MicacorMove-In Condition And Check-Out Report

What is fair wear and tear in a rental property UK

For Scotland, England and Wales. Updated 19 October 2026.

Fair wear and tear is the deterioration that happens to a home and its contents through normal living and the passing of time. A landlord cannot charge a tenant for it. A tenant can be charged for damage beyond it, and for leaving the property less clean than it was at the start.

That sounds simple. In practice it is hard to apply, because the same mark can be wear in one case and damage in another. This guide explains how the deposit schemes approach it and walks through real cases they have published. It describes what adjudicators consider. It is not advice on any particular claim.

Where the rule comes from

  • England and Wales. DPS, which operates in both, says its adjudicators fall back on the legal definition of fair wear and tear, which it describes as the "reasonable operation of natural forces". mydeposits traces the principle to Lord Denning in the 1950s: a tenant must take proper care of the place, but is not liable for disrepair caused by fair wear and tear or the lapse of time.
  • Wales. In addition, the supplementary terms of most occupation contracts say the contract-holder is not liable for fair wear and tear, but must take proper care of the home, its fixtures and fittings and anything on the inventory, and keep it in reasonable decorative order.
  • Scotland. mygov.scot tells tenants that a landlord cannot use the deposit to replace items that are damaged or worn through normal wear and tear.

DPS says the deposit remains the tenant's money until the landlord proves a claim, and the tenant does not have to prove their position. mygov.scot says the same in Scottish terms: if the landlord cannot prove why deductions should be made, the tenant gets the full deposit back.

The factors adjudicators weigh

mydeposits lists five things it considers together.

  1. Age. An older item attracts more wear. Invoices showing when something was bought or fitted are the best evidence.
  2. Quality. A cheap carpet and an expensive one wear differently, and replacement should be like for like.
  3. Who lives there. The number of people, children and pets all affect how much wear is reasonable.
  4. Expected lifespan. mydeposits says its approach to the life of décor and carpets in a rented property starts at five years, though this can change with the evidence. Appliances, worktops and sanitaryware are judged case by case.
  5. Length of tenancy. The longer someone has lived there, the more natural wear has built up.

Two further principles sit on top of these.

  • Betterment. The landlord should not end up better off than before. DPS gives the example of a carpet that was new at the start of a two-year tenancy: at the end it is a two-year-old carpet, so claiming the full cost of a new one would be betterment.
  • Cleanliness is separate. mydeposits says fair wear and tear applies to condition only. The property should be left as clean as it was at the start, whether the tenancy lasted one year or six.

Worked examples from published scheme cases

These are real adjudications that mydeposits has published as case studies. The percentages are what the adjudicator decided on that evidence, not fixed rates.

Carpets

A family of four lived in a property for four years. The lounge carpet had been replaced halfway through and was two years old at check-out, with two large iron burns. At check-in, the other carpets already showed some wear, with fraying and worn walkways in the bedrooms.

  • Lounge. The burns were damage. After allowing for two years of reasonable wear, the adjudicator awarded 60% of the replacement cost of that carpet.
  • Everything else. Nothing was awarded. The carpets were worn at the start, had four more years of family use, and had been down for at least the five years or so that the adjudicator treated as the average life of medium quality carpet in a rented property.

Takeaway: worn traffic lanes on an old carpet are usually wear. Burns and large stains on a newer one are usually damage, but even then the award reflects the carpet's age.

Walls and decoration

A tenancy of over three and a half years, with young children. The check-out found scuffs, pencil drawings and twelve fixture holes in the lounge where shelves had been taken down. The walls had not been freshly painted at check-in.

  • Filling the holes. Awarded in full, because filling holes is a repair that would not have been needed after any length of tenancy.
  • Redecoration. Only 20% was awarded. The adjudicator noted that décor in a rented property lasts about five years, and this décor was near the end of its life anyway, especially in the hall and landing.

DPS makes a similar point: an adjudicator is unlikely to award redecoration costs where the tenant has lived in the property for five or more years, because the landlord would probably have needed to redecorate regardless.

Appliances and kitchen surfaces

A two-year tenancy where the check-in described the washing machine as "like new". At check-out there was heavy mould across a large area of the door seal, even though the property had been professionally cleaned.

  • Washing machine seal. The adjudicator found cleaning would not have been enough. The tenant paid the full call-out and labour, and 80% of the seal itself. Wear was allowed for on the materials, not the labour.
  • Worktop. The signed check-in said the worktop was unmarked. The tenant said some burns were already there, but had not reported them or photographed them. The tenant was held responsible, and most of the cost of replacing the damaged section was awarded.

Takeaway for tenants: report any defect you find early, in writing. Takeaway for landlords: itemised quotes make fair awards possible.

Gardens

A tenancy that ran from November to late June. The tenancy agreement made the tenant responsible for the garden.

  • Lawn. Overgrown at check-out. Full cost of mowing awarded.
  • Weeding. 75% awarded, because some weeds were noted at check-in.
  • Hedges. Nothing awarded. They had grown, but in line with the season.

In a separate case, a tenant used a barbecue on the lawn and left three burnt patches in one corner. The landlord's quote was to re-turf the whole lawn. The adjudicator held the tenant responsible but awarded 20% of the quote, because only one corner was affected.

Pets

In England, gov.uk guidance says a landlord can keep money from the deposit to cover repairs for damage caused by a pet. It also says a landlord cannot claim for the same damage twice, for example through insurance and the deposit. mydeposits says pet damage beyond normal wear is the tenant's responsibility. Since 1 May 2026, tenants in England can ask to keep a pet and landlords must not refuse without a fair reason, so recording the condition of floors, doors and gardens at check-in matters even more.

How to use this in practice

  • Record age and quality at check-in. Without them, everyone is guessing at check-out.
  • Describe condition and cleanliness separately. Micacor keeps them as separate fields for each item, which mirrors how adjudicators treat them.
  • Work out a proportion, not a full replacement. SafeDeposits Scotland suggests a general guide: charge the share of the invoice that matches the area affected, and claim for the loss of the item's remaining life, not its full value.
  • Break quotes down. By room, by area, and by materials and labour.
  • Talk early. A pre-check-out visit gives the tenant a chance to fix small things before they become deductions.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Fair wear and tear is decided on the evidence in each case, by the landlord and tenant, or by the deposit scheme's adjudicator if they cannot agree.

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