When you move out of a BC rental, the condition of the paint has a direct effect on whether you get your deposit back. And there is a clear line between what a landlord can charge you for and what they cannot.
The framework is the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) and the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) policy guidelines. The core principle is simple: a landlord can claim for damage caused by the tenant, but not for normal wear and tear from ordinary living.
⚠️ Figures updated August 2026. The useful life table in RTB Policy Guideline 40 was revised on February 5, 2025, and the numbers differ from what many older articles still quote. This article uses the current table. I am not a lawyer — for an actual dispute, seek advice from the RTB or a tenant advocacy organization such as TRAC.
Start With One Number — Interior Paint Lasts 6 Years
Everything else follows from this.
Under the useful life table in RTB Policy Guideline 40, interior paint has an estimated useful life of 6 years. (Exterior paint is 10 years.)
Why this matters: if the paint has already reached the end of its useful life, the landlord generally cannot recover the full repainting cost even where the tenant caused damage — because the asset had already used up its value.
You will still find “4 years” or “5 years” quoted online. Those reflect the pre-2025 table. Work from the current figure.
Prorating — How Much Can Actually Be Claimed
The RTB applies a principle called betterment. Compensation is meant to put the claimant back in the position they were in before the damage — not in a better one.
Repainting an aged wall leaves the landlord with new paint. Awarding the full cost would overcompensate them, so the award reflects only the remaining useful life.
The formula:
Claimable amount = repainting cost × (remaining life ÷ total life)
| Age of paint | Remaining life | Claimable on $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 5 years | about $833 |
| 3 years | 3 years | about $500 |
| 5 years | 1 year | about $167 |
| 6+ years | none | $0 in principle |
How old the paint was when you moved in is the decisive fact. Ask when the unit was last painted and record the answer — it becomes the basis for this calculation later.
The guideline’s own worked example follows the same logic: a dishwasher with a 10-year useful life, broken at year five, replaced for $900 — an award of roughly $450 may be appropriate.
What a Landlord Cannot Charge For — Normal Wear and Tear
These are treated as normal wear and cannot be deducted from your deposit:
- Colour fading over time, including sun bleaching
- Minor scuffs and surface wear from ordinary occupancy
- Faint marks where furniture sat against a wall
- Small nail holes from hanging pictures, at a normal level
- General deterioration from the age of the paint itself
- Natural wear where a door handle contacts the wall
What a Landlord Can Charge For — Damage
- Large holes — fist-sized or larger, or damage from mounting shelves and TV brackets
- Drawings or writing on walls
- Unauthorized colour changes, especially dark colours or murals
- Nicotine or soot discolouration from smoking or candles
- Scratches or soiling caused by pets
- Numerous nail, screw, or anchor holes
- Damage from allowing mould to develop through inadequate ventilation
The Exception — When Full Cost Applies
The prorating principle has limits, and this is worth knowing.
The guideline states that the director may order full repair or replacement costs where the damage is proven to have been intentional or the result of grossly negligent behaviour — regardless of remaining useful life.
Full cost may also apply where the repair produced no obvious improvement in condition or value, such as restoring structural damage back to its previous state.
In other words, “the paint was past six years, so anything goes” is a dangerous assumption.
The Burden of Proof Is on the Landlord
Many tenants do not realize this.
Under the RTB Rules of Procedure, the party making the claim carries the burden of proving it. The landlord must establish the damage, the cost, and the relevant useful life.
The guideline goes further: if the landlord fails to submit evidence that was available to them, the director may decline to rely on the useful life table to fill the gap. An unsupported claim is weak on its face.
For tenants, this matters. You are entitled to ask them to prove it. If you received a dollar figure with no quote or invoice attached, you are not obliged to simply accept it.
Useful Life of Other Components
Paint is not the only thing that gets disputed.
| Component | Estimated useful life |
|---|---|
| Interior paint | 6 years |
| Carpet | 12 years |
| Hardwood (until refinishing) | 10 years |
| Laminate | 15 years |
| Vinyl | 25 years |
| Drywall | 35 years |
| Interior hollow-core door | 20 years |
| Kitchen cabinets (laminate) | 15 years |
| Fridge | 15 years |
| Dishwasher | 10 years |
Note that drywall itself is 35 years. When you put a hole in a wall, most of what gets charged is the labour to patch it and the repainting, not the drywall.
Move-Out Checklist
- Find your Condition Inspection Report from move-in. Documented original condition is your strongest evidence
- Fill small nail holes yourself with spackle and touch up in the matching sheen
- Match the sheen, not just the colour — a colour-perfect patch in the wrong sheen stands out more
- Try cleaning first. Many hand marks come off with a melamine sponge
- Attend the move-out inspection. Skipping it forfeits your chance to dispute on the spot
- Photograph everything after cleaning, with dates
- Confirm when the unit was last painted — this drives the prorating calculation
If You Receive a Claim
- Request an itemized breakdown in writing — amounts, quotes, receipts
- Ask when the unit was last painted. Past six years, the basis for a repainting claim is weak
- Separate out anything that is normal wear
- Dispute in writing if you disagree. Verbal objections leave no record
- If you cannot reach agreement, apply to the RTB for dispute resolution
A landlord must return the deposit or file a claim with the RTB within the period set by the Act. Missing that deadline can work in the tenant’s favour. The specific timelines are covered in the security deposit guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How many nail holes are acceptable? There is no fixed number. A normal level of picture hanging counts as wear and tear. Numerous anchor holes or large mount marks may be treated as damage.
Q. I repainted a wall and never restored the colour. An unauthorized colour change is damage. Prorating still applies, though — if the paint was already six years old, the claimable amount drops sharply.
Q. My landlord sent an amount with no quote. The burden of proof is theirs. Request supporting documentation in writing. Without it, the claim is hard to sustain at the RTB.
Q. Does length of tenancy matter? The direct test is the age of the paint. That said, a longer tenancy tends to widen what is accepted as normal wear.
Q. Is pet damage automatically my responsibility? Scratches and soiling from pets are not treated as normal wear. Prorating still applies to the claim.
Q. What about cigarette smoke? Nicotine staining and odour are commonly treated as damage, and if the tenancy agreement prohibited indoor smoking there is also a breach of the agreement.
Summary
Three things to hold onto.
One: interior paint has a six-year useful life. Past that, a repainting claim is difficult to sustain.
Two: only the remaining life is claimable. Three-year-old paint means roughly half. If you were billed the full amount, ask whether prorating was applied.
Three: the landlord carries the burden of proof. You can require quotes and the painting date.
But remember the exception — intentional damage or gross negligence can attract the full cost regardless of age. An expired useful life is not a free pass.
The most effective things you can do before moving out: locate your move-in inspection report, fill small holes yourself, and photograph the unit after cleaning. Those three steps prevent most disputes.
📌 Source: BC Residential Tenancy Policy Guideline 40 — Useful Life (revised February 5, 2025); Residential Tenancy Act ss. 7, 32, 67
Related Reading
- BC Security Deposit: How to Get 100% Back When Moving Out
- BC Rental Wall Repairs Before Move-Out — Nail Holes, Scratches, Stains: Complete DIY Guide
- Paint Finish Types in Canada — Flat, Eggshell, Satin: A Complete Guide for Rentals and Touch-Ups
- How to Repair Drywall Yourself in Canada — A DIY Guide by Hole Size
- Vancouver rents fell for 25 months. Why is yours going up?