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Carpet replacement laws

By Tenant

Security deposit is required from tenants by the landlord before moving in a rental property. This will be held and used by the landlord to pay and cover any costs on repairs for any damages the tenant might do with the rental unit during his stay. Disputes on wear and tear in the unit that the tenant is responsible to pay for repairs and security deposit refund are the most common dispute between landlord and tenant.



  • Renter responsibilities.  Security deposit is asked for a reason and that is to cover any repairs that will be made to the unit by the time the tenant decides to move out. Thus, tenants are asked and required to leave the rental unit in the same condition it was when they moved in but if the tenant vacates the unit in any other condition then the landlord can use the tenant’s security deposit for the repairs including carpet damage as long as it is not a normal wear and tear and cleaning of the place for the next occupant. Tenants are responsible for any damages they may have done to the rental unit.
  • Wear and Tear. According to state laws normal wear and tear made to the carpet are allowable as long as it is really normal wear and tear. Normal wear and tear includes the wearing of the carpet naturally due to regular use, furniture marks and aging. The landlord cannot withhold the tenant’s security deposit if the damage is just normal wear and tear and not caused by the tenant. In addition, tenants are not responsible for any defects on the carpet that existed before they even moved in.
  • Damage and Replacement. If the carpet in a rental unit is damaged and needs to be replaced, the tenant is not responsible to buy a new carpet all by him but instead he is only responsible for the prorated price to the damage he caused to the carpet. For example if the tenant damages the carpet and was cheated three years out of the life expectancy of the carpet thus he is only responsible to pay the prorated amount of the 3 years.

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Edited on: Thursday, January 16th, 2014 2:24 am
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16 Responses to “Carpet replacement laws”

My response: (We welcome stories, examples, explanations, answers and a touch of your personality)
 

Breana

March 18th, 2013 12:40 am

I have been living in my apartment for almost 11 years now and my landlord wants me to replace the carpet that has been on the apartment for quite some time now. Am I responsible to replace it?

Charles

March 18th, 2013 12:00 pm

If my carpet already exceeds its life expectancy can I demand my landlord to replace it?

Amberly

March 18th, 2013 11:20 pm

How can I know how many years are left on the carpet before I move in?

Lauri

March 19th, 2013 10:40 am

I have a cat and it scratches the end of the carpet and damaged a small portion of it

Thaddeus

March 19th, 2013 10:00 pm

Damages done by tenant are a tenant’s responsibility and not the landlord.

Lakendra

March 20th, 2013 9:20 am

Pet owners should be responsible to lock their pets to prevent damages made to the unit especially the carpet.

Mickey

March 20th, 2013 8:20 pm

If you are a pet owner

Niki

March 21st, 2013 7:40 am

Landlords should be responsible for replacing worn carpets and not the tenants.

Tess

March 21st, 2013 6:40 pm

There are a lot of ways to clean and repair the carpet from stains and pet scratches without replacing the entire carpet flooring.

Abram

March 22nd, 2013 5:40 am

We landlords also feel bad when we cannot give the security deposit back to our tenant due to disputes over a simple carpet but still we have the right to demand our tenants to pay for any damages made to our investment property.

Elizebeth

March 22nd, 2013 4:40 pm

The renters will pay the landlord’s mortgage but leave them with a less than desirable home.

Jaime

March 23rd, 2013 4:00 am

The tenant should be responsible for cleaning the apartment especially the carpet and not the landlord.

Paz

March 23rd, 2013 3:20 pm

What does a tenant expect? That his landlord will go and clean after them while they are still living in the apartment and by the time they move in?

Van

March 24th, 2013 2:20 am

If the tenant does not want to get their hands and feet dirty in cleaning the carpet then they should not have stained it in the first place.

Kerry

March 24th, 2013 1:40 pm

WTF!? You expect us the landlords do the cleaning for you? What do you think of us your helpers?

Common Sense

July 18th, 2014 7:12 pm

Some of you landlords are scum. If you don’t do any “cleaning”, what in the hell does your “make-ready” consist of? Tightening light bulbs?

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