Can we class the carpets as reasonable wear and tear?

Bluebelle72

We are thinking of moving from a private rented house but are worried as to how clean the carpets should be, we have been here since April 06 we have 4 kids aged from 16 yrs to 5 months, the hall carpet is a bit dirty due to people coming in and out, and also about 2 metres square by the living room door, also my son has a biege carpet in his room, I did put a mat down but when I pull it back you can tell the underneath is slightly lighter than the rest. My daughter accidently dropped a shampoo bottle on her bedroom carpet which cracked open and it has left a dark stain on the carpet about a foot squared in size, also a biege carpet! My question is, would we have to hire a carpet cleaner and do all the rooms or would the LL be covered by insurance against reasonable wear and tear. Thanks guys.
Helen x

barnaby-bear

Bluebelle72 wrote: »

We are thinking of moving from a private rented house but are worried as to how clean the carpets should be, we have been here since April 06 we have 4 kids aged from 16 yrs to 5 months, the hall carpet is a bit dirty due to people coming in and out, and also about 2 metres square by the living room door, also my son has a biege carpet in his room, I did put a mat down but when I pull it back you can tell the underneath is slightly lighter than the rest. My daughter accidently dropped a shampoo bottle on her bedroom carpet which cracked open and it has left a dark stain on the carpet about a foot squared in size, also a biege carpet! My question is, would we have to hire a carpet cleaner and do all the rooms or would the LL be covered by insurance against reasonable wear and tear. Thanks guys.
Helen x

Hire a carpet-cleaner; spilling stuff is not reasonable wear and tear; excessive dirty is not reasonable...

Imp

Dirt is dirt. Wear is wear - i.e. the carpets loosing some of their pile. Tear is ... tear. A carpet worn down and fraying.

If it can be cleaned out by any method, then it can not be wear and tear and so you should return in the same clean state as when you took it over.

happinessfactory

Having been both a landlord and a tenant in the past, "reasonable wear and tear" is a very murky area.

The landlord certainly won't be insured for it, so whether they write off the damage is entirely up to them. I used to take an entirely biased view - were the tenants careful with most things, did they pay the rent on time, did I like them? If the answers were "no" on all three counts, I'd bill them for the costs of repairing virtually everything;)

Get the carpet professionally shampooed. It costs abouut £60. Keep the receipt for doing so in case your landlord gets arsey - it shows you've been maintaining the property the very best you can.

Badger_Lady

Through most letting agents, they will need to see a professional cleaning receipt before you leave, or else arrange their own and deduct it from your deposit.

I would suggest the same applies for private rental - although if you have a good relationship with the landlord you may be able to just hire a professional-standard cleaning machine (my local dry cleaners hires one out for £30 a day), and do it yourself.

Loretta

I would say if the carpets are generally grubby hiring a machine and doing it yourself may be reasonable. If there are stains you may not get them out and using a professional carpets cleaner may be better, at least you have tried, and this person may be better at 'walkways' where there is extra dirt and the stains.

The shampoo will have had a dye in it and it is probably too late to remove that as it should have been done straight away and you may be charged for part of the cost of replacing this carpet.

I always think if you arrange the cleaning yourself and have a receipt you are 'in charge' of the cost. If you leave it to the letting agent you have no idea how much they will charge

SquatNow

Bathroom Carpet = £20 from B&Q. Ready Cut!

Take the old one outside and lay it over the new one. Draw round and trim.

10 minutes work.

drc

When we move we are going to get our carpets professionally done. It is quite cheap about £7 per room and that is in London. I am sure it wouldn't cost very much to have the carpets cleaned and then you have done your best. At the end of the day I don't see how a landlord can expect carpets to be as clean and in as perfect condition as when you moved in as you live there and you are paying rent for use of the flat which includes stepping on the carpets. Carpets get used so there is bound to be some worn areas (possibly even stains). I would get them cleaned professionally and show him/her a receipt as then your landlord won't have an excuse to take a horrrendous amount out of your deposit supposedly for 'cleaning' the carpets.

Badger_Lady

drc wrote: »

When we move we are going to get our carpets professionally done. It is quite cheap about £7 per room and that is in London.

Give me your supplier's number! I paid £70 to get my old living room done :eek:

Phirefly

Badger_Lady wrote: »

Through most letting agents, they will need to see a professional cleaning receipt before you leave, or else arrange their own and deduct it from your deposit.

I've never known of this. Whenever I've left a rental property, we've scrubbed it to cleaner than it was when we arrived and I've always had 100% deposit back.

The night before a chum moved out of his rental apartment last year we had a celebration meal and thought it would be a great idea to have roast beetroot. On a cream carpet. Anyone who knows me knows this was not the smartest idea ever.

Bluebelle72

Thank you all very much for your replies, the worst thing really is the stain in my daughters room I could have swung for her!! That's the trouble with private, I think you're always on a knife edge, worrying about any damage you or the kids may do!!.