Charging tenant’s deposit

[Jay Libowitz]

So I spent $3.5k on painting my rental unit before a tenant moved in. House is in perfect condition. Tenant moves out and there are scratches on the walls. Nothing crazy, but definitely noticeable. I get a quote to do the touch ups and it’s $1,050 with no guarantee it’s going to look perfect. Going to have spots, etc.

The next tenants have a two year lease and are 4 male college students. Do I charge the outgoing tenant’s deposit and save that money towards a complete paint after the college students move out (who are sure to destroy the walls themselves)? Other suggestions?

[Nathan Gesner]

There's no reason why paint wouldn't match perfectly after 1-2 years. If they use the same brand, sheen, and color, it should be easy to match and hide. If the scratches are really bad, you can just paint that entire wall.

I don't know where this rental is, but $1,050 for touch-up paint is pretty expensive, particularly when they tell you up front that they may not be able to match it. I would shop around.

Definitely charge the departing tenants. You want the place as clean as possible at every turnover. The cleaner it is, the cleaner they will keep it and the easier it is to identify anything beyond ordinary wear-and-tear.