All Forum Posts by: Marc Estepa

@Karen F. Sorry this is long, but strangely therapeutic for me as well. The timeline is as follows:

1.  17-21 Aug - Packers and Movers 

2.  22-27 Aug - Cleaning.  Our family cleaned the house in preparation for professional cleaners.  Power washing, vacuuming, dusting etc.

3.  28 Aug - professional cleaners

4.  29 Aug - grout cleaner and carpet cleaner.  Family moves to hotel following cleaning.

5.  30-31 Aug - House was left open and fans running during daylight hours to dry carpets, in the evenings windows were closed and AC and ceiling fans left running all evening

6.  1 Sept, 0900-1300 HRS - house was again left open to dry carpet as it was still damp prior to the inspection.

7.  1 Sept, 1300-1400 HRS  - Final walkthru with the owner’s sister in law acting as their delegate.  The delegate opens every drawer and window checking it’s serviceability and cleanliness alongside us as the tenants.  We provide pictures of the initial walkthru pointing out what issues we have had with the house that they need to be aware of for the future.  Walkthru felt good overall.  the delegate is happy and reports this to the owners via FaceTime but notes a faint, mildewy smell.  I state that we just had the carpets cleaned on Saturday so it may still be damp in some areas, but will make the cleaner come out again if needed. The owners  are satisfied and state that they will pass the deposit to us once we have a final mailing address.  Keys were turned over to the delegate.  

8.  1-3 Sept - Home was closed at the owner’s request, windows shut, AC and fans turned off. During the summer - the house can reach 90 degrees. 

9.  3 Sept -Home owner’s delegates return to the home complaining of smell and Inform the owner.  The owners in turn contact us stating that the house smells bad.  I contact my carpet cleaner to get get him to go back to the home to clean ASAP.  He states he will do a pet deodorizer spray and will return on the morning of 4 Sept to do so.  House is closed again.

10.  4 Sept - My family and I depart the island. Carpet cleaner returns to home and confirms that the house smells. He sprays deodorizing solution in the home with the delegate present that morning.  Upon completion, he instructs her to leave all windows open and fans running to allow it to dry.  Delegate states that she cannot leave the downstairs windows open at night due to security.  The carpet cleaner states if it’s not open the deodorizing will not work because there will not be enough airflow downstairs.  The carpet cleaner says it should be okay after 4 hours and leaves.   

I receive a call from the owners 12 hours later stating that the spray did not work even after the house remained open for 12 hours.  He also noted that they still see remnants of dog hair wherever the carpet cleaner steps off the carpet to the tile leaving faint footprints with bits of dog hair.  

The Owners state that the house still smells disgusting according to their delegates. The owner says his family cannot return to the house if it’s still dirty and has pet hair due to the wife‘s allergies.  He will have no choice but to remove the carpet.  

We ask to clarify who will be liable for this as we cannot be held liable for old carpet original to the home.  Owner argues it’s brand new carpet and has receipts showing when it was purchased and installed.  I state, that I would like to see the receipts because it was frayed with seams torn in certain areas, exposing nail pops and staples cutting our feet from the moment we moved in and have pictures and email traffic to prove it.

We state that this was also relayed to them verbally as well.  I call his bluff and say that the state in which it was received is clear that the carpet is not new and original to the house.  If it was purchased new like he stated - then he needs to go to the carpet Installers to look at their warranty and get it redone.  

During our recon of the house in 2016, the previous tenant let us in to view the property to which we noted the carpet then.  It is the same carpet we have lived with for 4 years.  If the owner installed it new for the previous tenant, it is approximately 5 years old as of this date.  

I also state that reasonably, it is nearly impossible to remove all pet hair completely or odors, but will try.  If we cannot get it removed to his standard, we must plan worst case scenario.

Owner states that the proper thing to do is return the house in the state it was received.  He states that at no time did he receive any correspondence from us that the house smelled like dog in the beginning, but now we are returning it to him in such a state.  He states that he doesn’t care about wear and tear just the smell.  

We argue that the house needed to remain open to properly dry. The owner’s wife argues that this is a security issue and that it will eat into the time to send her sister over to simply babysit the house.  I argue there’s nothing more I can do from the mainland Without their cooperation.

As of this writing, we have made the decision to do another shampoo, pet treatment carpet deep clean while also looking for an ozone machine.  At this point we will have professionally shampooed the carpet 7 times.  

If this doesn’t work and clean it to their standards, I don’t know what more to do and who else should be held truly liable.  

