Does everyone really change the carpets when they move house

[Flickersy]

(Inspired by a few threads)

I've seen quite a few posters say they have to put down new carpets when they move into a house, or at least get rid of the previous owners carpets.

Now if they're irretrievably stained, ripped, or blindingly hideous, I would understand it. And perhaps I'm too used to living in house shares and rentals where you just have to live with whatever's there.

But I'm hoping to buy somewhere this year, if I'm lucky, and frankly having to change all the carpets isn't an expense I'm factoring in. Unless they're in such a condition which renders them unusable, I plan on changing them slowly over time as and when it's needed. Is that completely slovenly? And if so what else should I be watching for?

We have only changed them if they needed it. And that was in one house out of five.

I lived with the very poor carpets in sitting room and bedrooms for 2.5 years, no underlay either and they didn't go right to the walls, I did buy a carpet cleaner and clean them though.

The only carpets I got rid of were in the bathrooms.

I imagine deep cleaning would sort any nasties out if you’re concerned.

I got rid of some hideous synthetic fluffy carpets and replaced them with nicer ones. But if they were in good condition and already to my taste I wouldn't bother.

we got horrid floral 1980s carpets when we bought this house and carpet in the bathroom, sadly they were good quality ones but yes they had to go one at a time as we did each room up

I don’t change them unless needed.

It’s wasteful of money and environmentally to get rid of serviceable carpets if they aren’t an eyesore.

MN is full of people shrieking ‘dated’ at kitchens and bathrooms that most people I know would be delighted with.

Take no notice.

Well we did but ten years after moving in.

We've got rid of hideous swirly orange and brown nylon carpets in the past but generally we live with what's there. Some people just like spending money.

We've done two house moves, changed the carpets both times. I don't know anyone who wouldn't. The main reason being that when praying, the space we're praying on needs to be free from certain impurities and a strangers carpet could have anything in it.

Goodness. Which religion is this? I was brought up in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland which emphasises thrift, so no, we haven't replaced carpets until we had to.

We changed all the carpets over a period of two years as we were decorating rooms.

Surely people don't bin perfectly good carpets? Agree if horrid or v old but not otherwise.

Reminds me of the poster who bought a new duvet every summer and every winter instead of washing them / getting them cleaned. Crazy.

Surely it’s a judgement call about their condition, just like with the kitchen and bathrooms. I think most people do gradually redecorate and change the carpets and fitted furniture as they go. No need to do it immediately though.

Islam also frowns on waste but if I was buying from someone who is not a Muslim, there's no guarentee they've not spilt alcohol on their carpets, or dragged dog poo in because they wear shoes in the house. You could get them washed of course but both times we budgeted in carpet prices as part of our moving expenses.
My dad rents out a property which he couldn't sell, he changes the carpets between tenants if the new tenants are Muslims. It's not that he has money to spend, it's just doing something he would like done for him in that situation.

I always factor into my budget new flooring (carpets, tiles, wood) when buying a house. While I appreciate some vendors will have spent a small fortune on their carpets and soft furnishings, I like to start from a blank canvas. The hard part is refusing nicely when they offer to include their much-loved (and much-used) Axminster for a "bargain" price.

I don't change them unless they need it.

Hire a rug doctor and wash them properly, yes absolutely.

Like everything with a new house, it's about your own priorities against your budget.
I took up all of the carpets and replaced all but the living room when I moved in. I budgeted for it, and it was important to me. If I couldn't have afforded it, then I wouldn't have done it.

Livingroom is waiting for a hard wood floor, which I'm currently saving for, but happy to live with the tiles which were under the carpet and a new rug, rather than the stained tired carpet which was there.

Don't think there is a right or a wrong...

Re-painting and changing carpets can made a massive difference to a house. Once furniture comes out carpets often look terrible. Its not a must-do but I would not rule it out

That’s not a ‘thing’ the vast majority of people can’t afford it. I’ve lived with god awful carpet downstairs for nearly 2 years but it’ll be a while until it gets done, for multiple reasons!

I’m lucky enough to live in a lovely house and I’m very into interiors. Even so, we’ve just changed DS2s carpet. He was two when we moved in and the carpet was probably about 5 years old at that time. He’s now 17!

Yes I have always changed carpets, I include the cost as part of our budget for moving.

I have done both - we have moved around a lot. But generally my first stop , if we are moving in immediately, is to hire a cleaner and try refreshing them , then prioritise which need changing first.
Carpets are actually relatively less expensive than when we bought our first house (1980s), plus I prefer hard flooring in the high traffic areas. So they generally do get replaced, but rarely immediately.

Thanks all.

I don't have any concerns as such - I've moved into many a rental property with carpets that are questionable at best, lived with them for years, and it never did me any harm. I suppose I was just surprised at what some posters were saying and it got me wondering!

The only purchased house I've ever moved into was when my parents bought a house when I was small. It was some years before a few of the rooms were carpeted! I remember that hard black (?asphalty?) stuff on the floors was bloody freezing but great for roller skates (mother was not so keen).

We've got laminate in every room including bedrooms, just what we prefer but I thought buyers might like the idea too? There's a 5 year old soft grey wool carpet on stairs and top landing. I like that, again assumed it would be popular. My DD has a severe form of OCD and we have a dog so TBH if next house isn't new build then yes, we would need to replace/remove most carpets but that's a very specific set of circumstances.