Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Owner wants to charge tenant for all new carpet after he moved out, for carpet that was damaged, old but somewhat clean.....

The rule of thumb is that the landlord cannot charge for "normal wear and tear," but can charge for any damage to the property caused by the tenant. For example, carpets might get worn down a little bit and become discolored with use (normal wear and tear), but a huge blue stain in the middle of the carpet would be damage that can be withheld from the security deposit.

Posted by Melanie N, ON on Monday, April 18, 2011

So .... how many stains that won't come out are "normal wear and tear"? I had the carpet as close to perfect as you can imagine for the age. There was one rust stain near the kitchen. Now, the high-traffic area is heavily stained with black marks. There is a cola stain near the couch. And I was showing a prospective tenant today, and she wanted to know if I was going to replace the carpet. I can't afford to replace it. The current tenants haven't begun trying to clean it yet, so maybe the stains will come out? But if they don't-- how much can I penalize them for it?

Posted by Amy J, MO on Sunday, May 15, 2011