Normal wear and tear after 3 years of lease?

Question

left propety after 3+ years, had it professionally cleaned, still being asked to pay for steam cleaning, fingermarks etc on the wall..I am quite postive that we have not added any stains to the carpets, which I guess are more than 10 year old..but have no proof as did not throughly check the inspection report at time of leasing..

Answer 1

Always remember to check the report, take pictures also for your own protection. Make sure they are dated by where ever you get them developed. This is very important in case you have to go to court.

Ask the landlord to produce a copy of when the carpet was installed. This should be in your rent file at the managers office.

By law, according to my brother who rents apartments, you are required to paint or wash walls every time someone moves out. Same with the carpet, it has to be cleaned by the owners.

Get in touch with an attorney to find out what the law is in your area.

Answer 2

You can take them to Small Claims Court.

Submit all receipts from the professional cleaner.

My old landlord did the same thing to me after I paid a lot of money to have it professionly cleaned.

Went to court, judge looked through receipts, photos etc. and made him pay cleaning fees and I got all of my bond back.

Stick to your guns.