YALT Help my friend out!

[BlancoNino]

He lived in this house for a few years, but didn't take that good care of the lawn. It didn't completely die...it just had some patches and weeds.

Well he moved out awhile ago, and then sent him a $1,875 bill. They said most of it was for the lawn, and then the rest was to clean the carpets. Can they do this? If it says in the contract that he must take care of the lawn, can't they just kick him out if he doesn't? The landlord never said anything and inspected the place a couple times. Also, WA state law says you can't charge for normal wear and tear and they're telling him that having the carpets cleaned isn't normal wear and tear. The carpets are at least 30 years old.

 

[imported_LoKe]

Unattended grass and massively stained carpets is not "wear and tear". He needs to look over the contract he signed.

 

[BlancoNino]

Originally posted by: LoKe
Unattended grass and massively stained carpets is not "wear and tear". He needs to look over the contract he signed.

No massive stains on the carpet. They said it was $1,200 to regrow the grass. I didn't know grass seed was that expensive.

So you're meaning to tell me the company doesn't clean the carpets before renting out to another person?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino

Originally posted by: LoKe
Unattended grass and massively stained carpets is not "wear and tear". He needs to look over the contract he signed.

No stains on the carpet. They said it was $1,200 to regrow the grass. I didn't know grass seed was that expensive.

Probably sod.

 

[imported_LoKe]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino

Originally posted by: LoKe
Unattended grass and massively stained carpets is not "wear and tear". He needs to look over the contract he signed.

No massive stains on the carpet. They said it was $1,200 to regrow the grass. I didn't know grass seed was that expensive.

So you're meaning to tell me the company doesn't clean the carpets before renting out to another person?

Have him get an estimate on the cost of regrowing the grass. As for the carpets; yes, they generally repaint the walls and clean the carpets, but again, it depends on what it says in his contract. He may or may not be responsible for the cost of said cleaning.

 

[BlancoNino]

Meh, he probably is responsible for most of it. I was just under the impression that if you are supposed to take care of the grass/carpets, the only thing they can do is kick you out for not doing it. Instead, they turned a blind eye for 3 years and never said a word even after inspecting it. Then they mail him a huge bill. Sounds like they wanted this to happen since the house is old and crappy, the carpets are green and shaggy and older than the hills, and the lawn was never much to look at anyway.

 

[imported_LoKe]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
Meh, he probably is responsible for most of it. I was just under the impression that if you are supposed to take care of the grass/carpets, the only thing they can do is kick you out for not doing it. Instead, they turned a blind eye for 3 years and never said a word even after inspecting it. Then they mail him a huge bill. Sounds like they wanted this to happen since the house is old and crappy, the carpets are green and shaggy and older than the hills, and the lawn was never much to look at anyway.

It's not their problem so long as he still lived there, he has until the day he leaves to fix it himself, and they can't do anything about that, again, unless it says so in his contract. Also, did he put down some sort of security deposit?

 

[BlancoNino]

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
Meh, he probably is responsible for most of it. I was just under the impression that if you are supposed to take care of the grass/carpets, the only thing they can do is kick you out for not doing it. Instead, they turned a blind eye for 3 years and never said a word even after inspecting it. Then they mail him a huge bill. Sounds like they wanted this to happen since the house is old and crappy, the carpets are green and shaggy and older than the hills, and the lawn was never much to look at anyway.

It's not their problem so long as he still lived there, he has until the day he leaves to fix it himself, and they can't do anything about that, again, unless it says so in his contract. Also, did he put down some sort of security deposit?

Yes he left a deposit of $675. They took that and charged him an additional $1,200.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Check into the laws in that state. In some states there are laws stating that if carpets/paint are x years old or the tenant has lived there x years, then they are not as responsible.

 

[nakedfrog]

Whether or not they can go after him for that amount is probably dependent on local law and/or the contract.
The easiest thing to do would be ignore the bill until he gets something from a lawyer. But that may not be the wisest move.

 

[rivan]

As a former landlord, I can say he probably deserves the bill.

As a former renter who's had his security deposit eaten when it probebly shouldn't have been, I'll say maybe he didn't.

As someone who's had his credit messed with over $24.xx, I'd say he's likely better off paying the bill, unless he's willing to spend more in the long run to have a lawyer write a letter.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, if that wasn't apparent.

 

[BlancoNino]

Alright thanks for the tips guys! I can honestly say that he probably should pay the bill (and is going to) but he wanted to ask some questions first. The only problem I have with this whole deal is the condition the house was in when he first got it. The yard was already going bad, the interior and carpets were already stained, etc...BUT...a contract is a contract and things were a little worse off (barely) after he left.

 

[kranky]

If things are only a little worse off after he lived there for years, he's getting screwed. But I don't know what he can do about it.