Fair wear and tear vs damage: 40 examples from Australian rentals

Fair wear and tear is the normal deterioration a rental property experiences from everyday living and the passing of time, like carpet getting flattened along a hallway, curtains fading from sun exposure, or grout turning grey. A tenant doesn't pay for this.

Damage is different. It's caused by an accident, neglect, or misuse, and the tenant generally needs to contribute to that cost. However, the amount is adjusted depending on how old the item already was.

This guide looks at the 40 items that most commonly come up in end-of-lease disputes in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. It explains the usual classification for each one, how to tell the difference, and the photo you should take.

Last reviewed 21 September 2026 against the NSW, Victorian and Queensland tenancy Acts and the ATO's current effective life determination. This is general information, not legal advice.

What is fair wear and tear?

Fair wear and tear is the usual decline of a rental property from regular use and natural factors like sunlight, moisture, and time. It happens even if a tenant takes reasonable care. None of the three tenancy Acts defines the phrase directly, but they all treat the cost as the landlord's responsibility.

• New South Wales. Under section 51(3) of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010, a tenant must leave the premises as close as possible to the original condition, except for fair wear and tear, and leave it in a reasonable state of cleanliness. The NSW Government also publishes paired examples of fair wear and tear and damage.
• Victoria. Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, a tenant must not intentionally or negligently damage the property (section 61) and must leave it reasonably clean (section 63). Consumer Affairs Victoria publishes a guideline on damage and fair wear and tear, and VCAT must consider it (section 211B).
• Queensland. Under section 188(4) of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008, a tenant must leave the premises in the same condition as at the start as far as possible, fair wear and tear excepted.

In any dispute, the landlord or agent who wants money from the bond must prove the item is more than fair wear and tear and that it occurred during your tenancy. Ultimately, only the tribunal (NCAT, VCAT, or QCAT) can decide which side of the line the disputed item falls on.

What is the difference between fair wear and tear and damage?

The key difference is the cause. Fair wear and tear builds up slowly due to ordinary use, sunlight, and time. Damage happens suddenly, typically from an accident, neglect, or misuse. There's also a third category: dirt. Dirt isn't treated as wear or damage. It's cleaned by the tenant.

Two questions usually settle the grey areas.

1. Could a careful tenant have prevented it? You can't stop sunlight fading curtains, but you can treat a wine spill on the day.
2. Does it come off? If proper cleaning removes it, it's dirt. If it remains after proper cleaning and no event caused it, it's fair wear.

Who pays for accidental damage in a rental?

Accidental damage is still a tenant's responsibility, even if it was genuinely an accident. That's because damage is assessed based on what caused it, not whether you meant to do it. The amount the tenant pays is what the landlord actually lost, adjusted for the item's age (as explained below).

What are examples of fair wear and tear?

Some common examples include flattened carpet in walkways, dents from furniture, paint fading from sunlight, a few small picture hook holes, worn tap plating, grout that has discoloured evenly, loose door handles, frayed blind cords, and seals on appliances that have perished over time. The tables below list 40 common items in the order an agent typically checks through a property.

The classifications show how the fair wear and tear test generally applies to each item. These are our interpretations, not legal decisions. A tribunal will decide each case based on the evidence, and the condition report at the start of your tenancy can change the outcome.

Kitchen (items 1 to 8)

Bathroom (items 9 to 15)

Flooring and carpets (items 16 to 21)

Walls, doors and windows (items 22 to 29)

Appliances and electrical (items 30 to 35)

Outdoors and balcony (items 36 to 40)

Sources for the state rules above: picture hooks in NSW and Victoria; smoke alarms in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

How long should carpet, paint and appliances last in a rental?

For tax purposes, the ATO treats carpet in a rental as lasting 8 years, curtains 6, blinds 10, dishwashers 8, and ovens, cooktops, and rangehoods 12. Paint doesn't have a set ATO number. The Tenants' Union of NSW says paint is usually treated as lasting about 7 to 10 years.

These figures matter because a landlord can only claim what they actually lost.

So, if you leave an iron burn in a carpet that's already seven years old, the landlord has essentially only lost about one year of carpet value. Replacing it with brand-new carpet at your expense could leave the landlord better off, and that's called betterment. Tribunals handle this by reducing the claim based on age.

