What share of that charge is fair?
A landlord who replaces a worn item usually shouldn't bill you for a brand-new one. Enter the item's age, what you were charged and its useful life: you get a prorated estimate and the gap, with the source of the useful life shown.
Enter what you were charged.
How it's worked out: charge × (useful life − age) ÷ useful life. It is a prorated estimate using a useful life you can see and change; your state, your lease or a court may treat the charge differently. Most deposit statutes we've read exclude normal or ordinary wear and tear; your state's page quotes its rule.
How to use the result
The estimate is a way to frame a conversation, not a legal limit. Most deposit statutes bar deductions for normal wear and tear and limit claims to what's reasonably necessary; whether a mark is damage or wear is a question of fact. If the charge was for damage, the age of the item still matters to what's reasonable.
Put the numbers in writing: the demand letter takes the items you add here. Check your state's rule on the state table and the useful-life sources in the useful-life table.
Common charges, one at a time
- Can my landlord charge me to replace the carpet?
- Can my landlord charge me for repainting?
- Can my landlord keep my deposit for cleaning?
- Can my landlord charge for nail holes?
- Can my landlord charge me for blinds?
- Can my landlord charge for carpet cleaning?
- Can my landlord charge me for an appliance?
- Can my landlord charge for floor damage?
- Can my landlord charge for patching walls?
- Can my landlord charge me to change the locks?
- Can my landlord charge for light bulbs?
- Can my landlord charge for window screens?