carpets

[nospam]

Hello,

I recently moved house but rather than sell the old one I tried to rent it out. Unfortunately the tenants smuggled a muddy dog in and the estate agent tells me it stinks of dog and cannot be cleaned out, so I need new carpets. The estate agent has recommended "trade carpet". What is that and where can I find it?

Do you know of any cheap places to buy carpet from either on the high street or by mail order or internet? I do not want to spend a fortune in case they get ruined again.

I suppose I should get a dark colour to hide stains?

Should I tile or use laminate in some areas as these may be easier to clean?

Is there a good mid-price underlay? I assume the cheap ones crumble quickly so it's worth spending slightly more on a better one?

Thanks.

[Adrian]

( [e-mail]) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I'd have thought a bloody good shampooing should sort it, together with a thorough airing.

Assuming he doesn't mean a particular local supplier called "trade carpets" (Yellow pages?), he means "thin cheap s**te carpet".

Only if you want the place to look small, dark and claustrophobic.

Using carpet in kitchens and bathrooms is a revolting idea. Put a door mat inside the front door. Everywhere else, it's really just a decor thing.

Oh, and choose your tenants better... Make sure the rental agreement covers the costs of cleaning, and if you don't want animals in the place, make sure it says that...

[nospam]

I haven't been to look yet, as I've moved some distance away. The agent sent some cleaners to stem the carpets but says it has not worked.

I do not want to be a penny-pinching landlord and I can see that on one hand you get what you pay for. It would be more economical to spend more on a good carpet that lasts for years rather than a cheap carpet that needs replacing more often. However, on the other hand, I do not want to spend a fortune and have them ruined again.

The estate agent took care of all that. It seems the dog was smuggled in without their knowledge and although there was a deposit, it doesn't cover what needs to be done. They were checked beforehand and when the estate agent checked on them the house was in good order; things just went very downhill at the end.

[Owain]

Advertise the property as suitable for dog owners. They won't mind the smell and will be delighted to find a landlord that welcomes them.

Owain

[Rob Hamadi]

Slightly OT and JMHO but it sounds like you're making the fatal mistake of believing a single word that issues from any estate agent's mouth.

-- Rob

[Vass]

So, sue the agents for new carpets and they in turn can sue the tenant

[The Medway Handyman]

I suspect they sent in some el cheapo cowboy. Any decent carpet cleaner could sort out a doggy smell.

If the tennants 'smuggled' in a dog they are in breach of contract surely?

[Lurch]

On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:31:16 +0100, "The Medway Handyman" mused:

A contract that, like all other property rental agreements, isn't worth the paper it's written on. If the estate agent has kept the deposit then I'd be happy as usually the landlord is left with nothing.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

*Proper* carpet cleaning will remove any smells etc. I'd tend not believe the estate agent or he has a poor choice of tradesman.

[Lobster]

Agree - it should be possible to clean the carpets.

That logic works for carpets in your own home, but not necessarily in a tenanted house. Tenants are likely to be much more hard-wearing on carpets than you will be. Personally I think the best solution is to fit cheap carpet with reasonable quality underlay (which will cost more than the carpet). Then you can change the carpet as and when required at relatively little cost, retaining the old underlay and gripper rods etc. It will look really attractive to prospective tenants then, too.

If it doesn't cover the damage, then you go after them for the balance...

David

[ARWadsworth]

Who made the deposit the dog or the tennants?

Adam

[Owain]

A general prohibition on keeping pets would be unenforcable under the Unfair Contract Terms Act, as it would prevent someone having a goldfish.

Owain

[Peter Lynch]

Sadly no. When I bought my house the previous owners had a large dog that was allowed in the house. As a "favour" they left me the carpets which, franky, stank. No matter what treatments or devices I used I couldn't get the smell out and had to recarpet the whole house.

Pete

[Andy Hall]

I would have thought that goldfish would be quite pleased about that. They have rights too, you know.

[nospam]

The smell isn't of dog, it is of (canine?) urine. It's not just the smell though, the dog has gone chewing and clawing at all the woodwork: skirting, architrave, window sills, etc.

I don't know what the cleaners used but the smell was so nauseating that I ripped the carpet out. Had I read the replies here first I might have tried the cleaner first.

So I am now looking for cheap carpet. One salesman told me to use foam back carpet as it does not need an underlay, so that halves the cost. But they want almost as much to fit it!

What is the average price to have a carpet fitted?

Thanks.

[Huge]

Agreed. Our last house smelled of elderly dog. We had the carpets professionally cleaned & voila, no smell.

[Owain]

And foam back carpet doesn't last very well IME so that increases the cost over time.

Could you sand the floors and leave them bare, or use almost room-sized rugs?

Owain

[nospam]

In your house and mine, I would agree. However if this is going to be rented out and the next tenants show as much contempt as the first, I suspect the carpets will need changing due to neglect before they have chance to wear!

[Lobster]

But typically underlay (which protects the carpet against wear) is left relatively unscathed by the general ravages of tenants, so it can left in place along with the binder bars etc round the edge when the carpet itself is renewed. Therefore renewal of the carpet alone can be pretty cost-effective.

David

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd guess dog or cat pee would soak through the carpet into the underlay, though.