Free tool
Deposit depreciation calculator
When a resident damages something, you can usually only charge for the value it had left — not the price of a brand-new replacement. Enter the item, what you paid, and when it was installed to see what’s fair to put on a deposit refund statement.
Straight-line estimate for reference only — not legal or tax advice. Deposit rules vary by state and city, so check your local requirements.
How it works
Everything in a rental wears out. Carpet that was five years old when a resident moved in was already near the end of its life, so charging them for brand-new carpet would mean they pay for normal wear and tear.
This calculator uses straight-line depreciation: an item loses the same share of its value every year of its useful life. Take $1,200 carpet with a 5-year life, damaged after 3 years. It has 2 of 5 years left, so the most you’d charge is 40% — $480.
The hard part isn’t the math — it’s knowing when every item was installed and what it cost. That’s what Pelly tracks for you, for every unit, so depreciation is calculated automatically at move-out.
Useful life by item
Typical useful life in years, as used in the Pelly app.
| Refrigerator | 10 yrs |
|---|---|
| Stove / Range / Oven | 13 yrs |
| Dishwasher | 9 yrs |
| Microwave | 9 yrs |
| Washer | 10 yrs |
| Dryer | 13 yrs |
| Garbage Disposal | 12 yrs |
| Trash Compactor | 6 yrs |
| HVAC system | 15 yrs |
|---|---|
| Air Conditioner | 10 yrs |
| Furnace | 15 yrs |
| Water Heater | 10 yrs |
| Boiler | 15 yrs |
| Carpet | 5 yrs |
|---|---|
| Vinyl Flooring | 10 yrs |
| Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) | 20 yrs |
| Tile | 15 yrs |
| Hardwood Floor | 25 yrs |
| Engineered Wood | 30 yrs |
| Bamboo | 25 yrs |
| Cork | 25 yrs |
| Linoleum | 20 yrs |
| Concrete | 30 yrs |
| Laminate | 10 yrs |
| Interior Paint | 3 yrs |
|---|---|
| Wallpaper | 7 yrs |
| Wood Paneling | 20 yrs |
| Blinds | 5 yrs |
| Curtains | 3 yrs |
| Drapes | 5 yrs |
| Light Fixture | 10 yrs |
|---|---|
| Ceiling Fan | 10 yrs |
| Smoke Detector | 10 yrs |
| Carbon Monoxide Detector | 5 yrs |