fwiw - or to recap.
a few months ago, i put some tape over some cracks in the floors and the walls to try and block smoke seepage from coming in. this was mostly over the baseboards, but there were also some pre-existing cracks in the wall. now, ask yourself - why would i tape over the wall if there wasn't a crack in it? so, there were cracks where i taped, clearly.
i made a formal request to fix these cracks within days of moving in here, but was told by the painter in the building that they'd rather let it sit and fix it later. at the time, that seemed fine. my concern was more in documenting the existence of these cracks and for that reason pictures of these cracks at the time of move-in (or close to it.) do exist.
so, this would be an easy argument for me to win - i'd merely have to show that there were cracks in the wall before i moved in.
while this taping had an initial effect, it was eventually overpowered. and, it also eventually became clear that the flooring itself was damaged beyond anything i could do in my own unit. smoke-proofing this unit would have to be done from downstairs.
so, i made a formal request to do so, which was never seriously responded to.
in taking the tape off the baseboards, i took a minimal amount of paint with me. and, so, i acknowledge that the unit needs to be painted. but, one normally paints a unit between tenancies, anyways.
these baseboards were already caulked shut, presumably to react to smoke damage from downstairs.
my position on the matter is that any extra paint costs should be covered by the $25 deposit, which i will willingly forfeit. but, this is has more to do with me not wanting to fight over $25. i doubt they'd win such a small claim, even, as painting is expected and normal.
i have not received any documentation requesting damages, nor have i received court documents surrounding the issue. but, i have warned the landlord that i have sufficient documentation to defeat them in court, and would be aggressive in seeking damages, should they waste my time.
so, any claims that this unit is damaged are not supported by any evidence that i'm aware of. and, i will deny it outright: the unit will look fine once it's been painted, and the pre-existing problems are addressed.
nor did the owners of the previous unit approach me in any way about damages. in that unit, i took some steps to keep the roaches out and may have left some rust (from steel wool) behind some counters, in places nobody could actually see. the previous owner was actually aware of the steps i took, and supportive of them, as they were effective in clearing the unit of pre-existing vermin, and much cheaper than ripping up the subfloor.
my problem here is that i am too responsible of a tenant to live in this kind of a building. i need something healthier, and with less pathetic people in it.