What is considered normal wear and tear in a rental?

Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act defines normal wear and tear as the deterioration that happens over time with use, even when the place gets reasonable care and maintenance, and a landlord cannot deduct it from the security deposit. The government's handbook uses carpet as its example: spills, cigarette burns, oil stains and tracked-in mud are not wear and tear, but the general deterioration from repeated cleaning is, and a landlord cannot charge a leaving tenant for a new carpet simply because the old one was due for replacement.

A landlord cannot deduct for damage without both the move-in and move-out inspection reports, and cleaning can be deducted only if the tenant agreed to it in the lease or the move-out report. The landlord returns the deposit or sends a statement within 10 days. A tenant who disagrees can apply to the RTDRS or the Alberta Court of Justice.

A BC tenant must leave the unit reasonably clean and undamaged except for reasonable wear and tear, and does not have to repair wear and tear. Policy Guideline 1 calls it natural deterioration from ageing and other natural forces when the tenant used the place reasonably. The government lists faded paint, minor scuffs on floorboards and worn carpet or tiles as examples, and says landlords cannot keep damage deposits for wear and tear. Tenants are still generally expected to steam clean carpets after a tenancy of one year or more, patch nail holes and clean marks on walls.

For real damage, Policy Guideline 40 sets useful lives, such as 12 years for carpet and 6 years for interior paint, and awards are reduced for an item's age. A landlord who did not offer the move-in and move-out inspections loses the right to claim against the deposit for damage, though it can still file a separate claim.

A Manitoba tenant must leave the unit ordinarily clean and is not liable for reasonable wear and tear. The landlord must keep up the unit's appearance, having regard to how long the tenancy has lasted, and a tenant is entitled to move into a clean unit. The Residential Tenancies Branch says a tenant only has to shampoo or steam clean a carpet they stained, hanging pictures in a reasonable way is not damage, and as a rule a tenant should not fill nail holes.

For damage, the Branch awards the loss of value rather than the cost of a new item, based on age, condition at the start, useful life and replacement cost. It may award up to $20 an hour for cleaning. A landlord with no claim returns the deposit within 14 days, and a claim must be made within 28 days.

A Saskatchewan tenant must keep the unit reasonably clean and leave it reasonably clean and undamaged, except for reasonable wear and tear, and is not required to repair wear and tear. The Act uses the term without defining it, and the government has not published a useful-life guide, so a disputed charge goes to the Office of Residential Tenancies (ORT) to decide.

A lease cannot charge for cleaning automatically. A landlord claims cleaning or damage against the deposit within seven business days after the tenancy ends, or by a monetary application. The inspection is optional, but the ORT has a condition checklist you can use.

An Ontario tenant is responsible for ordinary cleanliness, unless the lease makes the landlord do the cleaning. The Landlord and Tenant Board says tenants are not responsible for damage caused by normal use, and gives a carpet worn after years of everyday use as its example. When something wears out, the landlord must repair it, though it does not have to supply a new or better model. The standard lease also leaves wear and tear out of the tenant's responsibility for damage.

Ontario landlords can hold only a last month's rent deposit and a refundable key deposit, and cannot take repair costs from either. For damage beyond normal use, the landlord applies to the Board during the tenancy or within one year after, and the Board says landlords cannot claim costs related to normal wear and tear.

A New Brunswick tenant keeps the unit, and any items the landlord supplies, in ordinary cleanliness. The landlord must hand over the unit in a good state of cleanliness and repair. The province describes reasonable wear and tear as the natural wear that comes from normal ageing when the tenant has used the unit reasonably and has not caused deliberate damage, and says it is not the tenant's responsibility to repair or maintain.

The deposit is held by the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office. A landlord who wants part of it for cleaning or repairs files a claim, and a residential tenancies officer decides. An inspection is optional, but the province recommends one and has a form for it.

Nova Scotia's Act defines wear and tear as the usual depreciation or deterioration caused by living in a unit, measured against the length of the lease. A landlord's claim against the security deposit cannot include it, and the province's guides repeat that wear and tear cannot be charged against the deposit. Tenants must keep the unit and its appliances clean.

To keep money for damage, the landlord needs the tenant's written consent or must file a Form R claim within 10 days after the lease ends. An inspection report is not required, but the standard lease recommends one within 7 days of the start and the end of the tenancy.

A PEI tenant must leave the unit reasonably clean and undamaged, except for reasonable wear and tear, by 5 p.m. on the last day of the tenancy, and is not required to repair wear and tear. The Rental Office says tenants are not responsible for reasonable wear and tear to the unit or the common areas. There is no official definition, so disputes turn on the inspection reports and other evidence.

A landlord keeps deposit money only with the tenant's written agreement or by applying on Form 2B within 15 days, and it must prove the claim. Move-in and move-out inspections on Form 5 are required for tenancies that started on or after April 8, 2023.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Residential Tenancies Office defines normal wear and tear as the deterioration expected over time through ordinary use, even when the tenant cleans and maintains the unit regularly. The tenant must keep the unit clean and repair damage they or their guests cause on purpose or through carelessness. The Office expects landlords to replace flooring and repaint the walls periodically at their own cost.

Damage claims are depreciated: a floor with a 10-year life and 5 years left is worth half its cost. A landlord keeps deposit money only with the tenant's written agreement or the director's decision, and either side can apply within one year after the tenancy ends.