In Victoria, this is written into the law: VCAT must consider depreciation, having regard to the tax system's depreciation rules (section 211A(2) of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997). In NSW and Queensland, tribunals can use the ATO figures as a guide. The Tenants' Union of NSW Bond Kit also uses the same style of calculation, but the tribunal member is not bound by these figures and decides the final amount.

Source: the ATO's effective life determination LI 2025/20, table for residential property operators, read on 21 September 2026. It replaced Taxation Ruling TR 2022/1 with the same figures.

The calculation is:

Age-adjusted amount = replacement cost × (effective life − age) ÷ effective life

A worked example: a $1,500 carpet claim

Let's say you leave an iron burn in a bedroom and the agent sends a quote for $1,500 to re-carpet the room. The condition report shows the carpet was installed seven years ago. If the carpet's effective life is 8 years, there's one year left: $1,500 × (8 − 7) ÷ 8 = $187.50.

If the carpet had already passed 8 years, the same calculation would come out at zero (or very close to it). The tribunal still decides the final figure, so use the calculation as your starting point.

How do you find out how old an item is?

Ask the agent in writing: "Please send the purchase or installation invoice for the carpet, or the date it was installed, so the claim can be adjusted for its age."

Because the landlord is making the claim, they're the ones who need to show what the item was worth. The condition report from the start of your tenancy often notes new carpet or fresh paint, and the rating plate on an appliance usually shows the year it was made.

Are carpet stains fair wear and tear?

No. Stains come from a spill. If the stain comes out, it's cleaning; if it doesn't, it's damage. Flattened pile, furniture dents, and sun fading are fair wear and tear. If a stain can't be removed, the claim should still be adjusted for the carpet's age, and it should relate to the specific area affected.

What can you say to the agent? Five replies to adapt

Keep each reply short and factual. Name the item, state which category it falls into and why, cite the relevant section, and point to the matching numbered photo in your report.

Reply 1: oven door glass

"The marks on the oven door glass are heat marks from ordinary use, and they remain after a full clean. That is fair wear and tear, which I am not required to make good under [section 51(3) of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) / the Consumer Affairs Victoria guideline on damage and fair wear and tear / section 188(4) of the RTRA Act 2008 (Qld)]. The oven interior, racks and glass were cleaned on [date]; please see photos [02] and [03] in the attached handover report."

Reply 2: shiny patches on paint after cleaning

"The scuff marks were cleaned on [date]. The patches that remain are burnishing, which is how low-sheen wall paint responds to wiping. It is not damage, and the walls were left reasonably clean."

Reply 3: mould inside shower silicone

"The discolouration in the shower is mould inside ageing silicone sealant. The surface was cleaned on [date], as photo [10] shows, and the staining remains inside the sealant. Replacing sealant is a repair for the landlord under [section 63 of the NSW Act / section 68 of the Victorian Act / section 185 of the Queensland Act], not end of lease cleaning."

Reply 4: asking for an age adjustment

"I accept responsibility for the stain to the [item]. Any claim should reflect the item's age. It is about [6] years old, and the ATO effective life for [carpet] is [8] years, so about [25%] of its value remained. Please send the original purchase or installation invoice so the amount can be worked out."

Reply 5: asking for proof, item by item

"For each item you are claiming, please send (a) the matching entry in the condition report from the start of the tenancy, (b) your dated inspection photos, and (c) an itemised quote or invoice. I cannot agree to a single re-cleaning fee for the whole property."

What photos should you take before you hand back the keys?

Take around 20 photos in three groups before returning the keys: one wide shot of every room, a close-up of every existing mark that's not yours to fix, and the spots agents tend to check most closely. Then match each close-up with a wide shot, so nobody can claim it shows a different area or a different property.

1. Every room (about 6 photos). One wide shot from each doorway showing the overall condition.
2. Existing wear (about 6 photos). Close-ups of each fair wear and tear item from the tables above, with a single plain sentence describing what it is.
3. The finished clean (about 8 photos). Oven cavity, rangehood filters, shower glass, and window tracks.

Photos can be questioned for two main reasons. If you send them through WhatsApp or WeChat, they're usually compressed and often lose the date taken. Also, photos produced weeks after the inspection can suggest they were taken later. A dated set sent to the agent before their inspection avoids both issues.

Our guide to phone photos as evidence in a bond dispute explains this in more detail. The end of lease cleaning checklist follows the same room order as the tables above, and the sample report shows what a finished photo set looks like. For what the law requires you to clean, see end of lease cleaning requirements. If the dispute escalates further, there are state guides for NSW and Queensland.