Reasonable Carpet Cleaning Fees

[Jack H.]

We have a friend who recently moved out of their rental in Virginia. Its a 4 br / 3 ba SFH and about 3,000 sq ft and no pets. The landlord kept their entire security deposit including $1,950 for carpet cleaning. That seemed excessive to me. I thought $500-600 for a full steam clean in an empty house and normal wear and tear. Are there laws around charging excessive repair costs?

[Kevin Briggs]

Even $500-600 seems high unless it's a huge house. Also I was taught you can't charge a tenant for "normal wear and tear", so I don't even charge my tenants the cost to clean carpets (and it normally costs my $100 or less in Denver)