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Question:

Landlord wants me to replace entire carpet?

Life span is 5 years on this bright white carpet. They lived here 2 years before us, and didnt replace the carpets before we moved in, and we lived here for 2 years.. Meaning the carpet is currently 4 years old out of the 5year life span. We did normal wear and tear, and we did make a few spots but nothing huge or horribly bad. Anyways, they want us to pay for the whole carpet cost. Is that right?Were in minnesota

Answer:

Judges in my area use a 7 year life on carpet. It really depends on the quality of carpet and how long it should last. Nylon carpet is better than olefin and lasts longer, but is more expensive and will last longer and clean better. In the same vain, my state puts only a 2 years life on interior paint in a rental. Have you had a professional carpet cleaning company see if they can clean it and get the spots out? If the spots are from dirt that would be more in line with normal wear an tear. If the spots are from pets stains, food, and spills that is not normal. No matter what, you should not be charged for the entire cost of a new carpet, but depreciate the carpet no less than 50%.
I think your age calculation is incorrect. Even cheap carpet should last 8-10 years. So let's say it's 8 years... the carpet is 4 years old. You made spots that can't come out, it's acceptable that they need to replace the carpet. Since there is still 50% life expectancy = you need to pay 50% of the cost.
Carpet life span is much longer than 5 years. Spots are not normal wear and tear, ever.
You are only ever responsible for the remaining life of the carpet if you destroyed it. Assuming the life was 5 years, which is up for debate apparently, then you could be held responsible for 1/5 the cost to replace it with a similar type carpet. Under no circumstance would you be responsible for the full replacement value.
Let’s start with the premise the landlord is not entitled to full replacement value of the carpet, because awarding such would unjustly enrich the landlord So the question becomes what is the FMV (fair market value) of the carpet? Ie the life span, on that issue it really comes down to your local landlord judge Some jurisdiction might be 5 years, while others may go 10, I have found 7 years( IRS guide lines) tend to be rule of thumb by me, but you should check your local landlord court

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