@Susie Evans thank you. We had it out yesterday over the phone and I then forced them on FaceTime to continue discussing it. The wife got emotional saying we were trying to get out of cleaning, and I told them I was not going to fund their remodel or purchase new carpet aside from any damages I have done. I have video, and pictures of the before and after of the condition of the home. Even though I’m irritated, I’m going to send my carpet cleaner for a 3rd time and do another cleaning. After that, I’m going to FaceTime the owners with the cleaner and let them know I need everyone’s cooperation to let it properly dry. Fingers crossed. If that doesn’t do it, I’ll do an ozone treatment and we’ll take them to court. I don’t know what else I could reasonably do.

@Ying B. Wow, that’s pretty significant. How long were they your tenants? If the ozone carpet cleaner didn’t do it, they really didn’t care and probably smoked all the time inside. That’s a shame. Anyway, you’re right about smells being a very individual thing. The owners are NOT here and did NOT do the walkthru with us. They sent their own family members to do it. Naturally, they probably told them there were dogs in the house and the family members walked in there with a preconceived notion that it would stink. On another note, our family is used to the smell of dogs, so we aren’t as sensitive to it as someone who is NOT a dog owner. Smells are very individual. You really need to have a third party with no idea of what is going on come in there to give an assessment.

When we did the final walkthru with the owners sister, she noted a mildewy smell. This is after we left it open for 3 days and left the fans and AC running in the evening. We’re obviously biased, as I didn’t smell anything bad. After we turned over the keys, I no longer had control of the house and my understanding is that they left everything closed, turned off the A/C and fans and returned a few days later. Mind you, this is Hawaii in the summer. It’s warm. When they came back 2 days later, it probably was not completely dry and exasperated the situation more.

I sent my carpet cleaner in again the morning after and he verified that it smelled. He did another pet deodorizing spray and told them it should be good after 4 hours. The owners left the home open for 12 hours and noted back to me that the spray did NOT work and it still stunk. I’m debating now on sending the cleaners again to do another shampoo treatment for a 3rd cleaning, but if the owners don’t leave everything open and let the airflow - it will be the same issue all over again. Now I’m looking at these ozone cleaners.

@Ying B.wow, very sorry to hear that with your properties. I am a landlord also, and I take extra special care in renting a place if I have to as I’m always moving with the Army.  I have had my share of nightmare tenants and an equal share of ****** property managers as well.  But nothing like your situation.

I’m looking at this Ozone cleaner that was mentioned previously.  Hopefully they have this machine.  Apparently it kills odors completely.  

@Storm S. I hope not.  This whole situation is stressing everyone out.  I’ve departed the island and need to focus on the next location but I’m here messing with this whole situation  still. See My responses to @Susie Evans, that lays out the timeline to everything.  I just don’t know what the hell else to do if this does not work.  

@Steve Morris now they are saying they are moving back to the home and that the wife has allergies to the dog dander.  They are not here to do the walkthru and are instead sending family members to come in and smell the house for them. 

Regardless of whether or not they’re moving back in - I am trying to do right by them and send the cleaner for a third time to basically do it all over again.  If this doesn’t do the trick, I don’t know what else to do.  

See the timeline in my previous response to @Susie Evans.  What more can I do?  I feel like they’ve already made up their minds by constantly saying they have no choice but to replace the carpet if the smell isn’t gone.

My dogs are Cane Corsos.  They are mastiffs and are pretty inactive.  They sleep about 15-18 hours a day and basically get up to eat, drink water, use the bathroom, bark and whatever noise they hear, wrestle for approximately 3 minutes at a time and go back to sleep.  They don’t run and are literally the laziest dogs I have ever owned in my life.  I know they aren’t tearing up the carpet because basically sleep all day.  

@Susie Evans, yes I agree.  He says they intend on moving back to the home and his wife has allergies.  Whether or not that’s true, is up for argument.  I have my own thoughts.  Instead of questioning them, I figured I would just do as I’ve always done and clean like hell.  

We cleaned the week prior ourselves just as our movers moved our furniture.  On the 28th of Aug, we hired professional cleaners to clean the house, a grout guy to clean the grout, neighborhood kids to power wash the driveway, fences, side and back porch.  

On Saturday, 29 AUG we sent the carpet cleaner in.  We cleaned and we left the doors and windows open, and ran the ceiling fans until that evening and then ran the AC before we moved to a hotel. We returned the next day to open up the house, re run the ceiling fans and open up the windows and did the same thing until the day of our inspection.  

