{"id":40,"date":"2026-08-21T17:25:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=40"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:31:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:31:43","slug":"fair-wear-and-tear-betterment-and-apportionment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=40","title":{"rendered":"Fair Wear and Tear, Betterment and Apportionment"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpc-gutenberg-block wpc-widget-hcis_post_wear_tear_apportionment ewb-gutenberg-block ewb-widget-hcis_post_wear_tear_apportionment alignfull wp-block-wpcursor-ewb-hcis-post-wear-tear-apportionment\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-ewb-widget=\"hcis_post_wear_tear_apportionment\">\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header {\n  background: var(--color-secondary);\n  padding: 56px 24px 48px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header-inner {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__category {\n  display: inline-block;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.8rem;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n  margin-bottom: 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header h1 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 2.1rem;\n  line-height: 1.3;\n  color: #fff;\n  margin: 0 0 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__meta {\n  display: flex;\n  gap: 16px;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.9rem;\n  color: #cbd5e1;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__body {\n  background: var(--color-background);\n  padding: 56px 24px 72px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 1.08rem;\n  line-height: 1.8;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content h2 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1.5rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 40px 0 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content h3 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1.2rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 32px 0 12px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content p {\n  margin: 0 0 20px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content ul,\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content ol {\n  margin: 0 0 20px;\n  padding-left: 24px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content li {\n  margin-bottom: 10px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content blockquote {\n  border-left: 3px solid var(--color-primary);\n  margin: 0 0 24px;\n  padding: 4px 0 4px 20px;\n  font-style: italic;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content table {\n  width: 100%;\n  border-collapse: collapse;\n  margin: 0 0 24px;\n  font-size: 0.95rem;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content th,\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content td {\n  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);\n  padding: 10px 14px;\n  text-align: left;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content th {\n  background: var(--color-surface);\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content a {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content strong {\n  color: var(--color-text);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__signoff {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 40px auto 0;\n  padding: 24px;\n  background: var(--color-surface);\n  border-radius: var(--radius-md);\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.98rem;\n  line-height: 1.7;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__signoff a {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n  font-weight: 600;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 32px auto 0;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources h3 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 0 0 10px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources ul {\n  margin: 0;\n  padding-left: 20px;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.9rem;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources li {\n  margin-bottom: 6px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 24px auto 0;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back a {\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.95rem;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n  text-decoration: none;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back a:hover {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"ewb-block-1\" class=\"wpc-widget wpc-widget-hcis_post_wear_tear_apportionment ewb-widget ewb-widget-hcis_post_wear_tear_apportionment\"><article class=\"hcis-post\">\n  <header class=\"hcis-post__header\">\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__header-inner\">\n      <span class=\"hcis-post__category\">Deposits &amp; Disputes<\/span>\n      <h1>Fair Wear and Tear, Betterment and Apportionment: The Sums Adjudicators Actually Do<\/h1>\n      <div class=\"hcis-post__meta\">\n        <span>8 August 2026<\/span>\n        <span>By Joanne Minchella<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/header>\n\n  <div class=\"hcis-post__body\">\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__content\">\n      <p>Three terms come up in almost every contested deposit claim, and they are routinely confused. Getting them straight is the difference between a claim that holds up at adjudication and one that gets reduced to a fraction of what was asked for.