Usually not for ordinary repainting. Repainting to cover normal fading, minor scuffs, and small nail holes is typically the landlord’s cost as routine upkeep. You can be charged only when you caused damage beyond normal wear — large holes, unapproved colors, or heavy staining.
Paint is one of the most common improper deductions on a move-out statement. The dividing line is normal wear and tear versus damage: the everyday aging of walls in a lived-in unit is wear, and most states treat routine repainting as a cost of doing business for the landlord. A charge becomes legitimate only when your use went beyond ordinary — you painted the walls a color you were not allowed to, punched holes that need patching, or left damage that repainting alone cannot fix.
Small nail holes from hanging pictures are usually normal wear and tear. Large anchor holes, or so many that the wall needs significant patching, can cross into damage.
Often not. Many states treat paint as having a useful life and prorate it, so a landlord cannot charge a long-term tenant the full cost of paint that was already near the end of its life.
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