Signed judgment

1. The Court finds in favor of Plaintiff Erin Whitcomb and against Defendant Calvin Mercer. Findings 2. Defendant failed to establish that the $400 deduction for May 1 through May 4 constituted unpaid rent. The evidence establishes that Plaintiff vacated the premises on April 30, Defendant possessed his own key, and Defendant identified no evidence that Plaintiff continued to occupy, use, or control the premises after April 30. The lease did not expressly provide that rent continued solely because a key remained outstanding. Defendant also acknowledged that he permitted Plaintiff to return the key later without communicating that additional rent would accrue. 3. Regarding the $950 repair deduction, Plaintiff acknowledged leaving several shelf-anchor holes and failing to repair them. However, Defendant did not establish what portion of the $950 charge was attributable to those holes. The contractor’s invoice combined patching, surface preparation, and repainting into a single charge. Defendant acknowledged that the decision to repaint the entire living room was his own, rather than a recommendation or assessment from the contractor. Defendant also could not establish that the broad paint mismatch shown in his May 1 photographs was materially different from the preexisting condition documented in Plaintiff’s dated move-in photograph. 4. The Court therefore finds that Defendant failed to establish the reasonableness and proper amount of the $950 deduction attributable to Plaintiff’s conduct. 5. Accordingly, the evidence presented did not sufficiently establish that Defendant’s withholding of $1,350 from Plaintiff’s $1,800 security deposit was a lawful deduction. Order 6. IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Plaintiff Erin Whitcomb recover $1,350 from Defendant Calvin Mercer, representing the disputed portion of her security deposit, together with any allowable filing costs to which Plaintiff is entitled. 7. Defendant shall have no further claim against Plaintiff arising from the four-day rent charge or the disputed living-room repair deduction.