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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?
You should check your state rental law if you want to find out if it is legal for your landlord to prevent you from having the carpets cleaned. Or, you can always ask him to provide you with evidence that he can legally make that request. It seems rather odd to me, given that a lot of places I have lived have required me to have the carpets professionally cleaned before I go. It seems silly that he would say you can't. Why would they damage the property? It makes me wonder if he is hiding something. Of course, he may not want you to clean them because having them professionally cleaned may not completely remove the odor anyway (actually, this is likely), and he doesn't want to have to argue with the fact that you've had them professionally cleaned and therefore may feel you are not liable for the ruined carpets.
To answer your second question- in almost all cases, yes, you will need to pay for damages above what comes out of your deposit. Your landlord will send you a bill. If you don't, your landlord can probably take you to court, send collections after you, etc.
Before talking to the manager, I talked to the maintenance guy who works in the apartment when doing pre-inspection, and he told me to hire company to clean it. But then when i talked to the manager, she said she will ask the carpet vendor to clean the carpet and the maintenance guy is not suppose to say that to me.
putting all these together, it just seems she is earning commission or something. i did talked to some carpet cleaning company and they said 95% of chance they are able to clean the carpet and deodorize the carpet. if I can not ask outside company to clean the carpet, then I have no control over if they are replacing the carpet or just clean it.
It is very hard to get the pet odor out of the carpet. It soaks thru the nap, the backing, the pad and into the subfloor.
Check your lease and tenant handbook. What are the vacate rules? I can't believe you aren't supposed to clean the carpets with a professional company but they can have whatever policy they want as long as it's within the law.
You're probably going to have to pay for new carpet.
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'm not so sure she's being completely honest with you. Google Land Lord Tenant Code Book/California Department of Consumer Affairs. There should be a list there that pertains to repairs / pets/ problem resolutions. It's definately worth reading, if you need clarification on anything there, don't be afraid to give them a call. Hope this helps.
Professional carpet cleaners would be no different than weekly maid-service (it seems to me), as many people use outside services to maintain their homes. Anyway, carpet has a life expectancy. Animal damage is above and beyond normal wear-and-tear, but you can't be held responsible for replacing the apartment with new carpet. The cost will be pro-rated, considering the age and condition of the carpet when you moved in. As long as the sub-floor is not damaged, the carpet may be deemed valueless after 5-8 years. And, you only need to pay (again pro-rated) for that portion of the carpet that is ruined (say, 10%). You may even get your deposit back, as the landlord needs to prove any damages. The deposit is your property, simply held in trust by the landlord in an account completely separate from any other money. He can't just keep it. This is merely my opinion. As you're landlord is planning on charging you $1000 to re-carpet his property, you need to consult an attorney (and housebreak your pet). Good luck!
I wouldn't waste money trying to clean the carpet, it needs to be replaced. As another poster mentioned, it's not just the rug, but the backing, padding and subfloor. The urine has already damaged those things. And pet odors will always return after cleaning. So, I always replaced carpets, padding and treated the subfloor of any units that had any pet waste whatsoever. It is a health/sanitation issue in a multifamily environment. No one else should have to live in your pet's urine.
Like someone else noted, you'll be responsible for a prorated amount of the carpet and pad based on the lifespan of the carpet as well as treatment of the subfloor.
If the cost is more than your deposit, you'll get a bill for the rest.
was their pets there before??? do you have proof??? then you may not be liable for complete replacement. if they didnt replace after last pet....they cant nail you for all of it now.
check with your local(try states attorney office for number) tenant laws.
ive never heard of someone not being able to hire their own cleaner...maybe others are right on here...your landlord may be getten deal thru someone and so dont want you to use your own.
Yes....pet pee does soak thru to the boards...no matter how fast you clean it up, even with replacing the carpets...you cant get the smell out unless they replace the floor boards to...make note of this.
did you pay a seperate pet deposit or just plain old cleaning/damage deposit???
again, check your states tenant laws....some state that deposits are seperate...pet damages comes out of the pet deposit....etc.
also...your land lord HAS to supply you with proof of damages....your best bet is to do a move out walk thru just as you did a move in walkthru....take pics of what she points out....have her sign letter in regards to damages she finds, this way there is no comoing back later and blaming you for something after the fact.
next....either you have option to fix damages then and there and have her sign off on them as fixed, or she has to supply you with actual reciepts for what she spent to repair/clean. here is where you have to be carefull....some landlords make up phoney reciepts, and never clean or fix what they charged you for....request the right to veiw the apt AFTER her clean/fix up...take pics again...sign something for proof it was done.
also....they usually(again, check) have a time period to show you proof of damages/repairs....beyond that....they are SOS and have to return your deposits.
dont let her fool you into thinken you have to use only her cleaner....cuz it will be marked up, with her pocketing the differance and chances are, it will never be cleaned, to many tenants dont check nd get get burned to.....landlords are not the only ones.
best of luck to you....at least you owned up to your mess and want to fix it....that shows your a good tenant at least.
in the future...if your dog isnt house trained....when gone...put in a kennel....or in a pen with puppy pads...this saves trouble down the road.
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