Normal wear and tear?

[Martha Daisley]

How do you determine what normal wear and tear is when giving a tenant their deposit back?  I always have my properties cleaned and if needed, painted before a new tenant moves in. When they move out, the walls are always dirty. The last tenant complained when i took money out of their security deposit to repaint due to the walls being so dirty when they left. Now im running into the same issue with the current tenant. My expectation is that they return the property in the same state i gave it to them. If its not move in ready and if the walls are dirty, i take money out of their security deposit. Is that the right way to look at it or would the dirty walls be considered "normal wear and tear"?

Thanks

Martha