Landlord wants a new carpet because of "urine test kit" revealing pee

[JJJ062]

I live in Boise, Idaho. My roommate and I just recently ended a lease early with express permission from the landlords that there would be no fees or advancements for leaving early. They used a "urine test kit" and found urine (no details regarding the kit). They claim if the pad underneath has urine, then we have to replace the carpets. This will likely be more than the $2095 deposit as the home is new and the carpets were about a year old.

We had the carpets professionally cleaned. They are free of stains and any odor. We have no received an itemized list of deductions, nor have we requested one. Is these reasonable even if there is no odor, stains, or potential health risks? Any insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[adjusterjack]

There's two issues.

1 - The itemization. You don't have to request one. The LL is required to provide one within a time specified by statute. Read the statute.

http://law.justia.com/codes/idaho/2015/title-6/chapter-3/section-6-321/

If he is not complying with the statute you are free to sue for the return of your deposit.

2 - The carpet. If the carpet is damaged by pet urine, yes, you pay to replace it. Generally, when pet urine gets into the pad there is enough in the carpet to be damaged. You are free to dispute that the carpet needs to be replaced but you will have to pay for your own testing to show that it's not damaged. No, I don't know where you would find that kind of testing.

 

[Just Blue]

I live in Boise, Idaho. My roommate and I just recently ended a lease early with express permission from the landlords that there would be no fees or advancements for leaving early. They used a "urine test kit" and found urine (no details regarding the kit). They claim if the pad underneath has urine, then we have to replace the carpets. This will likely be more than the $2095 deposit as the home is new and the carpets were about a year old.

We had the carpets professionally cleaned. They are free of stains and any odor. We have no received an itemized list of deductions, nor have we requested one. Is these reasonable even if there is no odor, stains, or potential health risks? Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Did you have pets? If not...did you have a party and guests made "mistakes" on the carpet?

 

[JJJ062]

The itemized list is in the works. We had pets who did have accidents. Her "urine test kit" was just a black light. I have no clue how she intends to test the pad for urine. After having the carpet professionally cleaned, there is no odor or stains. I don't see how replacing the carpet is justified if there is no visual stains or odor. We also had the carpets pre treated to destroy any bacteria that would "restart" when hit with the hot water. After doing the walk through, it is now apparent how much she exaggerated. She blamed condensation on the HVAC on dog urine. She hit it with her black light and found nothing. She texted me at 11:30pm that night to tell me. She claimed "you just let your dogs pee all over the place." Clearly this wasn't the case.

 

[Gail in Georgia]

A black light is frequently used to discover urine stains. Steam cleaning a carpet may remove the stains on top of the carpet; it will do nothing to remove any urine that has seeped into the padding (or flooring). Odor will soon return after cleaning.

The only treatment is to remove the carpet, the padding, and either replacing the subfloor or drying and sealing this with an oil based product to contain the odor.

Gail