cost to repair it. If you are going to do it yourself, then take your supply cost + a reasonable hourly rate.

[Normal Wear & Tear] - how much would you deduct for holes?

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