Yes, in most apartments you can use nails in the walls to hang pictures, and your landlord generally cannot keep part of your security deposit over a few small holes. Federal housing guidance treats small nail holes as normal wear and tear rather than damage.1National Low Income Housing Coalition. HUD Guidance on Normal Wear and Tear What decides whether nails actually cost you money is the language in your lease, how many holes you leave, what shape they’re in, and whether you can prove the wall’s condition when you moved in.
What Your Lease Actually Says About Nails
The lease is the document that governs what you can do to the walls, and terms vary widely. Some leases include blanket clauses prohibiting any wall penetration without written permission. Others say nothing about nails, which generally means small nail holes for hanging pictures are permitted as long as you leave the walls in reasonable shape. A third category explicitly allows small nails but requires you to fill the holes before moving out.
Look for sections labeled “alterations,” “modifications,” “damage,” or “maintenance.” If the lease says something like “no alterations without prior written consent,” a single picture nail might technically fall under that restriction, even though most landlords wouldn’t enforce it for a few small holes. When the language is ambiguous, email your landlord or property manager before you start hanging anything. Written confirmation that small nails are fine protects you later if management changes hands or memories get fuzzy.
Small Nail Holes Are Normal Wear and Tear
Even if the lease is silent, you have a strong argument that small nail holes fall under normal wear and tear. HUD’s guidance lists “nail holes, pin holes, or cracks in wall” alongside faded paint and minor scuffs as examples of routine use that landlords should expect at turnover.1National Low Income Housing Coalition. HUD Guidance on Normal Wear and Tear The guidance states that the normal costs of turning over an apartment after a tenant leaves are part of the cost of doing business and may not be charged to the tenant.
The distinction between wear and tear and actual damage comes down to degree. A few small holes from hanging pictures or a clock is ordinary use. Twenty anchor holes from mounting a heavy shelf, a fist-sized patch where drywall crumbled, or holes surrounded by large paint chips cross into damage. Landlords compare the apartment’s condition at move-out to its state at move-in, which is why documentation matters so much.
Photograph the Walls Before You Move In
The single most valuable thing you can do to protect your deposit is photograph every wall the day you get the keys. If the apartment already has nail holes, scuffs, or patched spots, you want proof they existed before you arrived. Take close-ups and wide-angle shots of every room, and make sure the date is captured in the file metadata. Video walkthroughs work well too because they catch conditions still photos might miss.
Many landlords provide a move-in inspection checklist where you note existing conditions room by room. Fill it out thoroughly and pay special attention to the number and location of nail holes already in each wall. If your landlord does not provide a checklist, make your own and send a copy to the landlord by email so there is a timestamped record both parties can reference. A joint walkthrough with the landlord present is ideal because it eliminates any later disagreement about what was already there.
If You’d Rather Not Use Nails
If your lease flatly prohibits wall penetration or you want to sidestep the question, adhesive picture-hanging strips are the standard alternative. Products like Command strips hold a surprising amount of weight and peel off cleanly when removed correctly. The key is following the instructions exactly, particularly the part about pressing firmly and waiting an hour before hanging anything. Rushing the adhesion step is how people end up pulling paint off the wall, which defeats the purpose.
Leaning framed art against the wall on a shelf, dresser, or directly on the floor creates a gallery look with no wall contact. If your apartment has picture rail molding near the ceiling, you can hang artwork from it using specialized hooks and wire without touching the wall surface at all. Tension rods fitted inside window frames work for lightweight hangings and fabric panels.
Patch the Holes Before Your Final Walkthrough
Filling nail holes yourself before move-out is cheap, fast, and can head off an inflated charge on your deposit statement. A small container of lightweight spackle, a putty knife, and fine-grit sandpaper cost under ten dollars total, and most hardware stores sell all-in-one kits.
Press spackle into the hole, scrape it flush, let it dry, then sand lightly. On white walls, that may be enough. On colored walls, the patch will show unless you touch it up with matching paint; a paint retailer can match the color and sheen from a small chip. Be realistic, though: touch-up paint on an older wall almost never blends perfectly because the original paint has faded. For a few small spackle spots, a reasonable landlord won’t charge. If you paint half a wall and it comes out noticeably different, you may create a bigger problem than the holes.
Nails for Accessibility Are a Different Category
The Fair Housing Act gives tenants with disabilities the right to make reasonable modifications to their apartment at their own expense when those changes are necessary for full use of the home.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 3604 – Discrimination in the Sale or Rental of Housing Installing grab bars, widening a doorway, or mounting accessibility hardware on walls all qualify. A landlord cannot refuse these modifications simply because the lease prohibits alterations.
The landlord can require the tenant to agree to restore the interior at the end of the lease, but only where restoration is reasonable. If the modification would not affect the next tenant’s use of the apartment, such as reinforced wall anchors behind drywall, the landlord generally cannot demand removal. Modifications to common areas or building exteriors, like entrance ramps, do not need to be restored at all.3U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Joint Statement on Reasonable Modifications The tenant pays for the modification and any required restoration, but the landlord’s power to demand restoration has real limits.
If Your Landlord Charges You Anyway
If the landlord deducts money from your security deposit for ordinary nail holes, start by requesting a detailed, itemized statement of the charges. Most states require landlords to provide one within a set window after move-out, typically somewhere between 14 and 45 days depending on the state. The statement should break down what was repaired and how much each repair cost. If the landlord hired someone, ask for copies of the invoices. If the landlord did the work personally, many states require them to document the time spent and hourly rate charged.
If the charges look inflated or the landlord is treating normal wear and tear as damage, send a written demand letter explaining why you believe the deduction is improper. Reference the HUD guidance that classifies small nail holes as normal wear and tear.1National Low Income Housing Coalition. HUD Guidance on Normal Wear and Tear Include your move-in photos showing pre-existing holes. Many disputes resolve at this stage because landlords know the law is not on their side for a few picture nails.
If the landlord refuses to budge, small claims court is the standard venue for security deposit disputes. Filing fees typically range from about $15 to $75 in most jurisdictions, and you do not need a lawyer. Bring your lease, move-in photos, the itemized statement, and any correspondence. Many states impose penalties on landlords who wrongfully withhold deposits, including double or triple the amount improperly deducted, which gives landlords a strong incentive to settle before a hearing.
When It Really Does Count as Damage
There is a real line between a few picture-hanger holes and damage a landlord can legitimately charge for. Heavy-duty wall anchors that leave quarter-inch holes, multiple patches from mounting and remounting shelves, or holes where drywall tape is torn all fall on the damage side. So do nail holes surrounded by cracked or crumbling plaster, which suggests the nail was pried out rather than carefully removed.
Professional drywall repair for small holes starts around $100 to $160 per visit even for minor work, because the contractor still has to travel, set up, patch, sand, and paint. Larger holes or multiple patches in the same room push costs higher. If the repair bill exceeds your deposit, the landlord can pursue you for the balance.