Charging for Cleaning AND Replacing Carpet?

Question

I have just replaced carpet and pad in bedrooms of a SFR that had pet damage. Before replacing it I had it cleaned professionally but odor remained.  Carpet is two years old and tenants lived in house for 14 months. I will charge tenants prorated carpet cost. Can I legally charge for carpet cleaning also?

Kim Meredith Hampton · Answer

@Christine Swaidan I have the clause in the lease agreement, that I will have the carpets professionally cleaned and deducted from their security deposit because I don't want them getting the cheapest guy in town or using the cleaner from the grocery store, been there done that!!!! Once you've done this a few times, you'll get the hang of what people do and how they take advantage

Matthew Olszak · Answer

I wouldn't. They'll claim you  should have known it couldn't be cleaned, or that the cleaning was sufficient enough because it was done by a pro and therefore the carpet didn't need replaced.

I'd rather charge for the replacement and have them say it could have been just cleaned. That way I can respond that my carpet professional felt otherwise and recommended replacement, and even so, if the carpet could be cleaned, why didn't they do so prior to moving out?

Christine Swaidan · Answer

Hi @Mitchell Van Overloop  and @Jd Martin House got a total rehab two years ago. Ceramic tile everywhere but bedrooms--I wanted to "save money". What vinyl planking to you use. Is this from the big box store? Glue down or snap together? We just started putting glue down  vinyl planks in apartments. When I looked at it for possible use in a SFR it just looked cheap to me. So far I have not had a turnover in the units that we have put this in so I will be very curious to know what it looks like after a few years. I did discover that I can't use it for the entire upper units as it transmits too much sound to the lower unit. Flooring is a tough one.

Mitchell Van Overloop · Answer

I completely agree with @Jd Martin. We have put a higher quality vinyl planking in our units and the flooring is water proof and very scratch resistant. One of the best investments for pet friendly rentals because you're not replacing the carpet every 2-3 years.

JD Martin · Answer

Easiest answer of all: don't have carpeting in rentals. We have removed all carpeting from all rentals and it is the best thing ever.

I think you should eat the cost of carpet cleaning, unless you gave them the option to get it done first and the expectations of what should be the end result of the cleaning.

Mitchell Van Overloop · Answer

We used snap together vinyl planking that we purchased through a local flooring company here in Michigan. I don't know what the price range would be for you guys on the West Coast, but we had a price range of $1.25-$3.50 per square foot. We chose something a little more expensive since it was a thicker material - a little less than the height of wood flooring in terms of thickness and it was around $2.50 per square foot. We were told that the product had a commercial grade warranty for 10 years and 15 years for residential. We've only had the product for 3 years now, so I can't give you a true eval on how long it has lasted for us, but so far, it's held up really well and we've had 1 turnover of tenants and I am not able to see any scratches in the flooring.

JD Martin · Answer

Bedrooms usually get non-vinyl laminate, ie Pergo or similar. Some kind of patterned & textured floor so that scratches are not so obvious. If you stick to wood tones and textured floors scratches are amazingly easy to hide. I (yeah, I did it myself) put a huge scratch in a brand-new floor on one rehab when I didn't realize that the refrigerator leveling bolt was sticking down and I pulled it out. Wood tone textured floor, so I grabbed the wood staining pens, colored the scratch and when it dried buffed off the overage. It was so good that I honestly could not figure out where I had made the repair the next day.

Wet areas that get laminate get waterproof vinyl. Everything is floating unless impossible - no glue-down. Hardwood that is not in bad shape is refinished. We only use ceramic on walls in bathrooms or kitchen backsplashes, as broken floor tiles are common and annoying to repair.

Dylan Vargas · Answer

@Christine Swaidan In California we have pet deposits. Apartments charge more per month per pet. This is fine with me as a former renter with pets. People may have been nice but they ruin the having pet thing for the rest of the people. If animals are not housebroken they will destroy a home. With the larger pet deposit, plus the per month per pet fee, you should have been ok. Live and learn right?

NEVER lump things into one fee. That is dishonest and shocked someone is recommending that. This is part of the learning experience.

As a former carpet cleaner if it is cat urinating forget about it and you will %99 of the time have to replace carpet, pad and possibly tack strip and base trim not too mention sealing cement floors etc.

Dog urine can be easier to deal with depending on dog. Big breeds urinate in large amounts and urine sinks to the pad and sub floor. Small breeds urinate less but still an issue. Bottom line is this, if you have one area of urination most professional carpet cleaners can get that spot or a few out. Anything beyond that forget it.

Microwave? As long as you have it documented and they ruined the microwave. Not sure about install fee though.

I always paid more for having pets and didn't mind. Charge a pet fee per pet per month. Large pet deposit of $500 is very common.

If carpet cleaner couldn't get out he should not have charged you unless he stated the urine may not come out.

Christine Swaidan · Answer

Hi @Kim Meredith Hampton The dog was legal and I did collect a larger security deposit because of the dog. In California I don't think we have "pet deposits" even though I will still call it that sometimes. It's just extra security now.

I'm still learning this business and when I did their lease I did not have a clause in there stipulating that they would need to clean the carpet. I'm considering adding that in but I'm not sure it's a good idea. There are many mediocre cleaning services that may not do a good job. Thoughts on that?

Hi @Natalie Vane I like to do everything by the book and legally I'm required to give an invoice for any service over $127 (I think that's the amount). I truly had their best interests at heart when I had the cleaner come in. Plus the carpet cleaner said he was pretty sure he could get the smell out.

@Matthew Olszak I hate being stuck with either bill. Really nice people but this turnover is costing a lot! Also replaced two year old OTR microwave and wondering if I can charge them $150 for installation of it. Also had to do a lot of  paint and cleaning. Will charge them full amount for cleaning service and will have to figure out proration of paint.

Charging for Cleaning AND Replacing Carpet?

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