Landlord & Tenant Painting Responsibilities Checker

There's no fixed legal interval in the UK. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires landlords to keep the property in repair, which the TDS interprets in practice as repainting when the paint reaches the end of its useful life — typically 5 to 7 years for emulsion in a domestic setting. Between tenancies, most professional landlords repaint anyway because a tired interior loses rent. If your landlord hasn't repainted in 8+ years and the walls look it, that's on them, not you.

Light dulling of the colour, faint scuff marks at switch heights and behind furniture, minor crazing of older emulsion, and slight discolouration around radiators are all fair wear and tear. None of these can be deducted from a tenant's deposit. The dividing line is between damage that comes from living in a property normally and damage that comes from an act or omission by the tenant. Picture hooks, blu-tack residue, deep scuffs, marks at child or pet height, and anything requiring stain-blocking primer crosses the line.

The TDS applies pro-rata depreciation. If the paint had a 7-year useful life and was 4 years old when you moved out, the landlord can only claim 3/7ths (43%) of the repaint cost — not the full amount. That principle stops landlords from getting a brand new paint job at the tenant's expense. Always ask for the landlord's written quote from a decorator (not a guess) and apply the pro-rata calculation against the age of the original paint. If they refuse to pro-rate, take it to the TDS adjudication — they apply pro-rating consistently.

Yes, in most cases. Smoke staining from cigarettes or candles isn't fair wear and tear and typically requires stain-blocking primer plus two finish coats. TDS adjudication routinely upholds full deductions for this because the damage doesn't pro-rate the same way — fresh paint over nicotine bleeds through within months. Pet damage (scratches, urine staining, chewing) is also tenant responsibility, especially if pets weren't disclosed at signing. Pro-rating still applies to the paint cost itself but woodwork replacement may be charged in full.