Re: PET FEE VS SECURITY DEPOSIT - Landlord Forum thread 360262

Re: PET FEE VS SECURITY DEPOSIT by kiki2020 on February 10, 2020 @19:27

You misunderstood me or I did not explain myself enough.
I didn't mean I was going to take 1/2 of the sec dep- I meant 1/2 of whatever the cost to clean, I would split that in half and maybe keep $100 from sec dep.

The tenant was the one who got the quote from a carpet cleaner and give it to me as she knows she was supposed to have a professional. The unit is in good condition meaning no holes in the wall, or tons of wall cracks due to removed pictures, or a dirty stove or bathroom, etc. But the carpet is dirty.

In that discussion she asked me if the Pet Fee affects any of this? (There is a big brown stain in the master closet and a small one in bed 2. I'm ignoring those in the general cleaning question.)

The way I saw the pet fee is a form of insurance against uncertain damages that a pet may do. The pets (2 cats) lived there for 5 years.
This carpet throughout is not a pet issue - it's an issue of a dirty carpet as though no pet existed.

Not trying to be unfair to the T- we have a great communication. I kept the rent in her price range for 7 years-she only moved b/c to care for family members.

I'm looking for feedback from others re: how they see the differences between pet fee and sec dep.
I just wanted some advice about how to reconcile all this in my mind.

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Re: PET FEE VS SECURITY DEPOSIT by Garry on February 10, 2020 @20:26	[ Reply ]

I would still say to use the nonrefundable pet deposit for a professional carpet cleaner to come in and do all the carpets. Even if the pets did no damage, the tenant has lived there long enough (7 years) that if you took all this info in front of a judge, the judge would say that any dirty areas you find now (after the T has cleaned it once already), that it would be considered 7 years worth of NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. Use the pet deposit for the carpet cleaning, (the T is not expecting it back, anyway) and return the full security deposit to the T. You have just had 7 straight years with no vacancy (which with most rentals, you may have had 2-3 turnovers in those 7 years, which costs a LL money each time a turnover happens ), you have great communication now with your T, and if they leave on good terms with you, they may just give you good references in the future, which could be worth far more than keeping $100, and a former T leaving with a bitter taste in her mouth about her former LL.

Re: PET FEE VS SECURITY DEPOSIT by lpadave on February 11, 2020 @07:46	[ Reply ]

Gotta stick with Garry on this one. Karma issue here. Good tennant seven years. Your keeping rent low was your business decision. Don't expect to back pedal now and pick up some extra money after the fact. Industry standard for rental carpet is five to seven years . Seven year occupancy you should have been prepared to paint entire unit, replace ALL flooring and appliances and possibly cabinets and counter tops Even in c or d properties

Re: PET FEE VS SECURITY DEPOSIT by kiki2020 on February 11, 2020 @18:59	[ Reply ]

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it. Just wanted to fully explain my issue. You make excellent points.