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Standard disclaimer about Darfur (is that still a thing?) Anyway, I just moved out of an apartment where I lived for about a year and a half. I live in California, if that's relevant. I just got the itemized list of what was taken out of the deposit. In the list was a $271 charge for steam cleaning of the carpets, including $99 for "supershield" which I assume is a stain prevention thing. There was also a $125 for re-stretching the carpet, due to "ripples" in the carpet. The carpet was new when I moved in; before moving out I vacuumed the floor and picked up any bits of stuff I could find. It seems to me that if the carpet was so poorly installed that if it develops ripples after 1.5 years of living there, it's not my fault. Based on what I'm seeing online, it looks like I should send a letter to the landlady requesting a refund of these items. Can anyone give me some guidance or anecdotes related to this kind of situation? I've always had a pretty good relationship with my landlords and have not run into this before.
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| # ? Jun 23, 2012 21:45 |
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| # ? May 20, 2013 17:10 |
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Pham Nuwen posted:Standard disclaimer about Darfur (is that still a thing?) Unless you actually hosed up the carpet in some ways that are proveable, no, they can't charge for ordinary wear and tear-- the 'ripples'. They can charge for steam-cleaning to a certain extent, but normally pro-rated, not the full expense. This is a link to California tenants rights; you may have more, rarely less, depending on where you live. http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/...ok/catenant.pdf
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| # ? Jun 23, 2012 21:52 |
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Note also that if he charged you for repainting, he should have only charged 1/3 the cost, since you lived there a year and a half.
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| # ? Jun 23, 2012 21:54 |
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Obdicut posted:Unless you actually hosed up the carpet in some ways that are proveable, no, they can't charge for ordinary wear and tear-- the 'ripples'. They can charge for steam-cleaning to a certain extent, but normally pro-rated, not the full expense. That's what I thought--I figure that if I had put a rip in the carpet, or made a big stain, they could charge me. Hell, I'd be more ok if she just charged me for cleaning the carpet, but adding in the "supershield" just seems like a slap in the face. Your link is exactly what I was looking at earlier... I'll probably reference it in my letter.
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| # ? Jun 23, 2012 21:55 |
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Pham Nuwen posted:That's what I thought--I figure that if I had put a rip in the carpet, or made a big stain, they could charge me. Hell, I'd be more ok if she just charged me for cleaning the carpet, but adding in the "supershield" just seems like a slap in the face. It is often worth your while to ask parents/friends if there's any lawyers you have a connection to that can write the letter-- that tends to scare the poo poo out of landlords and make them pay attention. But it sounds like it's just a few hundred but make sure to check over what I sent you because if they're digging you on one thing they're probably digging on another. Good luck, and don't be afraid to escalate. If they do anything other than say 'whoops, our bad' about the stuff that obviously you weren't supposed to pay, then definitely lawyer up. It'd be awesome if you took photographs when you first got into the place, or filled out a walk-through sheet, and actually noted defects. If you didn't do the walk-through sheet, it's really their fault. If you did it and you let them describe everything as perfect, you may have weakened your case. Best of luck to you.
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| # ? Jun 23, 2012 22:00 |
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Obdicut posted:It is often worth your while to ask parents/friends if there's any lawyers you have a connection to that can write the letter-- that tends to scare the poo poo out of landlords and make them pay attention. But it sounds like it's just a few hundred but make sure to check over what I sent you because if they're digging you on one thing they're probably digging on another. There are some other charges for cleaning other parts ($160, I don't dispute that because I didn't do so great there), and for chips in drywall ($25, I made some nicks while moving in furniture). Everything else seems reasonable. I'll see about finding a lawyer who can write a letter.
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| # ? Jun 23, 2012 22:05 |
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I just wanted to say thanks to the OP for making this, it actually caused me to look into our rental laws in WI. Basically, we had an element in our lease under the nonstandard rental provisions that read as follows: "Actual costs of replacing, repairing or cleaning carpet damage beyond normal wear and tear. Tenants are responsible for scheduling a professional (emphasis theirs) carpet cleaning company to shampoo the carpet prior to vacating the premises. A copy of the carpet cleaning bill must be given to the resident manager at the time of the move-out inspection." Signing that my understanding was if we really mucked up the carpet we had to pay for a professional cleaner. I come to find out this is part of "routine" move out. We've only been in the place 4 months and it was brand new carpet when we came in, and I'm a stickler for cleaning so it is in fine condition. Even the super had said the place was in great condition when she was talking tours through for the next tenants. I do some searching around and found this (granted, it is for WI) : http://tenantresourcecenter.org/pc/carpet.html So again, thanks, reading through this prompted me to look closer at local laws. I know for many the cost of getting the cleaning done isn't a lot, but at the moment, for me it is.
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| # ? Jun 24, 2012 19:07 |
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I used to live in California, lived in two places that were carpeted and was charged for steam cleaning for each, but it was only like $50. And the landlord sent me the receipt which I'm pretty sure is required. $271 sounds like way too much.
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| # ? Jun 24, 2012 19:35 |
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| # ? May 20, 2013 17:10 |
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gently caress you and your boring legal questions
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| # ? Jun 24, 2012 20:21 |
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