Carpets in a rented house - fair wear and tear?

Silaqui

Hi there,
I have done a bit of a search on here so I am sorry if this is duplicated.
I am currently renting a property, I have been here three years now and am hoping to stay for another year.

I was just wondering about what constitutes fair wear and tear in terms of carpets? The flat has cream coloured carpets (never understood the logic behind that!) and there are no stains or anything but in places they are looking a bit 'flat' and slightly grey especially in the hallway and in front of the sofa (I have had a rug in front of the sofa but the carpet is still a bit squashed underneath it).

To me it's quite noticeable but we have lived here for 3 years now, the carpets are hoovered regularly and have had the odd clean with a carpet cleaner. If there are any landlords out there, what kind of condition would you expect from the carpets?

As an aside because I have just thought of it, there is like a mouldy/mildew stuff around the windows which appears every so often. I've tried to keep on top of it with bleach and regular cleaning but it keeps coming back - would I be liable for this?

Thanks for any advice,
x

Premier_2

carpet- the reasonable flattening of the pile in areas where you have walked or had furniture will be considered fair wear & tear. Regarding the discolouration ("slightly grey"), you need to better understand the cause. If it's dirt, it's not wear & tear. If necessary, get an expert in to see if professional cleaning would remove the "slight grey".

Mildew/mould. - yes, you would be responsible for cleaning this up (assuming it wasn't there when you moved in) Just clean it up again before you leave

Silaqui

Hmm I don't think the greyness is actually dirt, I usually do the whole carpet a couple of times a year with one of the cleaner machines that you can rent from Morrisons. I think it's more that it looks a different colour because of the flattening, so I guess that would be ok under the same reasons as you mentioned.
I thought so about the mouldiness - have asked on here about other ways to get rid of it as nothing I do seems to work for more than a few weeks. I guess if I can't do anything I shall just do as you say!

Thanks for the advice
x

tbs624

Silaqui wrote: »

... there is like a mouldy/mildew stuff around the windows which appears every so often. I've tried to keep on top of it with bleach and regular cleaning but it keeps coming back ...

Silaqui - if there is a regular build up of mildew it is likely to be due to condensation. You need to keep the property heated and ventilated - see here for further info. If there are any repairs issues that would exacerbate the problem, such as windows that don't properly open & close properly or a heating system that doesn't work properly, then that would be down to the LL to sort out

Was there an inventory done at the property at the start of your rental and if so, what did it say on there about the carpets?

Silaqui

On the inventory it just says "magnolia carpets" no more descriptive than that. It does state in the contract that they expect the flat to be cleaned 'to a professional standard' before it is vacated but nothing in any more detail as far as I can tell.
On the mildew front, the windows do have vents and I do have them (the windows) open often, and at the moment the heating is on for a couple of hours a day (it's always pretty warm) so from that point of view I don't think any of that needs the landlord involved. However I did notice from that link it mentions not drying washing indoors if possible and I do this alot as there is nowhere else - however it is in a different room to the one that mainly suffers. There is usually condensation on the windows in the morning too I will need to start cleaning that off if that will make a difference. I'll try sorting that out first and see if there is an improvement.

I'll have to look into some of the methods it mentions of removing it too.

Thanks for the link and the advice it's really useful.

poppysarah

Poor quality carpet might suffer colour fade if exposed to sunlight...

Silaqui

That wouldn't be possible in this case as it is in a hallway with no windows - thank you for the suggestion though
x

Trollfever

My "Get Rich Quick" property book suggests that landlords should budget for new carpets every 2-5 years.

paintpot

Trollfever wrote: »

My "Get Rich Quick" property book suggests that landlords should budget for new carpets every 2-5 years.

I think it does depend on the quality of the carpet in determining its lifespan but you raise a very valid point. However, where some landlords go wrong/are not aware is that in making any deductions from the deposit for items, carpets included, if it needs to be replaced they can't deduct the full cost for a brand new replacement.

It has to be a like for like replacement (or at least the deduction has to be based on that and not betterment), you have to look at the lifespan of the item, how old it is at the time of being damage and then make a mathematical deduction based on those factors.

Silaqui

Ah that's interesting to know. The flat had been lived in for about a year before we arrived, so that means it has had 4 years of wear and tear in total. If it was to need replacing after we left then assuming we get another year here, would we be liable for any of the cost to be taken from the deposit?
Don't think I'm trying to get out of paying my fair share(!), I'm just trying to ascertain if I would be asked to contribute towards it. I pay my rent which I guess is partly there to cover these sort of things, and try to keep it in good nick by cleaning it every so often!
Thanks for all the advice
x

Rick62

I thought i read that in assessing fair wear and tear the courts would reckon on a carpet life of 5 years?

Also the landlord gets 10% of the rent allowed for tax purposes for wear and tear of the property and contants, which would include carpets.