Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Florida
Carpet Replacement
I lived in an apartment for 2 years and 7 months. My roommates cats scratched all the carpet and padding all the way down to the wood right outside of her bedroom door. I just received my final bill from the complex and while I know the carpet was damaged in that area I thought apartment complexes replace the carpet before a new tenant moves in. I know when we moved in the carpet appeared to be brand new. They are charging us $487.79 and I was going to write a letter disputing the charge and stating we would agree to pay half the replacement. I�m not really sure if this is something I can do or not, I was told after living in an apartment for a period of time the carpet would be replaced. Is this true?
Thank you
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Carpet Replacement
You can certainly write your letter and see if they'll take your offer, but apartments complexes don't usually replace carpets if they don't have to. If the apartment complex was going to replace the carpet anyway, and you can prove it, then you are only liable for the damage to the floor, which may be minimal given that the floor is covered by carpet.