Dog ripped my carpets in rented house, need help

jamco91

So we have a pet Doberman, he's 8 months old now but as a puppy he used the bite the upstairs carpets and tear them no matter how hard we tried to stop him. There are about 6 tear marks in total upstairs. And it's a rented accommodation so we fear we will lose the majority of the deposit if we can't find a quick and cheap fix.

Attached are some photos of it. The rips are about 4 to 6 inches in length.

Has anyone any idea of what to do? There is spare carpet stored under the stair but I think he would notice if I cut up small sections and replaced them.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Seanergy

jamco91 wrote: »

So we have a pet Doberman, he's 8 months old now but as a puppy he used the bite the upstairs carpets and tear them no matter how hard we tried to stop him. There are about 6 tear marks in total upstairs. And it's a rented accommodation so we fear we will lose the majority of the deposit if we can't find a quick and cheap fix.

Attached are some photos of it. The rips are about 4 to 6 inches in length.

Has anyone any idea of what to do? There is spare carpet stored under the stair but I think he would notice if I cut up small sections and replaced them.

Any help greatly appreciated.

No photo's attached.


I certainly wouldn't cut up the spare, then you'd be damaging 2 things.


How big is the section of carpet that the damage is in?

jamco91

Seanergy wrote: »

No photo's attached.


I certainly wouldn't cut up the spare, then you'd be damaging 2 things.


How big is the section of carpet that the damage is in?

I`m struggling to add photos, how do I do this?

The tears are in each room (Hall, 2 bedrooms). So I`d assume the whole carpet would need replacement if he wanted.

Also, the spare carpet would only be enough to cover the hall carpet replacement.

ikeano29

You should recarpet it with similar or better quality.

That's a big dog to be inside, he will get restless easily and be a chewer up to around 2 year old

jamco91

ikeano29 wrote: »

You should recarpet it with similar or better quality.

That's a big dog to be inside, he will get restless easily and be a chewer up to around 2 year old

He is actually great now, we spent a lot of time training him and he honestly does not chew anything anymore bar his chew toys. He gets 3 walk a day and usually a run with me in the evening so he getting enough exercise

Is recarpeting a tough job? I assume you buy the carpet, cut it to size and glue it on. After taking up the old one. I wonder what it would cost if he was to get someone to do it. I might just bite the bullet, tell him whast the dog did, and say that I am happy to recarpet it with my brothers help. Must try get a cost for it.

Covidhaveago

Did your landlord give permission for you to keep a dog in their property?

Pinoy adventure

Get rid of the dog and pay for them
Damage you caused

Car99

jamco91 wrote: »

He is actually great now, we spent a lot of time training him and he honestly does not chew anything anymore bar his chew toys. He gets 3 walk a day and usually a run with me in the evening so he getting enough exercise

Is recarpeting a tough job? I assume you buy the carpet, cut it to size and glue it on. After taking up the old one. I wonder what it would cost if he was to get someone to do it. I might just bite the bullet, tell him whast the dog did, and say that I am happy to recarpet it with my brothers help. Must try get a cost for it.

Get a quote for recarpet off ar reputable shop in the area so you know the cost of replacement. Then tell the landlord about the damage and ask him what he wants to do about it. Come to an agreement and stick to it.

M_Murphy57

ikeano29 wrote: »

You should recarpet it with similar or better quality.

That's a big dog to be inside, he will get restless easily and be a chewer up to around 2 year old

This.

You need to replace the carpets or lose your deposit - normal wear and tear doesnt cover a doberman ripping lumps out of a carpet.

You also need to walk the dog more so he doesnt get bored and start wrecking stuff.

ted1

You don’t glue carpets down.

You do realise that Dobermans are a restricted breed in Ireland ?
Must be walked on a metal lead and muzzled outside the house.

UDAWINNER

jamco91 wrote: »

I`m struggling to add photos, how do I do this?

The tears are in each room (Hall, 2 bedrooms). So I`d assume the whole carpet would need replacement if he wanted.

Also, the spare carpet would only be enough to cover the hall carpet replacement.

I think you need to have a minimum number of posts to attach things, think 50 posts

Bubbaclaus

Did the landlord give you permission to have an animal in the house?

Either way, you are paying for a carpet replacement in any case. Don't try and con another person buy gluing squares into it or whatever con you are thinking of doing.

Seanergy

jamco91 wrote: »

I`m struggling to add photos, how do I do this?

