Being charged $1400 for "curry smell" by apartment at end of lease (Scottsdale: apartments, renters)

[armor1111]

The apartment which i lived in Scottsdale for 9 months have charged me 1400$ for new carpets, full unit paint, duct cleaning, ozone cleaning for the curry smell coming from the apartment after i ended the apartment lease. We have been living in US for 5 years and we never had this problem in the other apartments which we lived. Does anyone know if this is even legal to charge this much amount for the curry smell?

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by armor1111

The apartment which i lived in Scottsdale for 9 months have charged me 1400$ for new carpets, full unit paint, duct cleaning, ozone cleaning for the curry smell coming from the apartment after i ended the apartment lease. We have been living in US for 5 years and we never had this problem in the other apartments which we lived. Does anyone know if this is even legal to charge this much amount for the curry smell?

Yes, it is, if that's what it cost the landlord to restore the apartment to rentable condition. You can ask to see the receipts for the work done.

[Bondurant]

It's worth looking into. Especially if it could save you $1400. They may have legal standing, though. The smell of curry isn't pleasant to many in America and it's a powerful and strong smell. I know folks that purchased a home and had to replace all of the carpeting and rip out all of the wall paper to get rid of the smell. Your landlord may be able to argue that the place could not be rented out without changing the carpet.

[armor1111]

I agree that curry smell could be unpleasant to many in America but when we left the apartment we didn't feel the curry smell itself. In this apartment we had lived only for 9 months. we had lived in other apartments for nearly 2 years and we haven't had any issues with the curry smell. how to know that the changes made are only because of the curry smell? As i don't want to pay because apartment want to have new carpets and full paint for the new tenant. And moreover the manager didn't mention anything during inspection before leaving the apartment and we moved to bigger apartment within the same complex

[PhureeKeeper]

Originally Posted by armor1111

I agree that curry smell could be unpleasant to many in America but when we left the apartment we didn't feel the curry smell itself. In this apartment we had lived only for 9 months. we had lived in other apartments for nearly 2 years and we haven't had any issues with the curry smell. how to know that the changes made are only because of the curry smell? As i don't want to pay because apartment want to have new carpets and full paint for the new tenant. And moreover the manager didn't mention anything during inspection before leaving the apartment and we moved to bigger apartment within the same complex

You have what is called "nose blindness". You eat, live in and breathe the same odor for so long you become accustom to it. Consider it the same as walking in to a room filled with cigarette smoke or overpowering perfume.

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by armor1111

And moreover the manager didn't mention anything during inspection before leaving the apartment and we moved to bigger apartment within the same complex

If the manager had mentioned the strong smell, how would you have remediated it? Especially in light of the fact you couldn't smell it yourself?

I don't know the specifics of AZ landlord/tenant law but it might behoove you to find out what the manager's obligation to you was during the move-out walkthrough.

[Arizona89A]

Who is the management company? I know and have dealt with every single one in town and the silly games that they play. They, even use Computer Programs to calculate rents, because they don't have enough intelligence to figure it out on their own.

Send me a private message if you prefer.

No it is not legal since you cook with it, and that is just general wear and tear on the apartment. In other words, it would be no different than any odors left behind from a pet.

If you are Indian then they are also discriminating against you since curry is essential to your cuisine which is from your heritage.

As for removing odors, curry will go away quickly with windows open and carpets cleaned, and repainting. I've spent a lot of time in motels in Carlsbad and Monterey, Ca. When the Indians are not cooking, I don't smell it at the front desk. When they are cooking, it smells good.

I am very sorry about this. Scottsdale is not friendly to diversity. I can look up the management company and see what their lease states if you would like.

[cactusland]

I think Arizona89A may be on to something. Change 'curry' to any other food and ask yourself if it still smells reasonable - UNLESS 'smells' are stated loosely in the lease agreement. Time to read the fine print! If that is stated, you are S.O.L.
While I do think you have a case (regardless of the fact that AZ law doesn't really side with the tenant) and if I was you, I would pursue it because it does sound like discrimination - I would also like to add as a personal aside that curry is very strong smelling, and while you can't smell it, you might want to me more mindful in the future for renters coming in after you, many people don't like the smell. Best of luck.

[grmi66]

Not to add fuel to the fire, but I used to live in a complex that was next to a software company that had a lot of Indian employees who lived there. Was talking to one of the maintenance guys after my neighbors moved out and asked them if they had to do anything special to the apartment. The smell of curry was overwhelming and I enjoy Indian food. He told me that it's a 50/50 chance that they need to replace the carpet, they have to use special cleaners and paints to get rid of the smell and often can't rent the apartment for a full month while the apartment airs out. Curry is often a tougher smell to get out of the apartment than cigarette smoke.

[exit2lef]

I might be willing to pay extra rent to live in a place with "curry smell." I wonder if it's available as a scent at the car wash? Seriously, though, did the landlord use the actual wording "curry smell"? If so, the landlord should have used wording like "food odor" or "cooking odor" instead to avoid any perception of discrimination based on ethnicity or national origin.