Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

It is certainly legal to charge for cleaning. Carpet replacement would depend on the condition at move in and then at move out. If normal wear and tear, it is illegal to charge. If excessive wear or damage, then it is legal.

One common method of calculating the deduction for carpet replacement prorates the total cost of replacement so that the tenant pays only for the remaining useful life of the item that the tenant has damaged or destroyed. For example, suppose a tenant has damaged beyond repair an eight-year-old carpet that had a life expectancy of ten years, and that a replacement carpet of similar quality would cost $1,000. the landlord could properly charge only $200 for the two years� worth of life (use) that would have remained if the tenant had not damaged the carpet.