Charged for vacancy after ending lease

[JT Jordan]

Moved out of an apartment. They wanted to replace all of the carpet and charge me for it. Convinced them to consult a professional cleaner to remove the pet odor they were complaining about. The apartment wants to charge me for the time that the unit is vacant while it is being cleaned and waiting a week to see if the smell is gone. Is this allowed?

[Bridgette Delva]

Hi JT, I don't have an answer but I would recommend you start with understanding the terms of your lease first as that would be the first place that would offer you guidance on if they can do it.   As a tenant, you would be responsible for returning the unit in the same condition as when you took possession of it so it's normal to get charged for damage but I don't understand why they would charge you for a vacancy unless it's in your lease terms.

A few questions:

Did you break your lease or did it end on the term?  

In what state are you located? 

Did you have to pay a pet deposit? How much damage was done by your pet?