Carpet Stain Fair Deduction

DrBeardface

Hi guys,

Just unsuccessfully tried to clean a big blue stain out of the cream carpet in the property I rent. I'm not planning on moving out any time soon, so I wanted to ask what would be considered a fair deduction from my deposit, and whether or not I can request that the carpet be replaced now, rather than after I've left the property. I have been here for 1 year, the carpets were not new when I moved in. In fact I couldn't tell you how old they are, however I suspect that they were fitted when the house was built in 2000.

So three questions:

How can I find out how old the carpet is?
How much is reasonable for me to pay towards replacing it?
Can I request this happens before I decide to leave?

Thanks for your help!!

anselld

I suspect if you have damaged the carpet to the extent of needing a new one now the L will probably give you permission to replace it at your own expense. Beyond that would be wishful thinking.

HampshireH

It wouldnt be fair wear and tear thoigh if from new then they are likely to have outlived their minimum life span. Morally I would feel obliged to replace it if I had damaged it to that extent.

[Deleted User]

Blue stains can be difficult to remove but just in case, its worth googling ( i.e. carpet stain
xxxx product removal). There may be something you can do. I had some toilet cleaner (blue) stain some laminate floor boards. Kept washing and over a couple of years it faded so it couldn't be seen. Admittedly its unlikely to happen with a carpet.

Given the carpet is oldish, you could try a small drop of bleach in water on a hidden corner and see if it damages the carpet. Tiny area only. Some carpets are bleachable. But you'd probably have to do the whole room otherwise will be a seeable colour change.

I'd probably try those things before replacing an old carpet.

Moosk

Your deposit should be protected until the end of the tenancy - so I don't think the landlord would be able to access it sooner. Also, what happens if the new carpet gets damaged? The landlord would then have nothing to cover that (other than small claims court?)

Do you have accidental damage cover on your insurance? If so, you could claim on that to pay for a new carpet. You would have your excess to pay, but save the deposit deduction later on.

DrBeardface

I know it's not wear and tear. And I've tried bleach. The carpet is not recoverable, so I want to know how much of the replacement it's reasonable for me to pay. If you carpet has outlived it's lifespan does this mean that it would be nothing? Obviously I would still offer to pay something, but I want to know what my legal rights are in terms of betterment. What would the deposit protection scheme people say?

anselld

Your legal rights, betterment and the protection scheme only come into play at the end of tenancy. However, yes if you can show it was already a very old carpet before you finished it off then you would only pay a small fraction or even nothing.

You have no legal right to get a new carpet now though and very few Landlords will be willing to buy one for someone who has already caused damage beyond repair. You could try a 50:50 offer, you might get lucky.

FloProActiv

Have you tried getting a professional carpet cleaner in? We got one in at the end of our tenancy, and they got rid of stains that had been there for 4+ years (they were noted on the check in inventory when we moved in), including some blue/green paint stains.

FBaby

You can try to negotiate with your LL, but expect them to say that if you want new carpets, you pay for them. As such, you would be free to take it with you when you go and put the old one back, and then agree on deduction of deposit for the damage. If the carpet is indeed that old, it might be that they would be entitled to next to nothing anyway.

armchaireconomist

So you've damaged the carpet and want the LL to replace at his expense because they were old anyway? That's not how it works i'm afraid.


He may look to recover costs from deposit for a like for like replacement, so probably a small amount against cost of new given they're 18+ years old.

need_an_answer

What makes you suspect the carpet is the original one that was fitted when the property was built?

If you wish to consider a replacement part funded by the LL before you leave the property for you to benefit from whilst you continue to rent then I believe you would need to be offering to pay a lot more than just a small percentage of the replacement costs.

What condition was the carpet graded at in your check in inventory,if it was classed as good then expect to pay more than if it was graded fair or poor.

The LL will charge something for the replacement simply because when the property was let to you it had a carpet and potentially that carpet is now unusable for future tenants( I'm guessing this to be correct as I sense that even you feel unhappy about living with the stain)

You could consider a rug but that's only going to mask it in the short term.


How big is the room that needs carpeting?
Is it a matching carpet running throughout the property or is it perhaps something that is room remnant size?

Buying a carpet that is an off cut size can actually be a lot cheaper than you think and it may prove worth your while seeing what your local carpet places have in their discount areas.

It could potentially cost £50 to replace with something of a similar colour that you could then have the benefit of for the remainder of your tenancy and it work out cheaper than a deposit deduction at the end for a ruined carpet,bearing in mind that the LL is going to be able to charge something if you leave the damaged carpet there.

I am a LL and have 1 property where the carpets are to my knowledge and judgement"coming to life span end" I have graded them as poor on the last inventory check in with tenants and we have mooted a conversation that whilst I'm not inviting them to damage them further I will not be seeking a deposit retention at the end of their tenancy simply because I will be changing them.They were more than happy with that.
Is it possible that your LL may take a similar view?