Floor wear & tear

Our Experts Answer:

Fair wear and tear is one of the difficult questions to answer. What is fair to one person may be described completely differently by another. It depends also upon the circumstances and the agreement as to what people would be living in the property.

You (and the landlord) will need to take another look at the damage at end of tenancy and compare it with the condition at the start of your tenancy. (It certainly helps if you have before-and-after photographs for comparison.) Then ask yourselves the question: “is the difference reasonable wear and tear over the duration of the tenancy, for the people who were agreed to be occupants?” If the level of damage was unacceptable in the circumstances, then you may have to have the floor repaired.

If you cannot agree on what is “fair wear and tear” or whether the floor has been damaged beyond what is reasonable, then you may need to apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for a ruling in your specific case.