Reasonable wear and tear

[Steve Garner]

What is reasonable wear and tear?  I have a 2 year old buy and hold.  I painted the entire interior and had new carpet put in.  The tenant was there for 2 years.   They patched the wall holes and left the white spackle of approx. 70 holes of white spots on the walls.  The pet odor could not be corrected with a steam cleaning and pet treatment. (I get a $250 non refundable pet fee for this reason)  However, The steam cleaning company says that I must replace the pad and carpet to remove the smell.  The carpet is only 2 years old.  What is fair?  Is this "normal" wear and tear?

[David Veeder]

I could argue the touch up paint either way.  Sounds like the tenant would have done it if there was paint on site.  Just something to think about in the future.  I probably would let the small nail holes slide.  The carpet is depreciated over 5 years so I say it has a 5 year life expectancy.  So I would charge  60% of the replacement of the carpet.