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I am now living in an apartment in LA and planning to move out.
The apartment manager has asked me to clean the apartment before I move out. Since I have a dog and my dog pee on the carpet which make the carpet smells bad, I was trying to hire a company to clean my carpet. however, the manager said I can not do so because the outside company may damage the property. Also, she said odors from dog pee is very hard to clean and they might need to replace the whole carpet in the apartment if the odor wont come out, which is very costly to me.
Anyone know if the manager can really prohibit me to hire outside company to clean the apartment?
Also, I had paid an amount of deposit when I moved into this apartment, if the cost of replacing the carpet and cleaning the apartment exceed what I had paid. Do I need to pay more to cover it?
Thanks a lot
I am not sure about being able to say which professional company can clean it as long as it is a good company (but read your lease). My family is in the carpet biz so I know that warranties can be voided on carpet by using home remedy carpet cleaning stuff (Resolve for one) so maybe he is worried you will rent one of those machines from the grocery store to try and clean it and then void a warranty (or it will bleach the carpet). Also with pet urine, you want to make sure it is a good company and not some really cheap company.
I would be surprised if you didn't have to replace the carpet. As someone with pets (and a renter) who has a lot of experience with carpet (family in sales and installation for close to 60 years + husband is a carpet cleaner with a good company), landlords generally don't leave pee'd on carpet in a rental. You may have to pay more if your deposit doesn't cover what it costs to clean the apartment AND the carpet. Unfortunately this is a hazard of renting and owning pets.
You could try renting one of the machines from a grocery store and try doing it yourself. Worth a try!!
I think the landlord wants to replace the carpet and wants to foot you with the bill.
For carpet that isn't really dirty these MIGHT be fine. They aren't good enough cleaners for pet urine. They don't have the same suction as professional cleaners and you will have a couple of problems. Soap that cannot be extracted from the carpet that WILL attract more dirt, water that cannot be completely sucked out, and once it DOES dry, the dirt you couldn't get out with this cleaner will rise to the top of the carpet making it look as dirty as before.
I manage a building in California and can tell you the deal...
First off, did you pay any additional deposit for PETS? Called a Pet Deposit in your lease agreement.
They can deduct that amount for the carpet and any additional damages done by your dog.
Additionally, they are required to give you copies of all receipts from any vendors that have come into your place to fix it after you move out. You can tell them that you want copies of the receipts sent with your deposit refund or for the additional monies they want to collect over your deposit amount. THEY CANNOT CHARGE YOU ANY MORE THAN THEY HAVE BEEN CHARGED TO REPAIR IT.
Also, how long have you lived in the apartment? because everything has a certain amount of depreciation while you are a tenant.... according to CALI Fair Housing Laws your carpet is only good for 5 years... so if you have been there more than 5 years, they HAVE to replace it anyway and cannot charge you anything.
If less than 5 years, you divide the cost of the new carpet (invoice has to be shown to you) and divide it by 60 months (5 years)... you then only pay the amount of months you were the tenant. This includes if the carpet wasn't new before you moved in... say, if the previous tenant had lived with that carpet for 2 years, you can count that too.
Check you lease... and if you don't have it, they are required to give you a copy.
You are all assuming that there are floor boards. It's possible the carpet and pad were laid on a slab, in which case a Rug Doctor used with HOT water after the carpet has been pre-treated will remove any stain and smell. It might have to be done a couple of times, I usually clean it a last time with just steaming hot water to make sure all soap has been removed.
Your landlord is doing you a favor by not having you clean it because he will need to replace the carpet anyway. Yes any damage over the deposit you should cover it.
Just so you know just because you have a dog does not mean he pees in the house that’s just sad.
Also, how long have you lived in the apartment? because everything has a certain amount of depreciation while you are a tenant.... according to CALI Fair Housing Laws your carpet is only good for 5 years... so if you have been there more than 5 years, they HAVE to replace it anyway and cannot charge you anything.
If less than 5 years, you divide the cost of the new carpet (invoice has to be shown to you) and divide it by 60 months (5 years)... you then only pay the amount of months you were the tenant. This includes if the carpet wasn't new before you moved in... say, if the previous tenant had lived with that carpet for 2 years, you can count that too.
Are you sure about that? That is exactly opposite of most places. You should be responsible for paying for the prorated life REMAINING on the carpet. So if someone rents for 2 years, and then you rent for 2 years, you are responsible to pay for the remaining 1/5th of the life of the carpet. Because your damage caused the carpet to be replaced that much earlier than anticipated.
Under your scenario, someone could move in onto brand new carpet, live there a month, trash the carpet and then be responsible for only 1/300th the cost. That isn't right.
Just so you know just because you have a dog does not mean he pees in the house that’s just sad.
I have to agree. I have a dog and I can count on three fingers the number of times he's peed in the house, each one related to a medical condition. Properly trained dogs either do not go in the house at all (barring a medical issue) or are trained to use a piddle pad.
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Pet Deposit and your Lease Agreement
