HELP - Need Opinions from Tenants and Landlords

16 years ago

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this but here's my problem.

We have been homeowners for 16 years and recently became renters. Having been homeowners, we are trying very hard to keep this rental home in the same condition it was in when we rented it 4 months ago.

Upon moving in, I painted the entire interior of the house. It needed it and the landlord wasn't going to do it. Although the landlord claimed to have cleaned the house, it was still pretty dirty.

We really have no issues with our landlord.

Here's the problem. I think our dogs nails may be scratching the wood flooring past the point of normal wear and tear. We had wood floors in past houses and for some reason these floors seem to scratch alot easier. They are the original oak floors in a 1940's home. To make things worse, our cat's litter box left a dark stain on the floor. I don't think it's urine, it doesn't smell and the box doesn't leak. I think maybe the heat of the urine in the plastic box caused moisture to build up. We are near the ocean and have more humidity than we are used to. I am very upset that we possibly ruined the original floors!

I'm wondering if I should bring up these issues to our landlord and let her decide if she wants to let us out of our lease to protect the wood flooring, or stick it out for the 8 months remaining on our lease and just expect to loose our deposit.

Any advice would be appreciated!!!!

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Comments (8)

jakkom
16 years ago
As a long-time renter and for a short time a rental unit owner, I would talk to your landlord now to discuss these issues. Unpleasant surprises tend to put people in a bad mood, and you may need a reference as a good tenant in order to rent again.

We had a tenant who had a DW overflow and ruin the cab next to it. She never let us know, and I would have been a lot happier if she'd told us when it happened, instead of discovering it when I was checking the cabinets afterwards to make sure everything had been cleaned out when they departed. It wasn't her fault, but it left me irritated because we tried to always keep the apartments as well maintained as possible. I could have saved some time scheduling a handyman to come in as soon as possible, rather than discovering it two weeks after they left and having it delay re-renting.
maime
16 years ago
The above advise is good and if I were you when you do leave, clean the the rental, take pictures and bring someone to be a witness to the condition when you finish. Our daughter left the home she rented clean, but lost her deposit anyway. She just gave up and didn't fight it.
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terrene
16 years ago
I am a long-time landlord, and think that you sound like a very conscientious tenant. Most renters do not treat a property as their own. When a tenant moves out, I expect a rental unit to be 1) dirty and 2) experience greater than usual wear & tear. Turnovers are almost always a lot of work for me, cleaning, repairing, painting, etc.

Did the landlord take pictures before you moved in? Or document the condition? If not, it will be difficult to prove that you caused excessive wear & tear to the floors. Even if the scratches ARE that bad, the landlord can't just take your deposit. They will have to repair the floors, keep receipts, and provide proof of this before they can deduct some or all of your deposit. There are very specific tenant/landlord laws in most states.

Perhaps you could treat the floors with something to improve their appearance and protect them. Also you may be able to sand down and refinish the black spot. In the meantime, you could also 1) put down a sheet of plastic to protect the floor under the cat box; 2) use a clipper or those "soft paws" on on the dog's nails.
s.golden
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank-you for the "soft paws" idea. I knew they made those for cats but I didn't realize they make them for dogs too. We keep their nails short. They are Bulldogs and all Bulldogs drag their feet when they walk.
The landlord did not take photos and the floor did have dents and dings but no scratches. I put plastic and a towel under the box already. I check it all the time. I'm so afraid the plastic will cause moisture to build up again.
I tried sanding the floor in a small area. Most of the black sanded off but as soon as I put some refinisher on it the black came right back. The black does seem to be getting lighter. Maybe in time it will get better.
Thank-you so much for all the advice!
I have made a few other improvements to the property. (With owners permission) I am hoping the owner will just consider the improvements to be an even exchange for the damages.
User
16 years ago
"I am hoping the owner will just consider the improvements to be an even exchange for the damages"

I don't know, pet damage to undamaged 1940's hardwood floors. Did you pay a pet deposit or have any written proof that the landlord knows you have pets?

Stop sanding the floor and putting re finisher on it and move the litter box to a tile surface, the bathroom or kitchen.

If I was your landlord, you painting the walls, planting flowers, changing light fixtures or a faucet. Wouldn't make up for original hardwood floors having a black stain that cant be removed because of cat pee.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
16 years ago
I would be cautious. If a landlord claims to have cleaned a unit, but it was obviously dirty, that is a red flag for me about how they will handle the move-out...If you do talk to him/her, get whatever she tells you in writing. Do what you can to protect the floors (cheap room sized rugs?) and take good pictures. I am glad that you are willing to own up to your damage, though, so few people are honest!
caavonldy
16 years ago
It might be a good idea to talk to someone who does floor refinishing to see if they know a way to remove the black stain from the cat litter box. I also agree with the poster who said to move the litter box to a non-wood floor. We keep ours in the laundry room.
kaismom
16 years ago
Please do not attempt to fix anything yourself. Most are done in amateurish ways and actually makes the problem worse, not better. Tell your landlord about these hardwood issues. You may have to pay for a coat of polish when you leave. Repairing hardwood where the wood has to be sanded down requires that the entire floor be done at the same time. This can cost thousands. This is hard to "spot" fix.

Cats are very stressed out about moving. Even though you don't think this is pee, it sounds like cat pee to me....

Unfortunately, the damage sustained from the cat pee sounds already significant. This is after the fact, but what were you thinking when you put the cat litter box on the hardwood? Would you have done the same in your own house? If the answer is NO, then you did not treat the rental house the same as your own house. Yes, I am being harsh... I am sure I will get flamed for this.

Life happens. If this was your house, you would either live with the black spot forever, because you chose to not pay for the repair of the floor or pay a few grand to finish the floor again. This is the risk that you and your landlord took in renting out the house. Try to come up with a reasonable arrangement, if you can. It sounds like you already kind of know that you have lost your deposit.

Many years ago, a tenant caused a fire to the house to the tune of 120k. (Iguana knocked over the unsecured heat lamp!) The only thing that cost this tennant was his deposit. Even with the insurance payment, the damage deposit was nothing in terms of what it really cost us us money and time.

%^&*( happens in life.

We have also had tenants that pointed out things to us like partially broken light fixture immediately after they moved in. We do not live in the home, so we do not know what is working and what is NOT working. Best tenants are the ones that let us know what is happening.....

HELP - Need Opinions from Tenants and Landlords

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jakkom

maime

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HELP - Need Opinions from Tenants and Landlords

Comments (8)

jakkom

maime

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s.goldenOriginal Author

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s.golden
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