Whether you are looking for a new apartment or have been in your existing apartment for a long time, everybody wants their carpets to look, feel and smell nice. But what are the conditions under which a landlord will replace the carpet in the apartment? Do they have a legal obligation to do so, or can they just replace the carpet whenever they want?
Landlords will typically replace the carpet in an apartment when it is at least 10-15 years old or there is a safety issue or health hazard with the carpet.
There are some other circumstances under which the landlord MAY choose to replace the carpet as well, and I will go through those conditions below, but these are usually very specific reasons for doing so. Carpet isn’t the cheapest thing in the world to replace, it costs quite a bit of money, as anyone who has put carpet in their house or apartment can attest to.
Landlords are only going to want to replace the flooring in an apartment if it absolutely needs it. Outside of an absolutely necessity, they are going to tend towards just hiring a carpet cleaning company to scrub it as best they can before the next tenants move in.
Are Apartment Complexes Legally Required To Replace The Carpet?
There are no laws that say when a landlord must replace the carpet in an apartment.
Now, there ARE situations where they should replace the carpet without being asked.
The first of which is if the carpet is somehow a safety hazard. If there are large holes and tears in the carpet which new tenants could trip and fall on, then that would be considered a safety hazard and the landlord would be obligated to replace it under the Warrant of Habitability. This basically means that when the landlord rents you the apartment, it has to be livable. That means, no safety hazards.
The second reason would be if the carpet is a health hazard. As a current landlord, I have seen it all. Feces in the carpet, food that has been left out for months, dog and cat hair and waste, even used needles. There is little that could surprise me at this point.
If the carpet is in this condition, it is an absolute MUST that the landlord replace it before they have the next tenants move in. Not only that, but the carpets can turn into major air contaminants and breeding grounds for mold and other bacteria if things are not taken care of properly.
This is the requirement that the landlords are obligated to make for NEW tenants. If the current tenant has damaged and ripped the carpet, or destroyed it with their poor habits or pets, then the landlord doesn’t have the obligation to simply replace the carpet on demand.
In fact, the landlord can come after the tenant for damages if it is well above and beyond “normal wear and tear” of the carpet. At the least, the tenants are going to lose their security deposit and be asked to leave. At worst, they are going to be forcibly evicted and sued for damage to the property.
How Can I Get My Landlord To Replace My Carpet?
Primarily, the only time you will be able to talk a landlord into replacing carpet they haven’t already replaced themselves is at the beginning of a lease.
Outside that, if the landlord hasn’t changed the carpet because it NEEDS it, then it probably doesn’t. If you think it does and they still disagree with you, then simply rent somewhere else. If they are refusing to replace something that definitely needs replacing and they don’t do it, then chances are there are many things inside your apartment, and the complex, that are in the same condition.
A good option that can make both parties happy is if you simply request the landlord have the carpets professionally cleaned. A professional carpet cleaner can bring a carpet back to life in amazing ways. Your Landlord is more than likely going to have at least one, if not two, of these companies on speed dial for every time a tenant moves out. Ask them if they would be willing to come in and clean the carpets for you. This costs WAY less than replacing the actual carpet, it makes your carpet look and smell brand new, and can be a great compromise between landlord and tenant.
Be Willing To Pay More In Rent. If you REALLY want your carpet replaced and it isn’t on your landlord’s schedule, or in his budget, to replace your carpet at the current time, you are going to have few options. Being willing to pay a bit more in rent each month, or even be willing to sign a longer lease are two things that can help your case.
Your landlord isn’t going to want to shell out the cash to get an apartment re-carpeted if it doesn’t really NEED it. You are going to have to show them that not only are you going to stay at their complex for a longer amount of time but that you are willing to pay more for the privilege as well.
Which brings me to my final point…..
You have to be a GREAT tenant for this to happen. Like not just a normal tenant, you have to be a GREAT one. You are the tenant that pays their rent on time, every month without exception. You have a great relationship with your landlord, the management, the maintenance guy, and all of your neighbors. You have never had a complaint filed against you, and you are always willing to help your neighbor if they have a problem.
You also are going to be the tenant that keeps their apartment SPOTLESS. No messes in the kitchen, no piles of clothes on the floor, or trash in the corner. Your apartment looks as good, if not better than the day you moved in.
If you are THIS tenant, then you have a chance at talking your landlord into putting new carpet in your apartment. Let them know that the carpet was worn before you moved in and it is time for it to be replaced, and you will help do what you can to get it done.
Can A Landlord Charge Me For Carpet Replacement?
So what happens when a tenant moves out and there are holes and rips in the carpet that weren’t there before?
