pets and carpets do not mix!

[Donya Heil]

I've got a question. We have been living in our apartment for 13 mths and our lease is up in a few weeks. We paid $300 non refundable pet deposit. When we moved in one of our two dogs was just 4 months old and not potty trained at all. so he made ALOT of messes..we've tried every three months to clean the carpets..but lets just say that the carpets are disgusting. I'm not sure if we should pay for a professional to come out and deep clean them which ive gathered will cost us $170 and that may not even clean them enough..or should I just leave them for the landlord to deal with. I'm just scared they're going to not even try and go the cheap way of cleaning them and ask us to replace the carpets. By the way its a one bed room with approx 580 square feet with carpet..the rest is tile. Anyone have a clue on what i should do?

[Account Closed]

When you have pets, there are expenses that go along with the pets, that non-pet people don't have to pay. You want a dog? You have to pay for the dog's expenses.

If you were my tenant, you'd be paying for new carpet.

The trouble is that dog urine soaks down through the carpet, into the pad, and into the floor. So the only way to get rid of the spots and the smell is to remove the carpet and pad, seal any spots in the wood of the flooring, and replace with new carpet and new pad. It doesn't work to just clean the carpet.

The other problem, is that no other tenant will agree to move into an apartment that smells like dog pee. So it isn't like the landlord can set a few glade air fresheners and rent the apartment like it is. You moved into a rentabe aprtment and the apartment is no longer in rentable condition.

I suspect that you had permission to have the adult dog and then snuck the puppy in. I don;t know even a single landlrod who permits new, un house trained puppies.

At any rate, it was you and your dogs who ruined the caprpet, so you get to pay to fix the damage.

If your puppy did any other damage, such as chewing the baseboards or cabinets, you can expect to pay for that, too.

The next time you want a puppy, study up on crate training before you bring the puppy home.

Since your husband got the puppy over your objection, take the fee for the carpet out of his allowance.