Black soot or stain?

[Amy Capozziello]

We just got our first propert, a four unit multi-home in Connecticut. The tenant in an upstairs unit moved out after one year and left large black stains on the wall where she had furniture or wall hangings.  One definitely is soot-like and wipes off, the other is where the bed frame was located and does not scrub off. It does not appear to be in any other units. The house is 1903 and the gas boilers are 8 years old. The unit is on the second floor. 

Has anyone seen this?

[Jenna Columbus]

@Amy Capozziello we have a 3 family home in CT and had similar stains on the wall but it was from smoking in the unit and also drug use smoke. The previous owner allowed that sort of behavior. We do not! When the tenant left we had to wash all the walls and then paint in some cases with stain blocker to avoid it showing thru. We have natural gas in our building but if you have Oil I would certainly have a tech come out and make sure it’s burning clean and not causing stains. I hope that helps! All the best.

[Katie Stewart]

As Jenna said, this sounds like smoke damage to me. After working at a student housing complex in Colorado, I can tell you I've seen enough smoke damage for a lifetime! If you aren't able to scrub it off, it's most likely smoke damage and you'll need to repaint.  

[Amy Capozziello]

Thanks, I appreciate your input!