Property damage - I lost!

[Nancy Molinari]

My previous tenants allowed their dog to pee all over the bedroom carpet for 5 years! I deducted the damage from their security deposit to pay for the replacement, it also cost me an entire months worth of rent on top of having to replace the carpet, since I couldn't get a tenant in mid-month. They took me to small claims court over it and won. I had to give them back all of their deposit and pay the court fee! Is it possible to have had a corrupt judge? I brought witnesses and he still awarded her security deposit back to her - every last dime and don't understand why I lost the case.

[Marc Freislinger]

Most areas depreciate carpet. Your judge may have thought the age of the carpet negated the damage. Or there was a problem with the way you withheld, or notified the tenant of the withholding. Did you get a written ruling? What does it say?