Being charged $1400 for "curry smell" by apartment at end of lease (leasing, home)

[CAjerseychick]

Originally Posted by BOS2IAD

Per the bolded --- In the past, I've lived in old pre-war apartment buildings in Boston. They tended to have a smell that I just assumed had to do with them being old. Then, later on I learned this: (See #3 in the link below):

5 Sure Signs of a Cockroach Infestation - Pests Off

It could well have been what you were smelling

ugh!

[Bates419]

How long do you think the owner would have to leave appt empty for smell to dicipate? How much should owner charge for lost revenue during this time?

Originally Posted by CAjerseychick

no, i just don't believe curry is as permanent as is alleged here- the OP didn't live there for years right?
It would be more believable if they'd lived there for 10 years not 1..
(and not even 1 yr, but 9 months)

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Bates419

How long do you think the owner would have to leave appt empty for smell to dicipate? How much should owner charge for lost revenue during this time?

The OP lived there for 9 months. I'm calling b.s. on the curry smell. Greedy landlord just doesn't want to pay for routine replacement of carpets and new paint.

[Bates419]

I can only give my experience, I looked at a 2 year old house once that had been empty for 6 months. The smell of curry was so strong we eliminated the house from possible instantly.

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

The OP lived there for 9 months. I'm calling b.s. on the curry smell. Greedy landlord just doesn't want to pay for routine replacement of carpets and new paint.

[Zen88]

My own 2 cents: I had a home where part of it was rented out as an apartment. My tenant, a vegetarian, used curry occasionally. This home had central AC, one zone, retrofitted, installed while I owned the house. The return was in my section. On the occasions that she did use curry, the stench was so bad, it made me sick. My eyes teared up, I had headaches, it was absolutely horrible. I sealed off her apartment as best as I could, to no benefit. I loved her as a person, she was a delightful person, so I felt very badly when I had to ask her to use it only rarely, because I still didn't think it was fair to demand that she stop using it completely. She felt bad, and stopped using it. Then, she used another spice that wasn't anywhere near as bad, but still had a strange stench. I had to ask her to slow that down, too. She eventually moved. There was no lingering odor in the home, Thank God.

No one complains about Italian tenants and the odors of oregano or garlic.
No one complains about the odors of fried plaintains from Spanish people
No one complains about the odor of beer and potatoes from an irish tenant

[BeerGeek40]

Originally Posted by 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.

It doesn't sound like discrimination at all.
It sounds like the landlord can't rent the place out to the next person.
That issue has become your problem.
However, why don't you offer him $700 and see what happens.

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by CAjerseychick

no, i just don't believe curry is as permanent as is alleged here- the OP didn't live there for years right?
It would be more believable if they'd lived there for 10 years not 1..
(and not even 1 yr, but 9 months)

I had a XXXXXXX couple in my condo who apparently stir-fried everything. The stink of rancid cooking oil permeated the place. The vent hood required heavy duty cleaning, the walls were streaked with greasy drips.

They were there for a year. I guess some people think that if you open a window and run the fan that will be enough. It wasn't.

[Chelito23]

First of, I will state I am a liberal and progressive and embrace diversity. With that said, I don't see this as discrimination or prejudice at all. I don't think any potential tennants want to move into a new apartment that has a heavy smell of cooking from the previous tennant, regardless of what it is. I think it is entirely reasonable for the landlord to bill reasonable costs to eliminate strong odors. Just because they can't be cleaned and eliminated with a heavy duty run of the mill cleaning doesn't mean the landlord is out to rip off the tennant.

If curry was changed to any other strong odor, I don't think people would be hating on the land lord.

Perhaps they should have changed the wording from curry smell to strong cooking odor. But it is what it is. Would you rent an apartment with an intense smell of cooking from previous tennants and just accept that as normal? Probably not. If I saw an apartment with a heavy odor, I would not rent there or sign the lease and just hope to air it out.

[PinkElephant]

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?

Some of these complexes ought to be class action sued. They routinely tear out the carpets and repaint and bill way more than the security deposit can handle.

My favorite was a girl I met who was allergic to pet dander, took pictures as she left, recorded office staff telling her to rent a rug cleaner and she'd be sure to get her full deposit back.

they ended up threatening her with a lawsuit for $1500 above the security deposit for unauthorized pet damage "proven" with a black light. She called them and told them her brother is a lawyer and she would call in a favor if necessary. They did not file. But only because she proved herself smart and strong.

If my mom managed to salvage and restore smoke damaged curtains, rugs, and furniture and mattresses, I guess curry can be managed without a trumped up bill.

The issue is maximizing the amount of money and judges tend to favor business over individuals.

I hope you are able to convince them to drop it and are able to cook as you please in a better place.

[PinkElephant]

I just test drove a car that reeked of cigarette smoke. Less than 1 week later, the smell is entirely gone, carpets and upholstery intact.

All they did is air it out, no heavy perfumes at all.

Sure, ripping out replacing is quick and billable and keeps the economy flowing, so they are doing a good thing, right?