Landlord sent estimate for replacing flooring

[Tina Miller]

We moved out of our apartment recently and after about a week or so we received in email a final account estimate from the landlord. The estimate showed that they will be charging us for $8K for replacing stained floor. When we spoke to the landlord the next day, they said work on replacing the floor had already begun. Couple of days ago we learned that the landlord hasn't replaced the floor rather it has been cleaned well and the house is ready for occupancy. We are now waiting to receive the final bill from them which was supposed to be . If the flooring charges do get included in the final bill, what can we do so that we don't pay for them? We can't give any proof that the flooring hasn't been replaced, but we do know that it hasn't been replaced. Also, there were other charges on the estimate which were final and we were told to pay them by a certain date. Considering that the landlord has been't truthful (so far) about the flooring we are not sure about the veracity of these charges as well. How can we ensure that the charges are valid? Should we go ahead and pay those other charges to avoid the bill being sent to collections and then try to figure the charges?