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>Three terms, three meanings<\/h2>\n      <p><strong>Fair wear and tear<\/strong> is the gradual deterioration that happens simply through a tenant living normally in a property &mdash; it is never a deductible item, however unattractive it looks by the end of a tenancy. <strong>Betterment<\/strong> is the principle that a landlord cannot end up better off than before the tenancy started &mdash; charging a tenant the full cost of a brand-new carpet to replace one that was already five years old would leave the landlord with a newer asset than they started with, at the tenant&rsquo;s expense. <strong>Apportionment<\/strong> is the adjudicator&rsquo;s tool for reconciling the two: splitting a repair or replacement cost according to how much useful life the item had left.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>The sum, worked through<\/h2>\n      <p>Propertymark&rsquo;s own worked example shows how this plays out in practice for a worn carpet:<\/p>\n      <table>\n        <tbody>\n          <tr><td>Cost to replace the carpet<\/td><td>\u00a3500<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr><td>Age of carpet at end of tenancy<\/td><td>2 years<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr><td>Expected lifespan<\/td><td>10 years<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr><td>Annual depreciation (\u00a3500 &divide; 10)<\/td><td>\u00a350<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr><td>Value already consumed (2 &times; \u00a350)<\/td><td>\u00a3100<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr><td><strong>Amount apportioned to tenant<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>\u00a3400<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>\n        <\/tbody>\n      <\/table>\n      <p>A real TDS case from July illustrates the same principle: a \u00a3420 redecoration claim after a two-year tenancy was reduced substantially once apportionment was applied, because paint and decoration have a limited useful life regardless of how carefully a tenant treats a room.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>What adjudicators actually weigh<\/h2>\n      <p>When deciding how to apportion a claim, adjudicators typically look at six factors:<\/p>\n      <ul>\n        <li>The age of the item at the start of the tenancy<\/li>\n        <li>Its quality and condition at check-in<\/li>\n        <li>Its expected lifespan for that type of item<\/li>\n        <li>Whether the damage reflects reasonable usage or genuine neglect<\/li>\n        <li>The number and type of occupants (a family home wears differently to a single-occupant flat)<\/li>\n        <li>The length of the tenancy itself<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n\n      <h2>What this means for your inventory<\/h2>\n      <p>None of this apportionment maths is possible without a starting point, which is exactly what a good check-in inventory provides. To put a claim on solid ground:<\/p>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Record the age of carpets, decoration and furnishings at check-in, not just their condition<\/li>\n        <li>Record quality as well as condition &mdash; a budget carpet and a premium one depreciate differently<\/li>\n        <li>Keep receipts and invoices for anything replaced or redecorated, so a real depreciation schedule can be applied<\/li>\n        <li>Photograph the starting condition of anything that wears with normal use &mdash; carpets, paintwork, worktops &mdash; so later comparison is possible<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n      <p>With tenancies now open-ended under the Renters&rsquo; Rights Act since 1 May 2026, this record-keeping only gets more important: the longer a tenancy runs, the more apportionment maths comes into play, and the more a thin check-in report costs a landlord at the end.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__signoff\">\n      <p>Home County Inventory Services provides independent inventories, mid-term inspections and check-out reports to letting agents and landlords across Ashford, Folkestone and Canterbury. For a price list and current availability, call Joanne on <a href=\"tel:07940508934\">07940 508934<\/a> or email <a href=\"mailto:joanne@homecountyinventories.com\">joanne@homecountyinventories.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__sources\">\n      <h3>Sources<\/h3>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Propertymark<\/li>\n        <li>Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__back\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=38\">&larr; Back to the blog<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-ewb-widget=\"hcis_post_wear_tear_apportionment\">\n(function() {\n  'use strict';\n  \n  const widgetId = 'ewb-block-1';\n  const widget = document.getElementById(widgetId);\n  \n  if (!widget) {\n    console.warn('EWB Widget element not found:', widgetId);\n    return;\n  }\n  \n  try {\n    \/\/ Widget: Blog: Fair Wear and Tear, Betterment and Apportionment\n\/\/ Add your JavaScript here\n  } catch (error) {\n    console.error('EWB Widget Error [' + widgetId + ']:', error);\n    \n    \/\/ Show error in widget if debug mode enabled\n    if (widget.dataset.debug === 'true') {\n      const errorDiv = document.createElement('div');\n      errorDiv.className = 'ewb-error';\n      errorDiv.style.cssText = 'background: #fee; border: 1px solid #fcc; padding: 10px; margin: 10px; color: #c33; font-family: monospace; font-size: 12px;';\n      errorDiv.textContent = 'JavaScript Error: ' + error.message;\n      widget.appendChild(errorDiv);\n    }\n  }\n})();\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wpcursor-fullwidth","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-40","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40\/revisions\/45"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}