Carpets - A renters nightmare!!!

[CLS87]

Hi all,
So we are getting ready to move overseas and we are having real problems with our rental agency. We have two dogs and we have agreed to replace some of the carpets as the dogs have caused some damage to them. The rental agency are either calling now on a weekly basis or wanting to come and see the house to ask about the carpets, even though we are going through the process of getting them changed. According to the carpet fitters, the carpets are 80/20 wool... however these carpets are extremely poor quality. I think they have been in the house about 5 years, since the house was built, there is no spring to the material at all! Looking at the quotes if we get the 80/20 wool carpet...we are looking at just under 30 pounds per m2!!!! For the rooms we are doing that comes in at just under 2k!.

Now I have a feeling that our rental agency is going to try and get as much money out of us as possible. I've attached a picture of the carpet in the spare room - this damage was caused by one of those long under the bed storage boxes (with no wheels) that was holding winter hats/gloves etc....just to show how easy this carpet is to damage :(

If we replaced the carpets with cheaper but ok carpet, do you think that would be ok?

assuming you are in the UK - it is nothing to do with 'getting as much money as possible' out of you. It is to do with your protected deposit, and also any special clauses in the tenancy. It is also between you and the owner of the place.

so did you sign up to buy new carpets at the end? If not, why are you doing so? The quality of the previous carpet is not really relevant.

The underbed storage units are wear and tear, assuming they have no sharp edges. If there is nothing in the lease, then the LANDLORD needs to raise a dispute on your deposit about non wear-and-tear damage to the carpets. But if they are 5 years old, even if your dogs have chewed them to pieces the LL will only get a small percentage of the replacement cost. If they had been brand new last year it would be different.

My husband supplies and fit carpets. £30 per sq metre sounds quite expensive. Have you got more than one quote? I agree with the previous poster - you shouldn't have to pay the full amount. Surely wear and tear is expected.

Why are you replacing them? Even if it went to dispute, surely it would be less costly to you to lose the deposit?

I would say carpets were naturally worn after 5+ years though. My carpet looks worse than that and its mot two years old yet!

Have you tried cleaning them first? You can hire carpet cleaners, it may sort this.

Thanks for the response specialsubject,

Yes we are in the UK, we are trying to find out what our options are. Initially my husband had stained the carpet in the hallway and agreed to replace it at the end of the tenancy as it was his fault, we then gained dogs who caused carpet damage over the period of two years. We have been told this week by the real estate that we have to replace the carpets in the areas where the dogs wet as our deposit of 1200 pounds will not cover the replacement of the carpets.

You shouldn't replace them, the letting agent should deduct anything they feel necessary from your deposit. Also, those carpets look fine for 5 years old but you said your dogs have caused damage, is it worse in other places?

Have you looked around for the best deal? Do try cleaning them. It's pretty dumb to have expensive but fragile carpets in a rented house, and a piss take to ask for 'like for like' replacements.

Hi Muttonjeffmum, we had two estimates, both said that because of the carpet being 80% wool - this is what made it more expensive, although you can get 100% wool carpet for half the price.

LadySybilLikesCake (I love your name) We had the carpets professionally cleaned but it didn't work.

Imnotaslimjim - We have been told we have to replace the carpets as they are saying our deposit of 1200 pounds is not enough to cover replacements.

Thatstoast - The damage the dogs did includes: one corner of the hallway carpet nibbled on and pee stains in 2 rooms plus hallway.

How many carpets do you have to replace? Are you able to ask the carpet fitter to cut one of the carpets from the larger room (if it's damaged) and use the part which is fine for a smaller room? It would cut down the cost. I'm not convinced this is your problem to be honest.

Thank you

I don't think you do have to replace the carpets at all.

Is your deposit in a protected rent deposit scheme? They can take stuff out of your deposit for damage but not wear and tear. There is a set period a carpet is supposed to last for so if the carpets haven't lasted as long as expected due to damage then they may be able to claim some money for this. However they have to take into account the age of the carpet. They certainly can't make you buy new carpets. Contact CAB for advice maybe?

