I have two cats that vomit occasionally. They get Petromalt every other day and "hairball" treats but they both still leave blobs here and there. We must watch where we walk every day. Spring is the worst time of year for this problem. My wall to wall carpeting is less than a year old. I have a spot cleaning carpet machine that gets regular use. It's not the cat's fault that his owners were jerks.

Give the pets a break. Your congregation should be more careful who they allow to leave in their residence. Responsible pet owners would never leave such a horrid state of affairs.

I guess you find jerks everywhere.

Unfortunately a landlord cannot collect enough to cover the damages done to a house by even one cat that has issues. I love all animals and have owned cats. We had one cat we simply adored that was perfect until she hit the age of 12 or 13. She then decided the family room was where she would spray. We ended up putting her down after seeking medical attention and trying all available solutions. Even with just that one cat we ended up having to replace the carpet,a good portion of the sub-floor and several areas of drywall in that room. I am lucky to have a DH who could do it all himself. If we had to hire someone the costs would have been staggering. We basically rebuilt the room. Not to mention having to replace the drapes, AND the TV.

So now that I am a landlord I am happy to rent to people with dogs. I will never rent to people with cats. I just cannot afford the risk and California law only allows so much for what they consider a reasonable deposit. I hate to be like that but it is what it is.

Just a thought-- Is there any kind of insurance that could help out? The church should have some sort of policy covering the Pastors. I know ours does. Also you should inform the church of the condition of the house. I would be extremely upset as a trustee/member to see then conditions she left and she should pay for the cleaning/painting/new capet. Complete lack of respect on her part.

I also have a cat that does hairball barfs and I use Woolite with oxy and there is never a stain left...no mater how much puke he leaves, they come out spotless. Of course I clean it as soon after as possible. Actually depending on the kind of barf, sometimes I let it dry and then brush it before cleaning and I don't want to smear it into the carpet...

I used to be an insurance claims adjuster. They cover human poop not animal......had a claim that grandma did the damage. :0) As long as a claim is under $2k your rates won't get reviewed....maybe....

Oh, the church knows about this. The senior pastor and his wife were the ones trying to clean the carpets today.
Sandysays, it seems like most of your posts are strongly worded. You might want to think before you type. As to who we let live in the parsonages, only our pastors and their families live there. The couple who just moved and left this mess are a pastor and her DH who is a retired pastor. They were only there 3 years. They moved on to another church and another parsonage.
I have 3 cats and when my cats vomit I clean it up right away. It seems like the parsonage cats hid under beds or other furniture when they needed to vomit. Our new pastor, who is moving in next week, has cats. We hope she stays for many years but whenever it is she moves, the white carpet will be taken up and replaced with wood laminate.
Our church has 1,000 members and we have 3 pastors, that is why there are so many references to pastors in this post.

I rent. I also have 5 dogs and 8 cats. Our carpet is a mess. But, to be fair it really should have been replaced before we moved in. It has to be well over 20 years old. I have the carpets cleaned twice a year and I am actually going to have the hallway carpet removed and tile put down. I will pay for it. I know what damage we have caused and I take care of it. I would never leave a house with dirty carpet! We also bought a giant area rug for our family room where we spend the most time. Less wear and tear on the carpet. I would like to tile that someday too. Our landlord is fine with it. He was shown the damage by just normal wear and tear and he paid to have the kitchen done for me. We try to be the best renters and treat the house as if we owned it.

Trish

I love hardwood floors! As a pet owner, I'll never have carpet again.

Linda, maybe I am missing something, but why can't you contact the departing pastor and ask her to pay for the cost of fixing the damage done by her cats? Is that against the rules?

Cindy, I think the "powers that be" are considering that route. The carpets are being photographed. I think I remember reading in the guidelines for the parsonages that it said that something about damages beyond normal wear and tear were the responsibility of the departing pastor. It also states that the church is responsible for carpet cleaning and necessary painting when the departing pastor moves.

As a renter and an owner of 3 cats, I'm often cleaning up hairballs and undigested food.
Like the others, some stuff I clean up right away and other times I let it dry and then clean.

I'm a regular user of the homemade laundry detergent (as are other friends here at the Table). I find it works great for cleaning stains out of the carpet.

I'm going to need to borrow my parents' carpet cleaner and go over the apartment again. As a responsible home-renter/owner I think this is a normal part of cleaning.

Tally, I've often wondered with hardwood floors, what happens if you don't see a "parcel" right away? Doesn't the finish come off the floor if it gets wet too long?

We were lucky enough to get a well respected local company to come out this afternoon and steam clean the carpet and spray some heavy duty protectant on it. They took before and after pictures as they worked. They also tested the spots and one was cat urine. Their cleaning solution contained a deodorizer. The cost was $750.

My Dad used to say, "You make the mess - you fix it!".

When an occupier of a house causes more than normal wear and tear, it's up to him/her to put the place back in reasonable shape prior to leaving. And to have cleaned it.

The departed pastor should be sent a bill.

ole joyful

Oh my, I can't imagine a pastor leaving a home they were given to live in in such a mess. Very sad. I too think they should be responsible for at least part of the cost of the carpet cleaning.
jasdip, we have six year old solid oak hardwood floors. With the polyurethane finish newer wood floors have you shouldn't have the trouble older wood floors that were waxed had. We have four cats and one didn't like the litter brand we bought when he was just a little guy so, though embarrassing to say, he did use the ladies parlor floor as his place to pee and pooh during my desperate search for the "right" litter. I knew I'd found it when he jumped in the container as soon as I opened it. Anyway there was no damage what so ever to the hardwood floor.

