Carpet Cleaning Security Deposit

1 as used in this section security deposit includes any last month s rent deposit.

Carpet cleaning security deposit.

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 can only keep money from the security deposit for damages that are beyond normal wear and tear. In disputes over security deposits courts have often considered basic carpet cleaning to be part of normal wear and tear. 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.

Below is information that is listed by the california department of consumer affairs www dca ca gov regarding deductions on these specific items. The landlord shall provide the tenant with a receipt for any security deposit the tenant pays. Typically landlords may use a tenant s security deposit for any cleaning or repairs necessary to restore the rental unit to its condition at the beginning of the tenancy landlords may not however use the deposit to cover the costs of ordinary wear and tear. One common dispute between landlords and tenants is carpet cleaning.

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. 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. The landlord shall hold a security deposit or prepaid rent for the tenant who is a party to. 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.

Some states prohibit landlords from withholding money from the deposit for basic cleaning. I was surprised because i had remembered reading an article. 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. And the longer a tenant has lived in a place the more wear and tear can be expected.

Security deposits are for the benefit and protection of the. For example if a tenant left the carpet stained dirty and or ripped then the carpet would be damaged beyond. 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. If the carpet cleaning does not exceed a professional cleaner s normal rate and the carpet doesn t have any actual damage.