What is the purpose for a security deposit for an apartment?
The security deposit is intended to give the landlord a 'cushion' for damages you may have caused during your rental period for the unit. You can be requested to pay 'up front' for carpet cleaning, and such cleaning is fairly standard, unless you have cleaned the carpets to the landlord's satisfaction on your own. After you vacate the premises, an inspection (move in-move out report) will be done, and any damages caused will be charged against your security deposit. Unused funds will be returned to you.
Pay for carpet replacement/damage after move out?
I moved out of my 1 bedroom apartment one month ago and just got a statement from the leasing office charging me $550 for "carpet replacement". They claim that the carpet has some damages which caused it "uncleanable" and they have to do a total replacement. When I moved in they told me that they change the carpets of the units after the tenants moved out. I really didn't know that they were charging others for this! The time when we moved out, they did not even offer an inspection together with us, etc. I have only been there for 1 year and I am really confused about what i should do now. Should I just pay the money (that is a lot for me) they are retained my $400 deposit and now asking me for $150 more ? Thank you so much.
I moved out of a leased apartment and damaged the carpet with bleach. What are my options?
The down side: Recover per diem? No. Recover pet fee? No, unless for some reason it was understood to be a deposit instead of a fee (doubtful). And now that they know about it, you won't be able to sneak out or hide it. Your best approach now is to adopt an attitude that you're not going to roll over for them. Tell them that 1) you are not going to pay for the bedroom, full stop. 2) the part you are responsible for was already worn and used; thus you will pay only a fraction of its replacement cost (offer half), and 3) you are going to proceed to get quotes for a product of comparable quality in order to make sure that they and the carpet supplier don't collude to screw you (once you agree to pay, the sky's the limit and there could be kickbacks involved). Stand firm on these three points. Stay calm. Don't agree to anything. Wait them out. Do not yield to threats. Be aware that leasing companies deal with a lot of deadbeats and so they always demand everything in the harshest possible terms, just like debt collectors. If they threaten to take you to small claims court, let them -- they don't really want to, and if they do, and you've followed the above advice, you have a good case: go in with estimates and quotes from 3rd parties. Be prepared to pay a reasonable amount and don't claim you're not responsible: you are. The judge will probably not make you pay for all new carpets for the whole place. You might pay some court costs but still be better off in the end.
Can my landlord charge me to replace entire carpet because of a stain once I move? Deposit + Some?
I just moved out of an apartment and there was a stain in the carpet left behind. My security deposit was only $250 and the landlord is now telling me that they want around $1,000 to replace the ENTIRE carpet because the stain wouldn't come out. The unit didn't have new carpet when I moved in. Am I responsible to replace the entire carpet? Does the landlord have an obligation to allow me to try and handle the stain? They're hustling me telling me the next tenant moves in on Saturday so they have an appointment for tomorrow morning to get the carpet replaced already! They only called me today! (Thursday)
My apartment landlord charges me over 800 dollars for damages after moving out. What can I do?
Linann M Singh made some solid points.It really depends on the state. For Florida, it’s against the law to hold any of the security deposit for normal wear and tear items. Paint, carpet, wood floors that have worn down due to normal use - is not something that’s coming out of the tenants pocket. Abnormal damage, which can be slightly subjective, like holes in the floor, destroyed blinds, etc can be taken out.Like you’ve seen already - make sure you have pictures prior and then clarify what the damages are. If they say they need to replace the carpet and you’re in a state like Florida you can get your deposit back.*This is not legal advice and I’m not an attorney - just my personal experience dealing with tenants*
Can a landlord charge me for new paint when I lived there for 10 years?
Not really. From Lawyers, Legal Forms, Law Books & Software, Free Legal Information - Can I Sue My Landlord For Keeping My Security Deposit For Normal Wear And Tear?‘Legally, landlords may charge for any cleaning or repairs necessary to restore the rental unit to its condition when you moved in. So, if your dog stained the living room carpet, you broke a hanging light fixture, or you left a filthy bathtub or stove top, you can expect the landlord to deduct the costs of cleaning and repair of these items from your deposit. But if the carpet, bathtub, and stove in your apartment were dirty and stained when you moved in, your landlord does not have the legal right to use your deposit to hire a professional cleaning crew to clean them after you move out. If you broke a light fixture, however, you can expect your landlord to use your deposit to cover the cost of replacing the fixture.Landlords may not use tenant security deposits to cover ordinary wear and tear in the rental unit, such as a few spots on the carpet or missing or bent mini-blind slats. And the longer you’ve lived in your apartment or rental (assuming you took reasonable care of the place), the more wear and tear can be expected, especially on carpets, floors, and walls.’However -Did you ask the landlord to paint your rental unit? Are you still living there? In other words, why is the landlord painting the unit?
How much can my landlord charge me to replace carpeting destroyed by my dog?
I lived in the apartment for two years and the carpet was several years old when I moved in. I do admit that the carpet needed to be replaced after I left due to the damage my dog caused, but I don't think it's fair that I pay full replacement cost considering the carpet was several years old when I moved in. Also, he is trying to charge me for paint and labor because he wanted to paint it before the new tenants moved in. There were no holes in the wall - just normal wear and tear. I paid an $800 deposit and he wants me to pay an additional $1200 for new carpeting, etc.
How much can an apartment fine you for having a pet?
How much can the landlord at an apartment fine you for having a pet? It is a pet friendly apartment, but I didn't want to pay the $300 non-refundable pet deposit plus $50 extra a month just to keep my dog. I mean, I can probably still tell them I have a pet before I move out, pay the deposit, and last couple months plus the pet rent. (Lease is up in 5 more months). I just wasn't sure if they would find out or charge me an unruly amount like $3,000 or something crazy to replace the carpet... which is probably what they will want to do even though I've been here 2 years, and the carpet wasn't new when I moved in. I also stated in the initial run-through of the apartment that the carpet had stains, along with other damages that I noticed -so that when I move out I wont be charged for them. Supposedly you fill out the paper before moving in and list all the prior damage. The biggest one I had was with the carpet... so... My dog did make a mess on some spots on the carpet, but I have a carpet cleaner that I'm going to use before I move, which will hopefully get it all out. I was also going to do the black-light test to make sure you don't see any spots. From what I read about my apartment from previous pet owners, they kept their $150 deposit, the non-refundable $300 pet deposit, plus the additional pet rent of $50 more each month, plus after the residents move out, the people at the apartment went in, lifted the carpet up and noticed "spots" so they charged them $500 on top of everything that they had paid! I would have thought that the initial non-refundable pet deposit would have covered the apartment in cleaning, shampooing, defleaing, etc... It doesn't say anything in the lease about what the fines would be, unless they caught you having the pet in the apartment. It strictly says "Resident shall pay an initial charge of $300 per animal and a daily charge of $25 per animal from the date the animal was brought into the Premises until it is finally removed; and Owner shall have all other remedies for such violation." I'm just curious as to how much they could legally charge you after you move out, other than keeping your deposit. Has anyone else been fined for having a pet after moving out?