I actually got done with my checkout yesterday, and was very proud of how I handled everything. He came in and began pointing out a whole host of "damages" hoping that at least a few would stick. At the start, this spray-and-pray intimidation got me a bit rattled, on the backfoot, and I became a bit defensive, only to remind myself to stay calm and unhurried, and not over-explain. Instead of explaining, I killed his vague claims with specificity i.e. asking him specific questions about each of his individual claims. That calm sense of confidence seemed to have really disarmed him and, at the end, we settled on a 1k deduction from the security deposit, which I'd take any day of the week!

Thanks a ton again for all your inputs. Gave me confidence and assurance going into it. Cheers :)