Rental inventory, fair wear and tear, and deposit checkout

On r/askSingapore, the angriest deposit threads are rarely about the diplomatic clause — they are about a landlord’s Excel sheet of “repaint whole flat / new sofa / replace 9-year-old washing machine” after a clean tenancy. Singapore does not publish a statutory wear-and-tear tariff. Your stamped Tenancy Agreement + dated inventory decide the fight. After keys are back, chase money with the deposit return / handover playbook.

Inventory is a contract annex, not a courtesy PDF

Before keys:

1. Demand a room-by-room inventory (furniture, appliances, fixtures, meter readings).
2. Walk the unit with the agent/landlord; mark pre-existing scratches, mould, cracked tiles, chipped worktops.
3. Shoot timestamped photos and video of every room, balcony, AC vents, inside cabinets, and serial plates.
4. Store copies offline — email threads die when you change jobs.

“Partially furnished” PropertyGuru copy is not an inventory. Clarify white goods before you budget IKEA — see furnishing a rental.

CEA’s published tenancy templates are non-compulsory market baselines. Compare every deduction clause to what you signed in the LOI.

Fair wear and tear vs chargeable damage (practical map)

Repainting the entire unit after a multi-year stay is a classic landlord ask. Push back unless the TA expressly requires vacant-possession painting and the condition exceeds ordinary ageing. Ask for itemised quotes, not round numbers.

Aircon servicing clauses matter: if the TA requires quarterly service and you skipped it, mouldy vents become your problem — see aircon & pests.

Move-out playbook that survives SCT

Long continuous occupation with stacked renewals can push you outside SCT’s residential lease length gate even when each renewal was “only one year.” Read security deposits & diplomatic clause before you plan litigation from the airport.

Expat-specific traps

• Corporate lease in company name — deposit fights may sit with HR; still photograph personally.
• Diplomatic early exit — break-clause compliance ≠ automatic full deposit; damage deductions still apply.
• Overseas landlord — service for SCT can fail even with a clean inventory; keep the local notice address.
• Buying replacement furniture then abandoning it — clarify ownership in writing or you gift the sofa and still lose deposit arguments.

Consumer Lemon Law does not govern landlord–tenant make-good disputes — that is contract / SCT territory. Goods you bought for the flat (IKEA, Courts) sit under CASE / Lemon Law.

If HIP dust or contractor marks appear mid-tenancy, photograph before works and keep the landlord liable for contractor damage — HDB HIP for tenants.

Agents: interview on inventory discipline, not logo size — ERA category notes. Large or overseas-landlord fights: counsel category.

Family note: keep inventory photos dated before sports-day / book-fair chaos weeks; dual-career households lose deposit arguments when the camera roll is only carnival selfies.