For all you carpenters and landlords out there?

Question

I have a friend that rents an apartment. She had an accident with hot grease in the kitchen. So her landlord gave her an estimate of $1300. This would include an area of 5' x 10' linoleum and 2-2ft prehung, hollow, prefinished doors and labor. Somebody tell me that this girl is getting screwed. I have a son that works at Lowes and knows this is way off. For the carpenters out there... is this right? By the looks of the carpet the quality in this apartment is cheap. For the landlord... I don't think it is right that this guy will not show her the receipt from the store where these doors and flooring are purchased. Does she have a right to see it? Also, what does her $750 deposit cover??

Answer 1

Have your friend go out and get 3 estimates for the exact same work first to verify and or dispute the charge.

Her deposit will be eaten up by the accident and she will need to give them a new deposit. In any case, she will be out $1300 ish.

Ultimately the landlord will just want everything to be properly fixed professionally, and the deposit replaced.

Answer 2

First of all, her deposit is for damages AFTER she moves, not during her rental period. So her deposit does not even come into play here. She cant use it for this.
Second, you cannot replace a section of linoleum, just the whole thing. Its not like tiles that you can replace the damaged ones individually.
And doors are not cheap. I know because I just bought some.
Also dont forget, that price also includes the labor it takes to install, and trust me, nowadays that isnt cheap either. $1300.00 sounds about right. I am surprised it isnt more. Especially with fire and smoke damage. (For instance, a $17 thermostat for my car cost me $149 to have it done. Most of it was labor)
Also, without the landlords permission, you CANNOT do the repairs or contract out, the repairs. You can, however, get estimates with the pictures of the items that need to be replaced, for your landlords approval. The he can decide if he is going with your contractor or his. He doesnt have to use yours. Especially if this was your fault. Not to sound mean, but any tenant should have Renters Insurance to cover them. The landlord only has to cover the structure of his house.

Answer 3

Depends on where you are. In Houston, this sounds about right.

As a landlord, I can't let her choose anyone to do the work (How could I know the work is done right, or that she'd pay the workers?) nor could I let the tenant do it (The legal liability for personal injury is huge).

The big cost is labor. I'll guess that half the cost or more is labor.

Her deposit covers damages above normal wear and tear. She simply won't get this back when she move out *unless* she pays the landlord for the repair in it's entirety.

Answer 4

The estimate is way off. WAY OFF. But how can you argue with what he wants to charge for labor. She needs to take pictures of the original and replace it with equal quality material quickly. If it is replaced to the same standard as the original the landlord can't really do or say anything about it. The security deposit would cover any damage not caused by typical wear and tear left when moving out. Although from the sound of this I wouldn't expect to see any of that. He will prolly charge $750 to patch a nail hole left from a picture.

Answer 5

She's getting screwed! First off, in a situation like that, the Landlords property insurance will cover the damages. It was clearly an accident and those types of accidents are covered to make any repairs under his insurance. Now, for her personal items that may have been lost, that would fall under her own renter's insurance policy and not the landlords. I'm sure he has already reported the claim to his own insurance company(if he has it which by law he supposed to) and trying to collect some "spending" money from your friend. So yes my friend, she's getting screwed!

Answer 6

You are forgetting labor. The cost of the materials is cheap, but the labor is where you get into the pricy range. Everybody charges a different rate, But, it was her fault, and now she has to pay for it. legally, she can get it fixed on her own without landlord intervention. Just don't expect your deposit back unless it is satisfactory to the landlord. Remember, it is not hers, she is just renting. but in no way does she have to pay the landlord for repairs ....UNLESS SHE HIRES SOMEBODY TO DO IT FOR HER. I would get quotes, was the landlord cheaper, or just get an estimate from a handyman, or commercial floor layer, door hanger, and a carpenter.

Answer 7

She is a good person.
I would fix it myself as she could get it done way cheaper.
The $750.00 would be used towards that if she moves out and it is not fixed.
she should (if she can) not fix it and let that deposit pay for it when she moves out
without seeing the extent of the damage it is hard to know exactly how much it would cost but it is very possible that homeowners insurance would cover that damage and the landlord would be getting a free $1300, minus the deductable

Answer 8

She should get estimates from a handyman the landlord would be willing to use, and agree to pay for that stuff herself...

cheap berber or office type carpet can be installed for under a dollar a foot...so we have 50 bucks of carpet, and the two doors should be around 300 bucks installed, at worst, or a total of about 650.

The moral of the story....get renters insurance!!!!!

Answer 9

This does seem a bit steep, however, I don't know what they're charging for labor. The doors and linoleum shouldn't be more than $500.00.

the deposit is to cover repairs after she moves out.