Musty carpets in rental - what should I do?!

[onarollercoaster]

Hi everyone, I really need some advice because I’m a bit upset by this!
im moved into a new place—not been here long, But the carpets are seriously musty and smell bad. I think the smell is catching in the back of my throat and flaring up my asthma at times.
I’ve checked absolutely everywhere for mold and can’t find a thing. I even had a friend come over to check I wasn't going mad! We’ve lifted the carpets to look underneath, and there’s no visible damp at all, the carpet is directly to concrete so no underlay to have degraded and very little dust underneath, but the smell is very noticeable. It’s the only thing that’s smells bad in the property so I’m pretty sure it’s that.
I spoke to the estate agent about getting them professionally cleaned. He actually mentioned off the record that ideally they need replacing but the landlord is not up for that.
Quite frankly, I’m not willing to pay a substantial amount of rent every month to live in a house with carpets that smell awful and are potentially making me feel unwell.
My dilemma: I really don't want to be labeled a "problem tenant." I don't want to piss off the estate agent either, because I know I'll likely need them to help me find another place in the future. But I don’t want to carry on like this.
How would you approach this without burning bridges?
Will a professional carpet clean help significantly? (I’ll pay for it myself if needed)
Has anyone had success with air purifiers?
WWYD? Thanks in advance! x

Buy new carpets

Could you rent a Rug Doctor for the weekend and try cleaning them that way? They are generally pretty good, and about £35 f9r a weekend.

Surely not for a rental?

Needs must.

Buy a good couple of tubs of bicarb of soda from the baking section of Aldi/Lidl.
Spread liberally all over the carpet.
Leave overnight.
Vacuum in the morning and open the windows to air the room.
Alternatively, get down to B&M for some "shake n vac" (which is basically bicarb but with added fragrance).
Bicarb is a natural deodoriser so worth a try for a musty smell.

What do you think the smell is? Damp, animals, old cooking, nonenal?

Can you see what the carpets are made of and estimare their age?

The carpet should have underlay to protect it from any dampness in the concrete.

Do you otherwise like the flat? Would you see yourself being there a long time other than the carpets?

That would steer me towards either making a massive fuss or just buying some cheap carpets and underlay

More so in an older house.

How old is it?

So you've checked for mould but haven't actually tried cleaning the carpets at all?! That would have been the first thing I tried.

RugDoctor is really good - I use it to clean my carpets in my rentals when needed.

You can’t change the carpets in the property without the landlords permission. You could speak to the estate agent to speak to landlord on your behalf if you’re willing to replace at your expense - but I’d only do this if you’re planning to stay for a while. If it’s only a year or so then I wouldn’t bother and look to use all other cleaning options first.

its frustrating and as a landlord I’d never let a property like this without completing remedial works first.