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After installing carpet for 40 years, I got so I could walk into a house and tell you if the urine smell was cat, dog or human. If your carpet cleaner with 12 years tells you there is no odor, then the odds are there is no odor. I think your tenant just wants out of the lease for some reason. You have to decide whether to give in. After all, they knew it had pets in there before.
She texted me at 11pm that the smell was back today. I was at work so did not return her message. She told me the other day how this was the first time she's moved since 1993, so I am thinking the smell is simply the smell of a place that had someone else living there for 2+ years. Either that or by some horrible twist of fate her bed/bedding is the source. When I go over there all I smell is her, her dog, and the previous tenants perfume, none of which smell like cat urine.
Tomorrow I'll inform her that she must find a localized source of the smell before any further steps can be taken and see what happens.
She texted me at 11pm that the smell was back today. I was at work so did not return her message. She told me the other day how this was the first time she's moved since 1993, so I am thinking the smell is simply the smell of a place that had someone else living there for 2+ years. Either that or by some horrible twist of fate her bed/bedding is the source. When I go over there all I smell is her, her dog, and the previous tenants perfume, none of which smell like cat urine.
Tomorrow I'll inform her that she must find a localized source of the smell before any further steps can be taken and see what happens.
Was it raining or was the humidity high today?
As others have mentioned, it does happen sometimes that this will bring out an old faint urine smell that usually stays unnoticed.
Of course, even if that turns out to be so, how often or how objectionable it actually is another thing
Your tenant may be telling the truth. I just happened to remember a vacation condo that we rented one year. Tenants weren't allowed to bring pets, but owners could have them. Everything inside the condo was brand new, carpets, furniture, freshly painted, everything was new, and had no odor, but at times I'd sit on the sofa and smell a light scent of cat pee. My husband didn't smell it, but my son did. We've had enough cat's to recognize the odor. I think the smell came from behind the sofa.
Long story short. When we were leaving, I was talking to the neighbor who happened to own the attached condo and she was telling me that the previous owner of the condo lived there year round and had cats, and that her friend that bought the condo got it cheaper because the whole condo smelled like cat pee.
So, your tenant may not be nuts. The cat pee smell may be there but your tenant has got to point out where she's smelling it so you can find it, and get rid of it hopefully.
I can't help you if your tenant is nutty, but I just did battle with a cat pee room in our house. We didn't smell it when we were buying it...I'm not sure how it was not noticeable at that point. Didn't notice it until weeks after closing. It became so awful that we had to close it up and not use the room at all. Black lights did not show ANYTHING. Some people said they couldn't smell it, but once I realized it was there I couldn't NOT smell it.
I finally ripped up the carpet, which had been cleaned - so it was difficult to pinpoint the actual source of the pee. there was a huge cat pee spot on the subfloor where it had soaked in. I went through a gallon of enzymatic cleaner over the course of a few weeks and then sealed it up with oil based primer and NOW we finally got rid of the smell.
It's possible there is an odor so I'm glad you're checking into it. Pet odors smell worse when it's damp or raining out.
Cats sometimes spray which means you're going to have urine on the lower part of the walls and woodwork. Was the whole apartment painted, woodwork included? That should cover up any urine smell.
My last tenant had a dog that she would lock in the bathroom while she went to work. The bathroom is wall to wall tile and has a tiled floor but when it's damp or after running the shower I can smell dog. I have no idea where it's coming from unless the odor is hiding under the sink cabinet which I can't get to unless I remove that cabinet..
so it's possible there is an odor.
Let us know how you make out.
You can buy your own black light cheaply too. I paid 6 bucks for mine on Amazon.
It's in the grout probably. you could dremel out and re-grout, seal twice. Inspect closely - any minute hairline crack in grout (commonly seen in 90 degree corners) would have allowed the odor to seep in.
Re the inside of your lower cabinet, you could clean it very well with any household cleaner the paint it with KILZ, that would probably block any smell coming from that area.
On another note wouldn’t tile throughout the entire house look terrible? It’s a 900 sq ft home, with probably only about 400-500 sq ft of carpet as is including the stairs.
Tile is perfectly fine especially for a rental property. When I update my current rental property, I plan to pull up the carpet and re-do the wood floors.
I've gotta weigh in on the tile idea. I wouldn't like it throughout the house and would never rent or buy a home that was completely tiled. It's hard on your legs, slippery when wet, and hard on heads if they've got kids.
Tiled floors may be more acceptable in your area though depending on where you live.
It's in the grout probably. you could dremel out and re-grout, seal twice. Inspect closely - any minute hairline crack in grout (commonly seen in 90 degree corners) would have allowed the odor to seep in.
Re the inside of your lower cabinet, you could clean it very well with any household cleaner the paint it with KILZ, that would probably block any smell coming from that area.
Thanks Kona! I've actually taken our garden sprayer, filled it with a bleach solution and sprayed the entire bathroom, walls and all, and left it and the odor is still there. So, it's got to be the flooring. I didn't concentrate on the corners though, so good suggestion. Thanks!
I'm going to take your suggestion of painting with Kilz and redoing the grout lines and see if that helps.
I've gotta weigh in on the tile idea. I wouldn't like it throughout the house and would never rent or buy a home that was completely tiled. It's hard on your legs, slippery when wet, and hard on heads if they've got kids.
Tiled floors may be more acceptable in your area though depending on where you live.
It's uncommon to see fully tiled houses in the northeast; tile is considered to be a warm climate floor. Cold climate floors are carpet and wood/laminate. I wouldn't want tile in NYC, either!
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