Tenant damages

[darleneosmond]

Hi REIN members

my current tenant rented one of her rooms to an individual with a cat. (the roommate has moved out) It is now time for the 6 month inspection which I have scheduled for Sunday and the tenant has now asked me for a carpet cleaner because the roommates cat peed on the bedroom carpet. Obviously the carpet will now have to be removed and be replaced.

I am thinking the tenant is now no longer entitled to receiving the damage(security) deposit back and who pays for the whole costs of the floor repairs?


Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.

Darlene

 

[brentdavies]

Follow your provincial rules. Appears you are in BC, so Alberta rules do not apply and be careful of advice from folks from other provinces ( Me included)

I am a bit confused as to the "6 month inspection". It is not something we do for damages, and the actual charges for damages are assessed at the end of the tenancy.

We do regualar inspections of properties and that may be what you are referring to.

Most cats don`t pee on the rugs if they have a clean litter box. Male cats that are not fixed are a totally different issue. Look at door jambs for the tell tale scatch marks from cats, including the screens on the doors. Bottom inside corners of doors show where the aniamal has scratched the door to get out. I can easily spot a home that had cats in it, long before any smells give it away.

For minor accidents, carpet cleaning will do. For major issues, replacement of rug, underlay and sealing the wood floor under the problem area is required.

Who pays, it the tenant`s responsiblity, but collecting the bill can be a challenge.

 

[gwasser]

QUOTE (brentdavies @ Jun 4 2010, 04:36 PM) Follow your provincial rules. Appears you are in BC, so Alberta rules do not apply and be careful of advice from folks from other provinces ( Me included)

Who pays, it the tenant`s responsiblity, but collecting the bill can be a challenge.


Before you get all exited about this, first get a real estimate of the damage. If shampooing does the job, why bother.

Also, if the damage is several hundred dollars, do you really want to confront your renter with this? If the renter is reliable, the risk of losing the tenant and having to spend money on finding a new one may be not worth the fight. If this is a problem renter you want to get rid off anyway, go ahead and hit him/her with everything you`ve got.

 

[PropertySolution]

Nature`s Miracle can be picked-up at most pet stores, it is good for removing cat odors. Or you can try 50% water & 50% vinegar, clean the area with this and then after absorbing most of the solution pour baking soda over the area and rub it in. After it has dried vacuum the area very well. But NEVER use ammonia to try and kill the oder, this will make it even worse.

Do you allow pets?

Here in Alberta we can charge a Tenant after they vacate but a couple of things need to be taken into consideration before charging for new carpet. 1st every effort must be made for alternate solutions 2nd the age of the carpet must also be considered. If the carpet is older or in poor condition prior to the cat christening it this should be factored in.

 

[invst4profit]

If the cat pee went into the sub floor you will never get rid of the smell by cleaning or replacing the carpet and it will return every damp humid day. Future tenants will not be happy.
If it is into the sub floor the carpet will have to be removed and the floor sealed with something like Kilz oil based paint.
Lift some of the carpet and check for stains before doing any cleaning. Your tenant may be on the hook for some major dollars.

When I had rental properties I inspected regularly and always insisted tenants repair any damage they caused and pay for it at the time. It was my semi annual maintenance/fire alarm inspection. In Ontario because there is no damage deposit allowed if tenants were not forced to make repairs when found you could never force them to pay when they leave.

Regular inspections of your property are very necessary in today`s world.

If I were in BC or any province with damage deposits I would still inspect regularly and have tenants make repairs immediately leaving the deposit to cover any damage found at end of lease.

 

[darleneosmond]

Hi All

Thanks for the comments they are helpful as always!!

The inspection was due because the tenant renewed her lease and I would like to inspect every 6 months anyway. I had also installed a carbon monoxide detector and serviced the fire alerts.

There were some minor issues, the carpet definitely has to come up. The house is not clean at all. The tenants are a mother & 18 yr old daughter with a dog. The mom is away working leaving the daughter in the house.

The rent is paid on the agreed date and I have no complaints other than the lack of cleanliness, should I address this issue or is it none of my business until they decide to move out?

Thank you Darlene

 

[PropertySolution]

Tenants are expected to keep their home in a reasonable state at all times. Now what is reasonable to you may not be reasonable to your Tenant. So if you feel they are not keeping the unit in a standard of cleanliness you expect let them know. a sink full of dirty dishes wouldn`t concern me to much but dirty windows, walls, carpet, flooring, lots of dirty clothing and such would cause me to issue a cleaning request. Stuff like this can cause odors as well as increases the wear & tear on the property.