Lots of problems here with the landlord’s claim. After 21 months, “touch-up” painting is part of normal wear and tear. As for the scratches in the wood floor…can the LL prove they did not exist before you moved in? Does he have pictures? Also, as Paramount mentioned, did he do a pre-inspection walk through and list, in writing, these deficiencies? The burden of proof in court is high on the LL, and he really doesn’t want to go there. BTW, all your listed repairs/cleaning look way high, even for high-cost Bay area.
As HLS mentioned, tenant is not supposed to return property in “rent-ready” condition. And the deposit is not supposed to be a profit center for the owner. Rental owners like this give us all a bad name and need to be called out. I constantly run into new tenants who don’t trust me because of a previous bad LL, and it takes a long time to establish credibility.