Try this outfit, it's simple and fast. After selecting images from your machine, make sure you tick the use in forums box.

https://postimages.org/

Sheep Shagger

Fitting isn't the pricey part of getting carpet. Try Carpetrite (assuming the existing carpet wasn't luxurious).

Seanergy

jamco91 wrote: »

He is actually great now, we spent a lot of time training him and he honestly does not chew anything anymore bar his chew toys. He gets 3 walk a day and usually a run with me in the evening so he getting enough exercise

Is recarpeting a tough job? I assume you buy the carpet, cut it to size and glue it on. After taking up the old one. I wonder what it would cost if he was to get someone to do it. I might just bite the bullet, tell him whast the dog did, and say that I am happy to recarpet it with my brothers help. Must try get a cost for it.

No but to do it properly yes. Exacto, come clean, hands up in the air tell your man what's happened and be prepared to pay for recarpeting before you move on. Don't go repacing it now as the dog may still mess up again.

Small bit of glue to tack down the carpet might be a good idea to prevent the dog ripping the strips further.

Lumen

ted1 wrote: »

You don’t glue carpets down.

That's not necessarily true. I have a glued down cheap carpet in one room.

I still wouldn't DIY though. That'll look awful and you may still end up losing your deposit.

I would just leave the carpet, start saving towards a new deposit and cross the landlord bridge when you come to leave.

Otherwise you risk losing your deposit and being homeless.

niallers1

You can't blame the dog so this is 100% your fault.
Put it down to the cost of dog ownership.

Your choice is to tell the LL and ask him what he wants or you can replace it like for like.

Either way you need to make right the damage you did.

phormium

It's not really a diy job especially if there is an underlay if you haven't done it before. I have put down foam backed carpet which doesn't need underlay in an unimportant room but no way would I do the proper stuff that needs the stretching tools and knowledge to lay it right.

There is a huge variation in price range obviously and if small areas you can get some great bargains in the warehouse places that have random offcuts. They usually have names of people that will lay it for you. Measure up, get a quote and see what is the best thing to do then, no real way to repair tears in carpet!

Personally, I've had my stairs/landing and a bedroom done in carpet about 2 years ago, and it took three lads nearly 4 hours. There's no way would I DIY it. They did a fantastic job, though, I'll give them that.


For what it's worth, 'spot replacement' is possible. I've never done it myself, but a friend has had it done. They just cut a square out of the carpet, around where it was damaged, and they stick a new piece in. Probably the reason your landlord has 'spare' carpet. My friends looks as-new, but hers has no pattern or design or anything on it, which probably helps. I think it was cheap enough, too.

Garibaldi?

I'd let the landlord know what happened.Most people are pretty decent when you're honest with them. About patching up a carpet, I got a carpet at home and didn't make it clear to the fitters that I wanted it to go right into a fireplace in a spare room(because the fire wasn't used any more) The guys cut out the piece inside the fire grate! They just went out to the van and brought in this iron sort of thing. They "welded" on a piece of carpet in the gap! The smell was horrendous for a couple of hours but the job certainly worked. The seam was barely perceptible.And that was thirty years ago! Might be even better solutions now.

billo516

Covidhaveago wrote: »

Did your landlord give permission for you to keep a dog in their property?

Any answer ?

Talk to the landlord and be up front about what happened.

I think you are facing them either deducting the full cost of replacing the damaged carpets from your deposit when you move, or the other option is you can offer to pay from your own pocket to replace them now.

There is no reason why the landlord should accept a patched up carpet.

Carpet Rite, as suggested, usually have underlay and fitting built into the price.

But at 8 months, your dog is still a puppy. I'd wait, as he might still do more damage.

Sono

I’m surprised the landlord allowed such a dog in a rental property, be up front with the landlord and see what they say, don’t try and patch it up yourself.

wildwillow

The landlord is entitled to the same quality carpets if you replace them.
I would leave them till you are moving and then let the landlord replace them and furnish you with the receipt. If the carpets are new I would expect you to pay full cost, if older you agree a percentage.

No point in putting in new carpets now and having further wear and tear.

Tazzimus

ted1 wrote: »

You do realise that Dobermans are a restricted breed in Ireland ?
Must be walked on a metal lead and muzzled outside the house.

What's that got to do with sorting the ripped carpet?

Antares35

Tazzimus wrote: »

What's that got to do with sorting the ripped carpet?

It was always going to be a matter of time before the thinly veiled "you shouldn't rent with a dog" posts showed up.