Posted by wildchild: "Unfortunately a landlord cannot collect enough to cover the damages done to a house by even one cat that has issues."

Sure they can. Why not???

ANY damage to the place can be recovered. It does not matter if the damage was done by a cat - or humans. The owners are responsible for any damage the pet causes. There are no 'pet damage exclusions' that I have ever heard of.

A landlord can at least try to collect for damages. If the LL wins the judgment and the person does not have the money in a lump sum to fork over, the judge can order a payment plant to be adhered to.

The law protects the LL in cases like this not the pet owner. The OP is going about it the right way by taking photos of the damage before repairing and cleaning. There must be evidence and proof to win in court not merely a 'he said, she said'. And save all receipts for both materials AND labor.

DIlly-Dally have you ever gone into court and gotten a judgment against someone? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to collect on a judgment? Remember the tenant has moved out. Before you can collect you have to find them. You have to either find a bank account or find out where they work. Then you have to file for garnishment. If it's a bank account you have to refile each time you go into the account to garnish funds. Most people just change banks leading the collector on a merry chase. If they have moved out of state you can just forget the whole thing. You may have "won" in the courtroom but all you've actually done is paid a lot of filing fees and spent a bit of time for the "paper". It's not like on Judge Judy. LOL

Yes there are statutes as to how much deposit a landlord can require for a pet. Actually in California their is no "pet deposit"

In California under civil code section 1950.5 "pet deposits" are considered as part of the security deposit. The landlord can only collect a security deposit with the following maximums:

Unfurnished rental unit: The total amount that the landlord requires as security cannot be more than the amount of two months' rent. If you have a waterbed, the total amount allowed as security can be up to two and-a-half times the monthly rent.

Furnished rental unit: The total amount that the landlord requires as security cannot be more than the amount of three months' rent. If you have a waterbed, the total amount allowed as security can be up to three-and-a-half times the monthly rent.

Let me tell you. It can eat up a lot more than two months rent to repair the damage one peeing cat can do. Plus the landlord is out of the rental income during the extra time it takes to get the property ready for the next tenant.

As a landlord I would never have carpeting in our rentals. You're just asking for trouble. We have either laminate, vinyl, ceramic tile or a combination. Renters are welcome to put down area rugs, but to install carpeting and expect it to remain spotless (even with the cleanest of renters) is an abject lesson in frustration. Ridiculous.

What's a payment plant?

My parents always told me money doesn't grow on trees. Where can I get one? ;)

we had to take a claim to small clains court (in ca) and when the person didn't pay, we took it off our income tax for a number of years...

"What's a payment plant?"

A typo.

I had to dash off without proofreading.

"My parents always told me money doesn't grow on trees. Where can I get one? ;)"

ROTFLMAO. I like your wit. Made my day.

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Wildchild, you made some very good points. It is difficult to collect on a judgment and sometimes one still ends up with nothing even after winning in court. In the case of the OP they know the pastor moved to take another assignment and I am assuming they know exactly where to find the pastor and cats to collect for damages. There may be some "politics" involved since it is a church though, and the parish may not wish to proceed in this manner.

If anything do the next parish a favor and give a 'heads up' regarding the cats and the mess they make so another parish doesn't get stuck with a stinky mess when the pastor moves on from there.

Yes the OP's tale (or should I say tail eh-eh) is relevant to the solution. Track them down and make them pay.

I'm glad you are able to see the other side though. Landlords are not just being mean when they say no to one kind of pet or another. they are just trying to protect their assets. The OP's post focuses on the carpet. Someone mentioned easily cleaned floors in rentals. But the damage from one untrained or ill animal can far exceed that. Walls,baseboards and cabinetry often have to be replaced.

I have a good friend who has 2 cats. Every time I have helped her move I've found cat damage. The closets or behind the bed were often soaked with urine. She was never even aware of it. I believe her. She has a catbox for each cat. She keeps the catbox immaculate but when she has a peeing cat she doesn't notice. It's unbelievable to me but I guess people get used to the scent they are around.

I love all animals dearly but I have to protect my investments also. She's a dear friend but I would never rent to her.

I live in Australia and when it comes to renting, a renter must pay a bond, which is usually 4 weeks rent money. This money is lodged with an independent government authority and held in trust. When the tenant moves out, the property must be cleaned and left in the exact state that it was at the beginning of the tenancy. This state of cleanliness etc, must be approved by the landlord. If there are any disputes the landlord can use the money lodged at the authority to rectify any damage, or mess.

So if the carpet is damaged by pets, the landlord has the right to have it fixed under this system. The tenant must get the carpets steam cleaned, anyway, at the end of the tenancy.

Just wondering if this is the same system for you in the US ?

Obviously, the departing pastor did not take proper care of the parsonage, but do your trustees (or whatever you call them in your church) ever do a walk-through of the parsonage? It should probably be done every year to see if the church needs to make any repairs or update anything and could also be the time when something like this would be discovered and addressed. And not in defense of the messy pastor, but I would personally consider white carpet a nightmare. You have spent almost $1500 cleaning it which could have gone toward the purchase of other carpet or floor covering. Hope all goes well with your new pastor.