Carpet Charges In California

According to california law ca civil code 1940 1954 05 under a lease tenants have certain rights such as the right to a habitable dwelling due process for evictions and more landlords also have rights such as the right to collect rent and to collect for property.

Carpet charges in california.

In other words landlords bear the cost of the routine carpet cleaning when a tenant moves out. It does clarify that worn or aged but otherwise undamaged carpet does not affect a property s habitability. If the carpet cleaning does not exceed a professional cleaner s normal rate and the carpet doesn t have any actual damage landlords should not charge a tenant for dirty carpets. Thus if the tenant s damage cheated three years out of the carpets life the landlord under california law could only hold the tenant responsible for 300.

Listed below are some facts you should know about carpet replacement. The carpet padding and the labor. Once you learn whether or not you as a long term tenant will pay those costs you. At the home depot the cost of carpet installation is free on purchases of 699 or more.

According to california law landlords can only charge tenants for carpet and paint under certain conditions. 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. Discarded carpet is one of the 10 most prevalent waste materials in california landfills comprising about 3 2 percent of waste by volume disposed of in california in 2008. Carpets and drapes useful life rule a landlord cannot routinely charge each tenant for cleaning carpets drapes walls or windows in order to prepare the rental unit for the next tenancy.

Many states allow a landlord to deduct legally a tenant s security deposit to replace the rental carpet by the time the tenant decides to move out. Introduction to california s carpet stewardship law. Any carpet cleaning charges they collect in advance must be treated as part of a security deposit which must be subject to a refund. Many landlords charge tenants to pay for carpet replacement for no apparent reason.

California law does not specify when landlords must replace carpeting in rental units. Below is information that is listed by the california department of consumer affairs www dca ca gov regarding deductions on these specific items. The cost to install carpet depends on three factors.