Return of deposit with Blu Tack marks on walls

I think your success at this is going to really depend on how long of a "Long Term Tenant" they have been.

If they have been in there 7 years or more I think it would be pretty much expected that you would have needed to redecorate anyway. You can probably claim from the deposit but do not go in expecting to get everything you ask for. I suspect that any award will be a fraction of any costs.

Honestly speaking, the issues you are describing are pretty minor if everything else has been good with the tenancy up until now. It may irk you, but may be best just to let this one go.

If I had a low maintenance tenant who had always paid the rent, I would overlook petty things like the toilet seat and the crack. If I was being offered half the cost of redecorating I would gratefully accept the offer.

When did you last decorate the flat?

In my experience, if it’s more than a couple of years ago since you last decorated I’d suggest you take his offer, because a deposit protection adjudicator is unlikely to award more than your tenant has offered and the process of adjudication will be stressful and eat into your time.

As per Mark's commnts, I would just take what he is offering (half of the deposit) as otherwise it may well end up with you losing a lot more. say Goodbye to him at least you will only have to repaint the walls and you already have a new carpet, which he may ruine if you make it any harder for him to go. And his deposit may not even cover the cost of your new carpet. You may then put it back on the market with a slightly higher rent.

Hi Helen,
It's a stressful time!
This depends on the contents of your tenancy agreement. It's importance to have a strong agreement that sets out everything. Even if it runs to several pages. Enough of smacking your hand, sorry. 1. A small moment crack is common and only sorted when redecorating.
2. Don't want conflict but be firm, politely.
3. Blue tack etc; should be covered in the agreement.
4. Mould; again, in the agreement stating that it's his responsibility.
3 & 4 in my opinion is a chargeable item. Inform your tenant that you are willing to go to arbitration. A service provided by the deposit holder company. Such as the DPS of Bristol. Good luck
John

Tenants don't stay forever so don't take his notice to leave so personally and appreciate that by and large he's been a good tenant. He's just reacting with like for like after your nitpicking [....imo].

You have to realise that if the tenant has been in occupation for a 'long term' then this kind of nitpicking is what gives professional landlords a bad name.
Re-decorate, re-let and have a happy life.
I wish you and your outgoing tenant well.

Helen, half the cost of redecorating is a generous offer and I don’t believe you should be asking for more in any case.
There is a legal term “betterment” which refers to the complainant being put into a better position than they would otherwise be. This is what you would be achieving if you were to receive the full cost of redecorating.
A landlord must expect a degree of wear and tear during a tenancy. The length of the tenancy will inform the level of wear and tear considered to be expected and fair. You don’t state the length, (just that he is a long-term tenant), or when the property was last painted. You would in a claim on the tenant’s deposit be expected to reduce the renewal cost by the proportion of the “lifespan” of the item already expired. Eg with regard to the original cost and quality of a carpet an adjudicator may decide that it has a natural lifespan of 5 years, therefore after a 4 year tenancy you will only be owed one fifth of the like-for-like replacement cost if the tenant damages the carpet so that it needs to be replaced.
The new toilet seat and the mouldy silicone are just tiny jobs.
There will always be jobs to be done and money to spend between long term tenancies. It’s a good opportunity to keep your property fresh and the things that wear out renewed.

It sounds like you have had a very successful tenancy and no doubt a needed new Carpet.

As for the Blue Tack marks possible you could get a matching test pot and Dab the marks.

Going forward you should put up as many Pictures Hooks up as possible to help avoid this situation.

With regards to the cleaning I get my cleaner to give the tenant a quote for End of Tenancy Clean I then deduct that from their deposit.
The tenants prefer this as they are not responsible for the cleaning. This system has worked well for me for many years.

Take his offer of half and decorate/repair. Always know what type/make the paint is and it is easy just to get a roller set on it.