Carpet and paint - Landlord Forum thread 150984

Carpet and paint by Joseph (Florida) on February 7, 2008 @14:44

My wife and I leased a townhouse for 5 years when we moved out. The question is simple: Assuming there were no holes and no defacements to the wall's, and that there were no stains on the carpets...

At what point would you expect to naturally have to paint the walls - and replace carpet (considering furniture impressions and traffic areas, etc)...due to normal wear and tear...?

After 1 year...after 2 years...after 3 years...after 4 years...after 5 years?

Thanks

[ Reply ] [ Return to forum ]

Re: Carpet and paint by Sara (Wisconsin) on February 7, 2008 @14:48	[ Reply ]

From what I've read, the lifespan of carpet in a rented property is about five years. I even looked at the IRS yesterday, and they use five years for tax purposes, depreciating the value of the carpet each year. Hope that helps!

Re: Carpet and paint by Anonymous on February 7, 2008 @15:05	[ Reply ]

The lifespan of a product is determined by the total cost divided by the number of depreciation years, for tax purposes only. This does not mean that carpet cannot last longer than the IRS depreciation scales. The brand of carpet would need to be determined in order to address the carpet’s lifespan. Certain carpets have longer lifespan than others. Wool carpet is expected to last ten years in a restaurant or theater but may last thirty years for household use. Many higher grade carpets have a 15-20 year life expectancy. Lower grade carpets may only have a 4-7 year life expectancy. Painting between tenants is expected every two to three years. Painting within the same tenancy is expected every three to five years. Every state has different guidelines issued by the housing department. A good source for information may be the HUD website.

Re: Carpet and paint

Re: Carpet and paint by Anonymous on February 7, 2008 @19:22	[ Reply ]

The point of the post is whether tenant is responsible for paint repairs and carpet replacement. The simple answer is the paint would be required anyway after five years under any circumstances. The carpet would not necessarily need to be replaced after five years of use. Often times, appliances and fixtures last longer than the "life span" depending on the user. Carpet that is not excessively used may not wear or tear and may last 15-20 years. Carpet that experiences high traffic may last only 5 years. The point is whether the tenant is responsible for the excessive wear and tear. We had a ten year carpet that the tenant never cleaned for seven years. Lease specified bi-annual carpet cleaning. The tenant was responsible for partial replacement value. We charged 50% replacement of the new carpet. We, as LLs and tenants, can debate whether it should be 30% or 50% or any percentage at all. That's what courts are for.

Re: Carpet and paint

Re: Carpet and paint by NY LL on February 8, 2008 @00:41	[ Reply ]

It seems that there are multi-level debates going on about the carpet. One debate is about financial depreciation of fixtures such as carpet. Other debate is about tenant neglect and replacement of useful carpet. EVERYONE is correct within their own parameters. As one poster stated, this is the reason we have courts -- for debates. We would all have to agree that there is a difference between wear and tear over the life span versus neglect and abuse within a set time frame.