Carpet Cleaning Security Deposit

Normal wear and tear means the declining condition of the rental property that occurs over time even though the tenant has been regularly cleaning and maintaining the property.

Carpet cleaning security deposit.

One common dispute between landlords and tenants is carpet cleaning. If the carpet cleaning does not exceed a professional cleaner s normal rate and the carpet doesn t have any actual damage. Below is information that is listed by the california department of consumer affairs www dca ca gov regarding deductions on these specific items. If you left obvious stains and dirt on the carpet while living there then it could be considered damages beyond normal wear and tear and the landlord could deduct carpet cleaning costs from your security deposit.

2 a except as otherwise provided in this section a landlord may require a tenant to pay a security deposit. Sometimes a security deposit is called a damage deposit and is generally some amount of money that the landlord is able to hold on to if a rental property needs any cleaning or repairs in order to return the property to the condition it was in when the renter first moved in. Landlords can only keep money from the security deposit for damages that are beyond normal wear and tear. 1 as used in this section security deposit includes any last month s rent deposit.

And the longer a tenant has lived in a place the more wear and tear can be expected. Deductions cannot include normal wear and tear essentially a landlord would have to sue a tenant as a separate matter if they did not pay for routine carpet cleaning required by the lease. Carpet cleaning can be included only if the cleaning was done by a machine specifically designed to clean carpets and the carpet also was cleaned right before the tenant moved into the unit. Landlords also can deduct from a security deposit to cover lost rent incurred because of being unable to rent out a unit while cleaning or completing repairs.

Charging a security deposit for carpet cleaning and painting depends on how long the tenant occupied the premises and in what condition the walls and carpet were left. Security deposits are for the benefit and protection of the. The landlord shall provide the tenant with a receipt for any security deposit the tenant pays. The landlord shall hold a security deposit or prepaid rent for the tenant who is a party to.

Any carpet cleaning charges they collect in advance must be treated as part of a security deposit which must be subject to a refund. Some states prohibit landlords from withholding money from the deposit for basic cleaning. In disputes over security deposits courts have often considered basic carpet cleaning to be part of normal wear and tear. Q when i recently moved out of an apartment the manager notified me that i would receive my 400 deposit less 45 for carpet cleaning.