Key takeaways
- A deduction has to be tied to a specific, documented defect — not to a general sense that the unit was left dirty.
- Normal wear and tear is not chargeable. Damage is. The difference is usually time and intent, not appearance.
- A dated photo set and an itemized invoice are what make a deduction defensible.
Deposit disputes are one of the most common sources of friction between Las Vegas landlords and tenants — and most come down to documentation, not to whether the damage was real. Here is how we help property managers build a deduction that stands up.
Not legal advice
We are licensed contractors, not attorneys. Nevada sets the rules on deposits, timelines and notices, and your lease sets the rest. What follows is the construction side: what a repair costs and how to document it.
Wear and tear versus damage
| Condition | Usually wear and tear | Usually chargeable damage |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet | Fading, matting in traffic lanes, age | Burns, pet stains, tears, odour that will not lift |
| Paint | Faded colour, minor scuffs, hairline cracks | Crayon and marker, large holes, unapproved colours |
| Walls | Small nail holes from hanging pictures | Fist-sized holes, punched doors, removed fixtures |
| Flooring | Light surface scratches | Deep gouges, water damage, missing planks |
| Countertops | Minor scratches | Burns, chips, cracks, stains |
| Fixtures | Worn finishes, loose handles | Broken toilets, cracked sinks, missing parts |
| Screens and blinds | Slight discolouration | Torn screens, missing or broken slats |
| Odour | Cooking smells that air out | Smoke or pet odour in the subfloor or drywall |
What the repairs actually cost
| Repair | Typical Las Vegas cost |
|---|---|
| Patch and texture a small drywall hole | $150 – $450 |
| Replace a hollow-core interior door and hardware | $250 – $500 |
| Repaint a single room, walls and ceiling | $400 – $900 |
| Repaint the full unit, walls and ceilings | $1,800 – $3,200 |
| Replace carpet in one bedroom | $400 – $900 |
| Replace carpet in the full unit | $1,800 – $4,000 |
| Replace damaged vinyl plank, per room | $500 – $1,200 |
| Deep clean, including odour treatment | $300 – $800 |
| Replace a toilet | $350 – $700 |
| Replace torn window screens, each | $60 – $150 |
| Replace blinds, per window | $80 – $220 |
One important nuance: you generally cannot charge full replacement cost for an item that was already near the end of its life. If the carpet was eight years old, the deduction should reflect the remaining value, not a brand-new carpet.
How to document it so it holds up
- Photograph the same angles at move-in and move-out. A before photo is what makes an after photo mean anything.
- Use a dated, itemized invoice from a licensed contractor — not an internal estimate or a round number.
- Describe the defect, not the impression: "two 4-inch holes in the bedroom wall" beats "walls damaged".
- Separate cleaning from repairs on the statement. They are different claims.
- Include the repair photos with the statement, so the tenant can see what was charged for.
- Send the statement and the balance within the window Nevada requires.
When to absorb it
If a repair is under a couple of hundred dollars and the documentation is thin, the time you will spend defending it usually costs more than the repair. Fix it, note it for the file, and move on.
What we typically see in Las Vegas homes
Based on our own repair work
What we see on the deposit side, from the units we turn:
- Most disputed deductions we are asked to document come down to two items: carpet and paint. Both are also the two items most likely to be genuinely worn out rather than damaged.
- The units that hold up best in a dispute are the ones with dated move-in photos of every room. Landlords who photograph only the damage rarely win the argument.
- Odour is the hardest claim to document and the most expensive to resolve. When smoke or pet odour has reached the subfloor, the flooring comes out — and that is a real, invoiceable cost.
- We are asked far more often for an itemized scope than for the repair itself. The document is often worth more to a manager than the work.
A Las Vegas property manager had a tenant dispute over a $1,400 deposit deduction, with no itemized backup beyond a handwritten note saying "carpet and walls damaged".
Walked the unit, photographed each defect with a date reference, and produced a line-item scope separating genuine damage from ordinary wear: two punched drywall areas, one door slab, and odour in one bedroom's carpet. The full-unit repaint the manager had intended to charge was reclassified as wear and tear and removed. The documented scope supported a reduced, defensible deduction.
Las Vegas, NV