Your landlord can keep your security deposit for the repair of the carpet if the damage isn’t “normal wear and tear”.
As a landlord, I see this all the time, and while you may think it is draconian to keep someone’s security deposit for this, let me tell you that the amount we get in security deposit doesn’t cover 25% of what it costs to replace the carpet. And many times, no matter HOW good the professional carpet cleaners are, there is nothing they can do, it just needs to be replaced.
The security deposit is generally what is going to be withheld from the tenant when they move out if there is significant damage to the carpet. Now, I am not talking about just a wear spot where people come in the door all the time or walk around the corner. I am talking about legitimate tears and holes and other damage to the carpet that is not repairable. Something that makes it necessary to be completely replaced.
The only time I have come after a tenant for the entire cost of the carpet is when a tenant was in the apartment for less than 6 months, destroyed the entire apartment with them and their friends, only paid 3 out of the 6 months they were even there and left a $1,000 mess to clean up. That’s not including the cost to repaint, clean, and get the apartment ready to go again. It was a disaster.
And the carpet was absolutely destroyed by things which I don’t feel like repeating at this juncture. So, when the suit was filed against the former tenants and then sent to collections, the carpet was added as a documented damage. The judge ruled in our favor because we had the pictures to back it up and because we only receive about 60% of whatever collections can get…..everybody lost. Except for the carpet company, who got another piece of business.
The moral of the story is that YES, your landlord can take your security deposit if you have damaged the carpet beyond the normal wear and tear that goes on during regular use. But in extreme circumstances, they can come after you for the destruction of property as well.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace The Carpet?
Carpet prices are going to vary around the country based on how close you are to the manufacture of the carpet, many of which are in south Texas, and what the labor rates are to install the carpet.
It is also going to depend on what type of carpet and underlying pad that the landlord chooses to go with. Prices can range from $3 a square foot to $10 a square foot installed.
A typical one-bedroom apartment is going to be around the range of 600-700 square feet. Many landlords are going to go with more industrial or builder-grade carpets which are going to be cheaper. Even if you stick with the low end of the scale, for a 600 square foot apartment, you are looking at between $1,500-$2,000 to have the entire apartment carpeted.
Now, the apartments I have of this size tend to be a little cheaper than that, because we don’t put carpets in the kitchen or the bathrooms, which saves on square footage. Also, if the rooms happen to be a good size for the installers to cut, they don’t have to order a bunch more to make everything fit, and you can get by with purchasing less carpet.
Regardless, it isn’t cheap replacing carpet.
How Often Should I Vacuum My Apartment?
You should vacuum your apartment every 1-2 weeks, and do a deep clean once every 3-4 months.
If you vacuum your carpet well every week or so, you will be amazed at how much better your apartment will look, smell, and feel. Most vacuums have some sort of HEPA air filters on them as well, which take the dust and debris out of the carpet that can float around your apartment. This can be very bad for your health and is one of the main reasons your apartment can develop a smell.
A 1- or 2-bedroom apartment should take no more than 10 minutes to fully vacuum. This is a small cost in time considering the benefits you are going to see in your carpet and in your air quality in your apartment.
Can I Ask My Landlord To Clean My Carpet?
Asking your landlord to professionally clean your carpets is a preferable alternative to your landlord than replacing the carpet outright.
Remember we said that replacing all the carpet in the apartment was going to cost a could thousand bucks, at least? Well, most professional carpet cleaning companies are going to be able to come in and make your carpets look and smell like new for around $150, maybe even cheaper if your landlord uses the same company all the time.
Your landlord is going to be more apt to undertake the cost of this himself because he sees you’re taking good care of your apartment and wanting to keep things nice in there. Professionally cleaning the apartment will also help extend the life of the carpet, and hopefully, push back by a few years when that carpet will actually have to be replaced.
Asking your landlord for this is a perfectly reasonable request, and even if they aren’t willing to pay the whole cost, ask them to split the cost with you and everyone comes out ahead!
If you are a great tenant however, they may be willing just to do this service for you the next time the professional floor cleaners are at the complex to work on another unit.
While there are no set laws that say when a landlord must replace the carpet in an apartment, the carpet has to be at least “livable”. That means no health hazards or safety issues can be present when they rent the apartment to you for the first time. If you think that your carpet qualifies for this, talk to them about it. If they are unwilling to change, then rent an apartment from someone else.
If you are thinking your carpet may need a facelift, but don’t realize how expensive it is to replace the carpet, suggest to your landlord that they bring in a professional carpet cleaning service to clean your carpet and extend the life of their own property. If you are a good tenant, there is a good chance that just by asking, they will be willing to cover part, if not all, of the cost to clean your carpet for you.
