please help question re: carpet

[kyla oskey]

Hi I currently live in OH if this helps and I have lived in my apartment for the past 4 years and prior to that I know the carpet was not new. My landlord will not tell me when she installed it. I know there has to be a rule as to how much she can charge me if 2 of the rooms need to be replaced but how do I figure out how much? Is she allowed to charge me for brand new carpet for these 2 rooms since the carpet has aged and probably should be replaced anyhow?

Thanks

kyla

To calculate carpet charges, you need to know a couple of things:
-How old the carpet was at move out (You know it was at least 4 yrs old)
-How long the LL uses on the Schedule E form for the IRS for that carpet (it is standard to use between 5 and 10 years)
-The price of the new carpet (you can get estimates of this based on how big the rooms were from carpet companies)

To calculate:
1)Subtract the age of the carpet from the number of the depreciation (IRS) schedule to get the useful life left in that carpet. (You can do this in either years or months).
2)Take the remaining life number and divide it by the IRS depreciation number to get the ratio that you are responsible for.
3)Multiply that ratio by the new carpet price to find out your liability for it.

An example:
Carpet is 4 yrs old, LL uses 7 yrs on Schedule E, new carpet costs $1000
1) 7-4 = 3 yrs of useful life left
2) 3/7 = .42857 (a decimal to show your liability -the ratio)
3) .42857 x $1000 = $428.57 would be your cost

If you receive your deposit statement and the LL does not show this calculation (or tries deducting the entire cost of new carpet), sue him/her in small claims court. Explain to the judge that she charged you the full price for the carpet and not the depreciated value. Tell him the carpet was not new at move in 4 yrs ago (so is OLDER than 4 yrs). And request the the LL tell the judge how many years s/he used for depreciation of this carpet on their schedule E on their taxes (since if it was already depreciated fully off their taxes, it should be considered valueless, and you should be charged nothing).