Antares35

Antares35 wrote: »

It was always going to be a matter of time before the thinly veiled "you shouldn't rent with a dog" posts showed up.

You shouldn’t rent, with a dog, without the landlords consent.

Repairing ripped carpets in a rented house is not a DIY job unless you’re a carpet fitter. It’s not your house to be messing around with.

The fact the OP thinks it’s a DIY job suggests he’d also think it’s okay to get a dog and not ask the landlord.

Call the landlord and tell them you got a dog and it damaged their property. It’s up to them to decide how to repair the damage and whether or not the dog stays or you go.

ted1

Tazzimus wrote: »

What's that got to do with sorting the ripped carpet?

A lot, they are restricted breeds for a reason. They are destructive and like to get their teeth into things. There will be more damage

Also if the op is willing to try and pull a fast one over his landlord, it displays a certain level of disrespect he may have, do no harm in reminding him of the laws.

Antares35

JayZeus wrote: »

The fact the OP thinks it’s a DIY job suggests he’d also think it’s okay to get a dog and not ask the landlord.

???

Tazzimus

ted1 wrote: »

A lot, they are restricted breeds for a reason. They are destructive and like to get their teeth into things. There will be more damage

Also if the op is willing to try and pull a fast one over his landlord, it displays a certain level of disrespect he may have, do no harm in reminding him of the laws.

Any dog can be destructive if they're bored, it's not specific to Doberman.
That's not a reason for them to be on that ridiculous list anyway.

Breed has nothing to do with destructiveness.

The dog is still a pup, all puppies get destructive if left alone for too long or they get bored, irrespective of breed.

As well as that, the pup was probably teething. Pups teeth between 6 weeks to 6-8 months (ish) , so they chew and chew and chew!

You can buy teething aids for dogs, just as you can for babies!

tDw6u1bj

There is one answer and one answer only to this:

Tell your landlord.

It's entirely up to the landlord to decide how to address this.
You should absolutely never, under any circumstances, repair stuff/DIY in rented accommodation.
Even if you could DIY this* (you can't), it would be completely unacceptable to make repairs yourself without landlord permission. Getting a professional to do this is equally wrong (heck, the landlord could still bill you for a replacement if they weren't happy).

*I doubt this has occurred to you, but the "spare" carpet doesn't belong to you either.

GreeBo

What state was the carpet in when you moved in?
If it was new then either lose your deposit or see if the landlord is happy for you to recarpet (I wouldn't be)
But if it was old then paying to get it replaced without at least talking to the landlord would be crazy.

whisky_galore

Fess up and pay up.

ec18

There two scenarios really, op was allowed pets and landlord takes their deposit for new carpet (or pays for new carpet and keeps deposit) or two pets weren't allowed and op loses deposit and is potentially given notice for breaking conditions of lease

chooseusername

I suppose it had to come to this;

https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2021/0625/1231416-landlords-tenants-housing-pet-rent/

ineedeuro

jamco91 wrote: »

So we have a pet Doberman, he's 8 months old now but as a puppy he used the bite the upstairs carpets and tear them no matter how hard we tried to stop him. There are about 6 tear marks in total upstairs. And it's a rented accommodation so we fear we will lose the majority of the deposit if we can't find a quick and cheap fix.

Attached are some photos of it. The rips are about 4 to 6 inches in length.

Has anyone any idea of what to do? There is spare carpet stored under the stair but I think he would notice if I cut up small sections and replaced them.

Any help greatly appreciated.

If the dog was ripping up carpet then he had worked his way to that. What else did he/she chew in the house?

The damage is your responsibility and I’d start saving to replace the carpets in the affected rooms. You say that one of the damaged areas is the hallway. Does that mean the stairs are carpeted too? I wouldn’t be happy if you just replaced the affected area and left the rest to stand out like a sore thumb.

Contact the landlord, tell him what’s happened and you want to fix it. Allow them to do an inspection to see if there is any other damage (chewed window boards or deep scratches in doors spring to mind). Then come to an agreed timeline for having all damaged areas sorted.

And who’s to say that the deposit will cover it all?

Fils

Your best bet now is talk to Joe.

ineedeuro

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

The damage is your responsibility and I’d start saving to replace the carpets in the affected rooms. You say that one of the damaged areas is the hallway. Does that mean the stairs are carpeted too? I wouldn’t be happy if you just replaced the affected area and left the rest to stand out like a sore thumb.