During the inspection on the afternoon of the 1st of Sept, the owner’s sister in law did the walkthru and stated that she smelt a slight mildewy smell.  I told her we did the carpets 3 days prior and they probably aren’t completely dry yet.  Rather than argue, I said it’s not a problem and I can resend the carpet cleaner.  We finished the walkthru with the owners on FaceTime and they were happy saying they would mail our deposit back once we had a forwarding address.  

Fast forward 2 days.  The owners have taken control of the house, turned off the AC, turned off all ceiling fans and closed up the house.  This is Hawaii in the summer.  It is warm and the house still has damp carpet.  They return and say the house smells horrible.

I immediately call my carpet cleaner. He says he will do a pet deodorizing spray to take care of it on the morning of the 4th of Sept.  This is the morning my family and I have to depart the island.   Upon the arrival of the carpet cleaner, he confirms that the smell is strong.  He completes his spray and tells them it should be good in 4 hours.  They left the windows open and fans running after the spray was complete.

Upon my family’s arrival into our next duty station, we receive a flurry of texts from the owner saying that it has been 12 hours, the windows are wide open and the house still stinks.  He noted that wherever the cleaner stepped from the carpet to the tile, he has tracked residual dog hair throughout the home.  They take pictures and send them.

Now I am receiving texts saying to fix it or they have no choice but to replace the carpet because they are moving back in and the wife has allergies.  I’m told that the house is disgusting and they would never have allowed dogs if they knew it would be like this.  Naturally I’m pissed and we FaceTimed yesterday to discuss in person.  

The wife is emotional and says she wants the dog smell out.  I tell them we are responsible to damages we did, not the normal wear and tear of the carpet that was original to the home.  In the end, they simply want the smell out or they claim they will have to replace the carpet.  

So I am now on the verge of sending my cleaner a third time.  If this doesn’t work, I’m at a loss.  I’m debating on using our rental insurance to deal with this, but I hate the fact that it would seem as if I’m admitting guilt by doing so.  

Any thoughts?  Now what?  

@Colin Reid.  The kicker is that they aren’t even here to physically do the Final walkthru.  They sent their family members to do it.

 Anyway, they are apparently moving back to the house.  So in all fairness, that’s their right.  If she has allergies, then yes - I want to make sure we take care of it as best as we can, but we have to do it within reason.  

Once we cleaned and vacated the property - we kept it open as much as we could so the property would air out.  When we did the final walkthru with the owner’s sister in law.  She mentioned that she smelled a mildewy smell.  I am biased of course and said, we just did the carpet 3 days prior so it might be still somewhat wet.  Rather than arguing at that moment, I said - “Regardless, not a problem, I can send the cleaner out again if you’d like.”  

My understanding is that they locked up the house, turned off the AC and fans and let it sit.  As you know Hawaii gets hot.  They returned 2 days later and opened up the house and said the house now has a smell.  

I resent the carpet cleaner to do a pet deodorizer treatment the very morning we had to depart from the island.  12 hours after the treatment, the owners claim they left it open but when they returned it was still bad.  So I am now now on the verge of sending him a 3rd time to get this thing redone.  

@Russell Brazil.  Yes, I wholeheartedly agree.  I’m frustrated because if you accept pets on your properties, you have to accept everything that comes along with it - within reason of course.  I’m not by any means saying I have free reign to let my dogs run around destroying everything and telling the owners to suck it up.  Of course not.  But there are reasonable expectations of what the owner should expect from a home being rented to renters with pets.  

On top of that, I own mastiffs.  For those who are schooled on dogs, mastiffs are some of the laziest and Most non active dogs ever.  They sleep around 16-18 hours a day, wake up to eat, use the bathroom, bark at strange noises they hear and then go back to sleep.  Energy level is low.  As a landlord, I’ve ironically had the most issues with cats and small dogs. 

I’m a pretty seasoned renter with dogs.  I have never had an issue with a homeowner and my dogs until now unfortunately.  I understand we are the first tenants they’ve ever dealt with pets, so this is a pretty painful learning curve.  I feel like they still have an emotional attachment to their former home, and are looking for something wrong.  Regardless, I just ask that they are realistic in their expectations, but I can see we’re clearly not on the same page.  I don’t know how to properly proceed.  Any advice?

@Matt M. hey, that’s respectable and fair.  Accepting them opens up the aperture for potential renters, but does come with challenges such as this.  They are new to renting out to people with pets and unfortunately learning through this very situation.  I’ve rented for quite a few years prior to this and always had dogs.  Never had a problem until now.  This home I was most proud of for the condition we’ve maintained it in.  Unfortunately, we’re not seeing eye to eye right now.