Rant: That $200 'landlord special' paint job cost me my whole deposit

So my old landlord painted the whole apartment right before I moved out, but they used that cheap flat paint that gets scuffed if you look at it wrong. I paid $1,500 deposit and after 14 months of living there, they kept $1,200 saying my furniture marks ruined the paint. I should have known better since the lease said 'walls must be in original condition' but I didn't take move-in photos. Has anyone else gotten burned by a landlord painting with dollar store paint before move-out?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_patel9d ago

Man, you just made me realize I was totally wrong for thinking landlords were fair about paint.

the_seth9d ago

Take photos of everything the second you get the keys next time, including closeups of the paint and any existing damage. That cheap flat paint is basically a scam because they know it'll scuff and they can blame you for it. Send those photos to the landlord in an email right then so you have a timestamped record of the move-in condition.