Tenant Laws On Carpet Replacement

By Tenant

A tenant is required to pay a security deposit to a landlord upon signing of lease agreement and moving in. A security deposit is intended to be used by the landlord to do repairs on the rental unit that is caused by the tenant himself.

Carpet replacement is one of the most common problems tenants face with their security deposit. Many landlords charge tenants to pay for carpet replacement for no apparent reason. Listed below are some facts you should know about carpet replacement.

• Security Deposit

Many states allow a landlord to deduct legally a tenant’s security deposit to replace the rental carpet by the time the tenant decides to move out. Bear in mind though that the carpet charges must be reasonable and that as a tenant you cannot be held responsible  for any damages made to the carpet that were already present when you first moved in. Also it is illegal for your landlord to charge for carpet replacement when the carpet only suffered from normal wear and tear.

• Receipts

If your landlord will replace the carpet in your rental unit then he must provide you with a copy of the receipts of the charges that they deducted on your security deposit. The deductions should be itemized and sent to the tenant along with the receipts.

• Time Frame

According to many state laws landlords are given 21 days to return the security deposit of his tenants or provide the tenant with the itemized list and receipts of all the charges deducted on the security deposit. If a landlord fail to provide you with the itemized statement then your landlord cannot keep your security deposit.

It would be best if you, as a tenant, would know your landlord-tenant law and state laws so that you have a say on what your landlord will do with your security deposit.

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