Rental management issues

By Alice

We just moved out of an apartment that we used very lightly. During today’s move-out inspection the landlord claimed we would have to pay for new carpet and new paint…the carpet and paint are exactly as when we moved in except for 2 small carpet stains (on an old carpet that was not replaced when we took possession) and otherwise very minor wear and tear after a year of use.  Our questions:
(1) what is considered normal wear and tear,
(2) on average, how many years of normal use does a typical apartment carpet get before the Rental management  assumes responsibility for its replacement, and
(3) is it typical for the cleaning deposit to be used to pay for the routine carpet cleaning done by management upon a tenant’s move-out?

The management today would not itemize and present their estimated costs of our move-out.  We think they expected us to agree to whatever figure they pulled out of the air today.  We refused to pay anything until we get an itemized list of costs. They said they have 21 days to provide us with an estimate of our costs.  Is that true?

Edited on: Sunday, December 16th, 2012 9:48 am

5 Responses to “Rental management issues”

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

Jeremy

September 9th, 2008 6:46 am

You apartment manager does have 21 days to provide you with the itemized list of charges to your deposit. Other states give a 30 to 45 days from move-out, so the California law of 21 days is better for renters than in any other state.
Your landlord (property manager) can charge you for all sorts of things. But as you mentioned, they must provide an itemized list of the charges to your rent deposit. The items on the list must be things that are not considered “Normal Wear and Tear.”
Yes, management can charge for carpet cleaning. I would suggest taking pictures of your unit before you check-out. Photo evidence is the best proof you can provide to protect your deposit.


Top88bear

September 9th, 2008 8:05 am

Carpet is a hard thing to charge tenants for. Your manager needs to be able to show that the carpet was damaged beyond repair. Stains are considered to be the renters responsibility. So if they can’t be removed with cleaning they may need to be cut out or replaced completely. There isn’t an actual number of years that a landlord will use before they assume responsibility. But, if they are depreciating the carpet each year for taxes, they could charge you a pro-rated cost. keep in mind, if the carpet is damaged they have right to charge for replacement cost. If you want, you can file a complaint.


James

December 18th, 2012 4:39 pm

Hey Alice,

Landlord make all the things clear in order tenant should not bare any kind of issue. Tenant will be paying for carpet stain or need to replace the carpet as if found any tear to it. But also having 21 days for estimate the cost. Kindly told tenant for making a fair resolution on this which will be more helpful.


James

December 18th, 2012 4:46 pm

“Hey Alice,

Landlord make all the things clear in order tenant should not bare any kind of issue. Tenant will be paying for carpet stain or need to replace the carpet as if found any tear to it. But also having 21 days for estimate the cost. Kindly told tenant for making a fair resolution on this which will be more helpful.”


Austin

December 19th, 2012 5:09 pm

“Hey Alice,

Landlord make all the things clear in order tenant should not bare any kind of issue. Tenant will be paying for carpet stain or need to replace the carpet as if found any tear to it. But also having 21 days for estimate the cost. Kindly told tenant for making a fair resolution on this which will be more helpful.”


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