LadySybilLikesCake - We are due to replace the living room, dining room, hallway + landing - I believe it came out to about 55m2 (its a small modern house). Unfortunately I don't think that will work as its the big rooms that need doing :(

Sounds like you've wrecked a lot of carpet!

At the end of the day though, what are they going to do if you don't replace the carpet? They have your deposit, the deposit protection agency they use would be more lenient than you expect, 5 years wear and tear, plus deposit would probably cover it. Like for like doesn't work because you are entitled to have used the damn thing, they cannot expect it to be brand new.

I think Viva's right, it's wear and tear. If they are daft enough to put a carpet like this in a rented house then they can't seriously expect the tenant to pay. Contacting the CAB or Shelter for advice would be wise.

Dont be crazy! Dont pay th anything. They can put in a dispute and the final decided cost comes out of your deposit. Tough tit for them if it costs them more!!

Do not pay!!

Thanks for that everyone. We will be looking into going to CAB and also researching more into the Payment Protection Scheme to see what our rights are :)

Everything depreciates over a set amount of time. I think a carpet is 20% a year. So for example if you had been there for one year and the carpet was trashed you might have to pay 80% of like for like replacement as it would be felt that the carpet was now worth 80% of its original value. The landlord can never expect betterment. You don't need to replace it. If you have been there 5 years I believe that in the case of dispute you would have to pay AT MOST a small percentage of replacement.

Check out the TDS website for more info. Your deposit must be protected by law by either TDS DPS or MyDeposits.

Leave the carpets as they are. Let the agent do a check out report and then they will tell you what they want to claim. If you think it's acceptable accept it. If not take it to dispute. You'll win.

Thanks!

I'm just having a look now, and its through TDS.

If your deposit isn't in a proper scheme you can sue them I think.

It does sound like you may have to lose some of your deposit as nibbled carpet and urine stains isn't really wear and tear. But not as much as they're asking for at all.

As a landlord I'd expect to maybe have to replace carpets every five years without expecting tenants to fund it.

What the others are saying. Don't replace the carpets, let the letting agents decide what they want to charge and then dispute if you are not happy. For what it's worth, they can't charge you for new carpets - under the deposit protection schemes they can only charge you a proportion, based on the age of the carpet. So if, for instance, they said a carpet should last 10 years (generous!) then since they are 5yo already, you would be liable for half the cost.

Tbh I have never heard of a tennent replacing carpet. I think you are being had. They can deduct for damage outside of normal wear and tear. You've enough to do with moving. Let them replaced their own carpet.

ok, wreckage by dogs at this level is not wear and tear. Your husband spilling something may be - these things do happen.

first; what does your tenancy agreement say? Unless it says that you will replace all the carpets damaged by dogs, your landlord is out of luck.

but as I and others note, the landlord doesn't get brand new carpets to replace 5 year old ones; you aren't expected to leave the place better! They get a proportion of the replacement cost for the damage caused by non-wear-and-tear, i.e the dogs. You cannot lose more than your deposit - sounds like you may lose some of it but not all over this. Your agent is not telling you the truth.

that's the rules of the deposit scheme which I strongly suggest you read. You should also check your own insurance (you do have it?) which may have an accidental damage clause for landlords property, to cover the spillage damage.

don't buy new carpets, forget that. Contact the LANDLORD unless the agent actually owns the property. If they do, then all the above still applies.

after 5 years it is getting towards time for new carpets; but those who wonder why landlords don't always allow dogs will now know why. And those who wonder why rentals don't usually have expensive carpets will also know why.

ps for all the screaming landlord haters - I'm a landlord.

I'm a landlady. This is the exact reason I never ever ever allow pets. Utter nightmare. Bad enough getting your property handed back looking like something from house of horror.

I work in property management and deal with deposits daily. This damage is above wear and tear IMO however the carpets are certainly coming to the end of their lifespan. My advise is do not change the carpets, leave it for the agent to advise of proposed deposit deductions and dispute if you do not agree. They can only try and charge a percentage to your deposit, and tbh the dispute serve may not award anything due to the age.