Deposit and reasonable wear and tear

[granthar]

Can someone explain what is defined as "reasonable wear and tear"

I had been renting an unfurnished property for three years, before I ended the tenancy I wrote to the managing agent and asked what is reasonable wear and tear after three years as their expectations must be different to that of someone had rented a property for six months.

I had a letter back saying to ensure paintwork was cleaned as well as the carpets.

Have moved out and they are saying that the whole flat needs painting as it is not in as new condition as when I moved in, so how does reasonable wear and tear come into it. I had painted most of the flat before moving out and it looked good however they are saying its not to the same standard.

Also despite using a carpet cleaning company from the Yellow Pages that had been trading for 18 years they are saying its not to their high standard, surely they should provide a list of approved suppliers when a tenant moves in.

So my question is: what should their expectations be after three years of tenancy regrading the condition of paintwork etc, surely it should not be that same as a six month let? I am preparing to fight them in the county court on the basis that the contract was unfair as it did not allow for reasonable wear and tear and also the letter I received said I only had to ensure that painted surfaces are clean.