When you are renting a home or apartment from a landlord, you expect them to pay for certain maintenance to be performed. That’s one of the biggest perks of renting, after all. When it comes to the carpet in a rental, there seems to be a gray area as to who is responsible for the cleaning of it. Tenants on one hand will argue that some staining is simple wear and tear on carpet; while landlords will argue that a tenant made the carpet dirty and should be responsible for the cleaning of it. Orange County Steam Masters is here to talk about this predicament and offer some advice on how to solve the problem.
Landlords Must Provide Safe Living Conditions
As a landlord of any rental property, it is their responsibility to ensure that the home or apartment is livable for the tenants that they are renting to. The matter of carpeting is something that leaves many tenants scratching their heads. When a new tenant moves into a home, the carpets should be completely clean and in good condition with no trace of those that lived there previously. However, when you have lived in a home or apartment for a long period of time, and the carpets are starting to look dingy, it may be less clear what happens next.
Unexplained Stains on Carpet?
It is important to note that it does matter who made the mess when it comes to cleaning it up. If you were sipping your glass of wine on the couch and it happened to spill onto the carpet, you need to know that you took the risk of drinking that wine over carpet, and will likely be the person responsible for getting the carpet cleaned. If you noticed that there were stains that were present when you first moved into the house, most definitely, the landlord is then responsible.
Tips for Getting Landlord to Pay for Professional Carpet Cleaning
If you really feel like it is your landlord’s responsibility to clean the carpets, there are a few approaches you can take to get the task completed.
– Ask Landlord to Have Carpets Cleaned: The first step that you should take is to have a conversation with your landlord. If you have been a reliable tenant, they may be happy to have the carpets cleaned for you.
– Submit a Repair Request: Even after you have had a conversation with your landlord, it isn’t a bad idea to send of a formal request in writing for the carpet cleaning. Be clear about the problem and why you feel they should cover the cost of cleaning in writing.
– Mediation: If you are having a hard time coming up with an agreement that works for both of you, you can call in a third party to help mediate the situation and come up with a compromise that works for everyone.
Carpet Cleaning, Stain Removal & More in Santa Ana, Irvine, Anaheim & Huntington Beach California
If you have carpets that are in desperate need of cleaning, call on the professionals at Orange County Steam Masters today!