What is the carpet depreciation schedule in an apartment in Florida?

Question

I have lived there for one year. There is one stain on the carpet in the spare bedroom about the size of a basketball but in the very corner of the bedroom. This apartment complex has tried to get as much money out of us as possible and I have already had an attorney involved on one other issue that we won! The carpet was NOT new when we moved in. How can I find out how old it is so I know what the depreciation will be? Also, I have called several carpet companies and they all say it is no problem to replace ONE room since there is a seam in the door anyway. This apartment complex will lie and do everything they can out of us and I cannot afford to give them $900 or $1000 for ALL new carpet. From what I know that is not even legal. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!

Answer 1

IRS Publication 946 allows carpet to be depreciated in 5 years, and accelerated depreciation can be used. If the carpet is two years old or more, the book value may be less than half the cost when new.

Our daughter was in a similar situation, but unfortunately she gave in to the landlord's demands.  In my opinion it is unreasonable to pay for a whole new carpet when a repair can be made by patching in a remnant, or at most, replacing one room's worth.

Answer 2

ConservativeGirl, I moved from Florida to Oregon last year, so I'm not sure who I could call to help you. Here is a list of apartments in Florida that you can call. http://www.findanapartmentonline.com/Flo... I'm sure someone can help you.



Have fun in Florida