Hello, I am trying to find out what the normal life is of a carpet in a rental unit. We've been at our location 3+ years and I know we'll probably be asked to replace it when we move but want to figure out how much we are really responsible for..? Thanks!!

Hello vato:

Que Paso?

I don't think there's a standard answer in terms of the law. What I would do, is call a couple carpet stores and ask them to give you a written estimate for replacing the carpet with the same kind. Ask them how long it should last.

If you can ascertain that an average life for the kind of carpet you have is 10 years (I'm making this up), and it was new when you moved in, then the carpet should have 6.5 years of life left. If it does, then that's normal wear and tear and you won't have to pay for anything.

If it has, say 3 years worth of life, then you are responsible for 3.5 years, or 35% of the cost of new carpet. That's not going to be the case unless you've been riding your Harley in the living room.

You should keep in mind that how much life a carpet has left is a subjective determination. One would hope that the landlord isn't going to try get you to pay for brand new carpet when there's plenty of life left in the one he has. Or maybe he just wants you to pay for it, and he's going to pocket the money. Don't let him do that.

excon

Normally as a landlord we look at carpet usage as normal wear and tear. What we look at is above average damage, rips, tears, and stains that wll not clear. If when they move out they do not clean the carpet, I would hire it done and take it from the deposit

So the normal usage is part of and expected to be included in the rent, just like wear on the hot water heater, and other things.

I don't think you should have to pay for new carpet in a rental unit - unless this is in your tenants agreement/ contract? As a tenant you should always get your carpet steam cleaned, but why on earth would you have to replace? This is the landlords 100% responsibility (unless you have signed something that says otherwise). This is the reality of being a property owner (I am one so I should know). If you have really damaged the carpet beyond repair (eg. Through obvious carelessness - spills etc) and the property has suffered beyond reasonable wear and tear (3 years at a property is quite a long time), then reasonably some money could be deducted from your bond. Your agent should have pictures of when you first moved in to show the differences. Anyhow, hope this helps. On a side note, I now get my carpet from a place that sells second hand (recycled) commercial carpet. It is half the cost and better quality because it comes from high rise office blocks. I think this is a great option rather than always buying new, new, new and often that means lesser quality.

Please don't advertise on AMHD - under any sort of pretense.

It's stated in the rules.

This is also a thread from 2007 - another reason why your answer is inappropriate.