How much is considered "normal wear and tear" for carpet?

Question

Hello BP community!

I'm Carol I need your help how do you calculate how much to charge for "normal wear and tear" on carpeting. I have a tenant moving out, they have been with me for 5 years the carpet was not new when they moved in but they have a dog paid $250 pet deposit. When I went to visit the house with the realtor because I'm going to sell it, I noticed lots of pee spots and dirt spots. The tenant said they will have the carpet cleaned before they move out but of course they are in denial of how the spots got there. I will be replacing the carpet but I'd like to get a formula to calculate what's normal vs what's the tenant expense if any to pay?

Thanks!

Russell Brazil · Answer

IRS depreciation schedule is 5 years for carpet, and I use that as rule of thumb for how long it should last.

Carol Bloom · Answer

@Ned Jackson I'm at the point of moving on as you suggest thanks to everyone's feedback.  Lesson learned: add flooring not carpeting.

Jon Holdman · Answer

I have been told by a local property manager that around here a judge will disallow ANY deduction for carpets older than three years.

Sam Shueh · Answer

The carpet is ruined and shot.  Assuming the value was 50% now it is zero or close to it. Charge by the sf.

If you see dog pee it is likely get into underlayment and subfloor as well.  You are likely to smell urine no matter what.

This is another reason you do not want PETS in a rental.

Peter B. · Answer

@Carol Bloom

Anything after 5 years is really a bonus with pets. Have you considered a monthly pet fee moving forward? At 50 dollars per month.  A five year tenant would pay to replace the carpet 3-4 times. (depending on your carpet/labor costs) We install at 1.25-1.5 a ft.

Most people on here are getting away from carpet and moving to vp/tile. We still use carpet and treat it as a desposible commodity. It actually has become and additional income stream. Through pet fees and less turnover.

Carol Bloom · Answer

Any investors from AZ-Scottsdale area that can chime in about what a judge will accept like what @jon Holdman is suggesting?

Carol Bloom · Answer

@Teri S. I like the logic !

Carol Bloom · Answer

@Russell Brazil

@Peter Bowen

@Erik Whiting

@Colleen F.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, it helped me a lot. I guess I did ok if the IRS depreciation schedule is 5 years for carpet. I like Peter's method of charging a per dollar fee for the pet on top of the rent. Is that per pet or multiple?

The tenants cleaned the carpet 3x a year at their expense, so much cleaning that the carpet doesn't look good anymore. I agree to move away from carpeting to flooring.

Erik, I like how you position that pet pee is not normal wear and tear but it's damage. I am going to implement your "handyman" theory to check on the maintenance of the house. I can't agree with you more about water leaks just paid $1,000 to a plumber last week but it was such a fluck thing the actual connection of the pipes got disconnected. The property is in CA the ground moves and it caused a leak from the bathroom to the ceiling in the garage, however my home warranty covered it.

Carol Bloom · Answer

@Sam Shueh I agree with your assumption of the value of the carpet was 50% is that what you are suggesting to charge the tenant for cost replacement?

I usually don't like to allow pets either but 5 years ago the marketplace was very different, I was happy to get a qualified tenant who paid on time and took good care of the house.

How much is considered "normal wear and tear" for carpet?

Most Popular Reply