Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Illinois

Can't say without looking at your lease, and for $2000 you should at least consider taking it to an attorney for review and advice. Assuming all your lease says is that you had to return the place in the condition you first moved into it with, less "ordinary wear and tear"....then the question will be what can one expect after 10 years as being "ordinary wear and tear". You can get an attorney involved who can write a letter, but the landlord may also have responsibilities to get the balance of your security deposit back to you within a certain time or face bigger penalties. If you get back some or none of the security, you will have to sue, and then the question will be whether a court in your area would award attorney fees to you if you won AND whether it would award attorney fees to the landlord if you lose.....I will say this, however, I know tenants who have repainted and had carpets cleaned when moving out after one and two-year leases, just to avoid landlord deducts....since the tenants then control the costs.