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Marchant Property Management Blog

Demystifying Move-Outs: Normal Use vs. Tenant Damage

Marchant Property Management, LLC - Friday, June 26, 2026

Hey everybody, and welcome back to Marchant Property Management's weekly educational blog. Today, the topic is move-outs, charging tenants, and using their security deposit for damages.

A lot of owners, especially new owner clients or accidental landlords, want to know: Will my property be returned to me in the same condition that I gave it to you?

The answer is yes, within reason.

Understanding the Stakes in South Carolina

In the state of South Carolina, you may not know this, but if we charge a tenant for damages, they disputeitincourt,andajudgerulesinthetenant'sfavor,theownercouldhavetopayuptothreetimes the amount charged. Because of this, when we do a move-out inspection, we must carefully consider the normal use of the home.

"Normal Wear and Tear" vs. "Normal Use"

A lot of times you hear the phrase "normal wear and tear". However, the way we like to look at it is "normal use".

Here are a few common examples of normal use:

  • Paint Marks from Furniture: It is completely normal for a tenant to place their bed or couch against the wall. If they move their furniture when vacating and leave a dark mark on the paint, a new owner might think the tenant should pay to repaint that wall. However, because this is normal use of the home, we would charge the owner for the touch-up, not the tenant.
  • Matted Carpet: If a student or remote worker has an office desk in a bedroom and sits there for hours over a 1-2 year lease, the carpet under that desk will naturally become flat and matted down. While it might look damaged when the furniture is removed, it is simply regular use, and the tenant cannot be charged for it.

Property Upgrades

Another important rule is that we cannot charge a tenant for a property upgrade.

For example, let's say you have a two-year-old carpet that is now a little dirty. The tenant may have caused some minor wear, but you ultimately decide you want to rip it out and replace it with Luxury Vinyl Plank(LVP)—which is a great investment for a rental property. In this scenario, we cannot charge the tenant for the removal or the cleaning of the old carpet because you are choosing to upgrade the property. We cannot have a vacating tenant cover your expenses to upgrade your investment.

When We *Do* Charge the Tenant

Of course, if there are direct tenant damages—such as a hole punched in the wall or a shattered light fixture—those are absolutely things we would charge the tenant for using their security deposit.

Our Thorough Inspection Process

We absolutely want to give the home back to you, or get it ready for a new tenant, in the same condition we got it. But year over year, as a home is lived in, it does get older and wear starts to show.

To protect your property, we maintain a strict paper trail:

  • We do move-in inspections before we start renting it out.
  • We do routine inspections while the tenant is living there.
  • We do final move-out inspections at the end of the lease.

Because our property managers have eyes on the home beforehand and gather extensive documentation throughout the process, we can always back it up if we do have to charge a tenant for real damages. Please reach out to us and let us know if you have any questions or concerns, or if we can help you manage your property in any way. We look forward to seeing you next week!

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