Holes in walls: where's the line?

A scuff is not a deficiency and a fist-sized hole is not a scuff — but the middle ground is where inspectors and managers argue. Damage that penetrates the surface, exposes the wall cavity, or suggests water intrusion gets written; cosmetic marks usually do not. Post the borderline cases from your properties and how they were called.

The useful borderline cases share a detail: something about the damage suggested more than cosmetics — depth into the cavity, moisture around it, a pattern that says water or impact is still active. A shallow scuff with sound surface behind it is a different animal from a hole wearing a scuff's clothes. Post the close ones with as much physical description as you can; 'about the size of a quarter, through the paint only' teaches more than 'a small hole.' Describe the most borderline wall-damage call you've seen — what did it look like, and which way did the inspector go?