Can my apartment complex charge me for replacing the carpet upon moving out?
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Can my apartment complex charge me for replacing the carpet upon moving out?
I never received a letter or phone call from the apartment complex about the carpet. I found out when a debt collector called me and said that I had to pay $1,700 in a week or it would be on my credit.
Asked on October 17, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Oklahoma
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Whether or not you are obligated to replace the carpet in the rental that you were living in depends upon several factors. First, read your written lease (assuming you have one) in that its terms and conditions control the obligations owed to you by the landlord and vice versa in the absence of conflicting state law.
Carefully read this document as to your responsibility as to damages for the rental or replacement of the carpet.
Secondly, did you damage the carpet during your occupancy of the rental? Or, has the carpet deteriorated simply due to normal wear and tear? If the damages result from normal wear and tear you should not be responsible for its replacement. Normal wear and tear is simply how an item ages through normal use. Many times a landlord attempts to have his or her former tenant to pay for carpet or rugs that have worn out through normal wear and tear.
Good luck.
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