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My old apartment is charging $200 for carpet fees when their lease/instructions quoted $50.
Below is the relevant part of the lease which says:
Quote:
You must follow move-out cleaning instructions if they've been provided.
I've also attached the instructions that were provided from the office showing the $50 carpet quote for a 2bdr.
They also mentioned verbally that I'd get charged about $50 for carpet cleaning unless I show a receipt as proof of cleaning (a rugdoctor rental for example). Being pressed for time I decided to assume the charge, besides, I'm a clean & responsible renter so no worries right? After I got done cleaning I decided to walkthrough & take video of the entire vacant unit just in case.
Later I'm charged $200 for carpet cleaning fees. The complex won't budge and could only provide a lousy invoice from their cleaner. The complex says that they usually they take pics but for some reason couldn't find the ones from my unit. The parent company (receivables dept) also won't budge, even after providing my video and referencing the relevant sections of the lease & cleaning instructions posted above.
In my final account balance there are 2 other legit charges that I intend to pay, however I want to fight the carpet charge. They are threatening to send to collections - what are my options?
Do I pay in partial to cover the 2 other legit charges?
Do I let them send to collections and attempt to fight there?
Do I simply cough up the extra $150?
Other options?
* Location: FL
* I could post screencaps of the final carpet if relevant but I don't think it is given the above cleaning instructions. FWIW I think it was in good (not great) condition. (There was one spot in a bedroom with some discoloration about 3ft in diameter)
Last edited by buddha_love; 09-05-2017 at 05:52 PM..
Reason: images
Every similar fee estimate that I have received from landlords have a big caveat that says such fees are estimates. Actual costs may vary depending on the extent of damage.
From the markings on the receipt, they are claiming there was much more than the usual soiling that would come from walking traffic and typical apartment living--they are claiming multiple stains that needed to be retreated, and the carpet needed to be re-stretched.
How long did you live there? That's a lot of wear and tear if you've only been a few years old. Do you have any pictures that would prove that this alleged damage is not accurate?
Do you have pets? The carpet had to be deodorized. That "remove red stains" means you got food on the carpet, something like koolaid, grape juice, tomato sauce, or red wine. Or maybe red marker or ink. That is not cheap to get red stains out and it takes a professional carpet cleaner.
Is this the hill you want to die on? Want to go to court, maybe have judgements placed on your credit report? Management has a receipt for the carpet cleaning that is rather detailed. You are going to have a difficult time contesting that.
If you really don't want to pay them, take it to small claims court, but that is an awfully small amount for the trouble of going to court and the expense of paying court fees.
I can't believe that any landlord will clean carpet for $50. That is really strange. But it does say "spots removed" and your carpet had spots that required professional cleaning.
Are you contesting the amount charged ...or the condition of the carpet (ie; remove stains, stretching, shampoo and deodorize, etc)?? Are they asking you to pay $195 for this -- or have they already deducted the amount from your damage deposit?
If you are contesting the fact that the paperwork listed $50 - yet, they actually had to do the claimed cleaning and restoration, you are fighting a losing battle. Did you take the time to have someone inspect the unit prior to moving and make a determination regarding damages or the return of your damage deposit. If not, you have set yourself up for these charges.
Does your video show the before and after condition (and the smell) ... or only pictures showing the condition of the unit at 'some' point in time? Finally, one can't really expect much for $50 these days, much less a complete, 2 bedroom apartment carpet cleaning, stretch and deodorization. Pay the bill and learn something for future reference.
I sincerely thank all who've taken the time to read and respond.
To respond to questions:
* The duration was 1yr
* I did have a dog however it was strictly forbidden from ever entering the carpeted rooms (stopped at the threshold)
* The deposit takes care of the other 2 legit charges, the $195 is after the fact
* I have video of the state before/after move-in/move-out; no pictures
* I didn't do a final inspection
* The biggest issue I have was (1) the fact that the paperwork listed $50 and also explicitly mentions stains/spots/tears. I also find it highly suspicious that (2) the complex couldn't produce pictures as proof when they claimed they had it, (3) that the carpet bill doesn't list the cost of each individual service, and (4) the carpet actually looked pretty good to me. It didn't smell IMO but I realize I could have been used to it. FWIW no guests ever complained of a smell either. They didn't apply the "pet treatment" service so I'm still a little lost with the bill.
The pics below show the two rooms after vacuuming.
This first pic shows half of room1 (the other half looks the same)
This next pic shows most of room2 with the spot in question towards the bottom of the frame. It's definitely not from food or spills. My best guess is something like baby oil or powder? It was a walking lane just outside the bed which was positioned in the center of the frame, lengthwise east-west.
The contract uses the term 'Time and Materials' for the listed charges and this has a specific meaning (just speaking generally, not specific to real estate contracts).
T&M means that labor is charged by the hour, minute, day, etc. However, there is no indication of the 'unit' used for each price - hour, whatever. Strangely, it seems that for a 3 bedroom the charge is for each (ea after it) room while the other types are total (well that's an obvious mistake but still...). If it really was to be charged by the hour, I would expect that the cost would be the same regardless of the number of bedrooms.
So it seems that they meant 'fixed price' although they specifically indicated the opposite.
Purely pedant territory now but the condition for the charges is 'failure to maintain the upkeep'. That's about how it's maintained throughout the tenancy rather than the inspected condition at move out which is what I think they mean. But I can forgive them for that one.
This is just sloppy all around and gives a good indication of the muppets you are dealing with.
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