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Owner Frequently Asked Questions

Should I allow pets in my rental property?

Should I provide a washer and dryer in my rental property?

Property Inspections - What, Why, and How

Should I purchase a Home Warranty for my rental property?

Rent Ready Repairs - DYI vs. Letting a Professional Handle It

Why Professional Cleaning
is Needed

Can you use my vendors?

Eviction Process in North Carolina

Wear and Tear Vs. Damage

NC Tenant/Landlord laws as well as the NC Tenant security deposit act provide that the security deposit may be used to pay for damages to the property, but not for normal wear and tear. For this reason, a crucial responsibility for us as a property manager is to distinguish between normal wear and tear and damage. One component in making that determination is to weigh the length of the tenancy. For instance, if a tenant rents a home for 6 months, one standard will be used given the brief nature of the stay and more minor issues may be scrutinized to a greater extent whereas if the same tenant were to have rented the home for 10yrs, it is more likely that certain minor issues would be overlooked.

Although this is not an exhaustive list, below is an attempt to provide examples of some of the more common instances of normal wear and tear versus damage:

Appliances:

Minor scratches and scuffs Missing or broken refrigerator bin
Scratches and wear on stove top Broken glass on cook top
Worn buttons on microwave Broken handle on door of microwave

Flooring/Trim:

Worn path in carpet in high traffic area Stains from pet waste and/or red wine
Minor Scuffs and scratches to baseboards or shoe molding. Chewed and scratched up trim molding from pets.
A small stain in bedroom carpeting Stains throughout bedroom carpet

Walls/Paint/Doors:

Faded, cracked or chipped paint Crayon marks, writing on walls, unapproved paint color or excessive dirt requiring primer and paint to cover
Plaster cracks from settling Holes in walls from doorknobs or carelessness
Small nail holes left in walls from pictures Large holes bigger than a pencil are left throughout the house

Miscellaneous:

House cleaned to reasonable standards, broom swept, no personal items left behind. House is excessively filthy, not broom swept and is strewn with trash or personal items.
All light bulbs are functional but need to be dusted. Numerous light bulbs are burned out and need to be replaced.
Towel bar in the bathroom is a little loose. Towel bar is missing or broken or drywall anchors have pulled loose.

Landscaping:

Shrubs were trimmed during the prior growing season and grass was mowed within the last week but there are a few weeds in the beds. The shrubs were never trimmed and are overgrown, the lawn hasn’t been mowed for at least two weeks, and the beds are full of weeds.
Mulch is thin and needs to be replenished. The planting beds have not been weeded.
There are a few spots in the yard where pet waste has killed the lawn, but the waste has been removed. There are holes dug all over the lawn from the dog and an inflatable pool has killed the grass and needs to be reseeded.