The repair simply maintains the home in its current state. there is really no reason your landlord shouldn't replace the carpet and fix the floors. Thus, if the class life of carpet, e.g., is more than 4 but less than 10 years, the landlord depreciates carpet over 5 years because it is “5-year property”. If a property investor installs brand new carpet in February of 2016 and these carpets were damaged when the tenants vacated 12 months later, the owner could claim 90% of the total cost of the replacement of the damaged carpet. When touring a rental, you may want to ask when the carpet was last replaced and when the landlord intends to install new carpets. tenant decides to rent. Under the example above, a court would most likely only allow the landlord to recover $500 in damages against the tenant for the replacement of the carpet. With normal wear and tear, a carpet can last approximately 15 to 20 years, but the Department of Housing and Urban Development recommends replacing a rental property’s carpets every 5 to 7 years. Question: How do we get rid of tenants who have filthy units?They always pay on time. Carpet that exceeds 10 years in age no longer has any depreciation left and therefore a claim may not legally be awarded. Carpet replacement and carpet damage in rental properties.This is somewhat of a grey area and the law can be complex to say the least. A carpet is another asset in a rental property, just like a fridge, microwave, or dishwasher. Renting and the Law: Tenants question cost to replace 'new' carpet ... we were told we would have to pay for new carpet, since some stains would … Tenants can’t be held responsible for normal wear and tear. If you've been renting for 13 years and have generally been a good renter (ie, paying on time, not making a lot of complaints, no noise problems, keeping the property clean and in overall good condition, etc.) What is the Pennsylvania law on carpet replacement. There is no law that says that if something in your rental property is broken it has to be replaced. A replacement is almost always an improvement—not a repair—for tax deduction purposes. ... Lawyer replied 11 years ago. If your carpet had a five year usable lifespan, was new at move-in, and unusable at move-out, your landlord is correct to charge 80% of the replacement value (4 years of damage, 1 year of wear). ... A new tenant should not have to move into a property, that has blood stains, on the carpet. This gives the tenant a chance to find out what all the rental terms and conditions are before deciding whether to rent from that landlord. You do NOT want to withhold rent. Improvements to Your Rental Property. 7-year property 10 or more but less than 16 10-year property 16 or more but less than 20 15-year property 20 or more but less than 25 20-year property 25 or more. Professional carpet cleaners, as good as we are, cannot fix wear and cannot remove permanent stains. The reasoning is that since the tenant moved into a rental unit with 5 year old carpeting, the landlord should only be able to recover for damage to a 5 year old carpet. However, if the carpet was not new, the use from prior occupants should also be included in the "depreciation" calculation. Answer: Under California law, a residential landlord who accepts partial payment of rent demanded on a three-day notice is required to serve a new notice for the balance owed. If there are no large stains, tears, or rips, and the carpet simply needs to be cleaned, that falls under normal wear and tear. Anything that increases the value of your rental property or extends its life is considered a capital expense. You’ll obtain the best tax results if you patch, mend, or fix things that … According to the IRS, most repairs don’t add significant value to the property or extend the life of the property. All those assets are subjected to normal wear and tear.