Contact the landlord, tell him what’s happened and you want to fix it. Allow them to do an inspection to see if there is any other damage (chewed window boards or deep scratches in doors spring to mind). Then come to an agreed timeline for having all damaged areas sorted.

And who’s to say that the deposit will cover it all?

I doubt the deposit will cover it all, you might have carpet in down stairs hall, up the stairs and then on landing. Hence why they are asking in DIY.

The cost to replace with carpet will be expensive, especially if done professionally as it should be done

volchitsa

chooseusername wrote: »

I suppose it had to come to this;

https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2021/0625/1231416-landlords-tenants-housing-pet-rent/

I have a dog, and have recently gained a cat, and TBH I think that is fair.

The cat, whom we've only had about three months, has already scratched my leather sofas despite my best efforts with spray etc, and the dog was sick (both ends) several times in the the house. So seeing as some tenants can be very careless of things (homeowners too, of course, but that's their own problem) I think extra deposit and possibly a small rent is fair enough. It also means people who want pets don't have to buy to be allowed to have them.

Short answer: pets can do a lot of damage. Charging (reasonable) rent for them will hopefully increase the number of landlords who are prepared to let to pet owners. Win win.

(Sorry if this doesn't help the OP, for whom my advice would be NOT to replace it yourself, especially not with "spare" carpet. I know someone who tiled her balcony and lost her deposit in order to "fix" that when she left because the housing agency (this was in Belgium) didn't want it to be different to the other flats. If they can charge you to remove improvements - and they can - think how they'll react if you add on a few strips of no-longer-identical carpet!)

A deposit is given over to cover damages.
You will not receive your deposit back if it is required to cover damages.

A dog chewing up the carpets is damage.

These are fairly elementary facts.

ineedeuro

isha wrote: »

A deposit is given over to cover damages.
You will not receive your deposit back if it is required to cover damages.

A dog chewing up the carpets is damage.

These are fairly elementary facts.

You will find all sorts of carry on by tenants to hide damage in houses/apartment etc to try get back deposits. Looks like that is what is happening here

ineedeuro

ineedeuro wrote: »

I doubt the deposit will cover it all, you might have carpet in down stairs hall, up the stairs and then on landing. Hence why they are asking in DIY.

The cost to replace with carpet will be expensive, especially if done professionally as it should be done

Well I’m about to measure up for new carpet on stairs and landing. I can give the OP an indication of price when I get quote back.

Fils

ineedeuro wrote: »

You will find all sorts of carry on by tenants to hide damage in houses/apartment etc to try get back deposits. Looks like that is what is happening here

Carpet is probably covered in dog faeces from it dragging its arse around on it, filthy hounds.

Mimon

Fils wrote: »

Carpet is probably covered in dog faeces from it dragging its arse around on it, filthy hounds.

Imagined this in a frightfully posh accent. You're not Reece Mogg by any chance?

Antares35

chooseusername wrote: »

I suppose it had to come to this;

https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2021/0625/1231416-landlords-tenants-housing-pet-rent/

As someone who tried to rent in the past with pets, I'd happily pay this. It seems fair.

Gamergurll

Antares35 wrote: »

As someone who tried to rent in the past with pets, I'd happily pay this. It seems fair.

I think it's fair even though it makes life more costly for us pet lovers
I am lucky our landlord is a pet lover and has no problem with us keeping pets, but we rent unfurnished and one of my cats has the arms of my sofa ruined, I'm getting a new one but it will have to be a cheap ikea one because I know it won't stay looking new for long, it's really as bad as having my kids as toddlers again for the damage they do, lol!, I love my pets and would rather the damaged sofa just to keep them any day but unfortunately it is costly to keep them and I can understand why landlords won't allow them, it's just sad so many won't

On topic, it's easy to want to take the cheap road out but you should just start saving for a new deposit and tell the landlord, he might not be happy with a new carpet you buy so I would tell him and let him choose what to do. Pups do this but it is your responsibility at the end of the day, unfair on the landlord to just temporarily 'patch up' the carpet ^^

Antares35

Antares35 wrote: »

As someone who tried to rent in the past with pets, I'd happily pay this. It seems fair.

It does seem fair.
My last dog lived to be 18. For her last 2 years she was happy, painfree, but becoming ever more senile and incontinent.
It became almost a full time job for me to keep up with the cleaning after her immediately. At that time I read up on this kind of stuff and there are really big problems with cat and dog urine seeping into floorboards but even worse into subfloors and the smell being impossible to ever fully remove.
There are stories of people having to completely remove concrete sub flooring to get rid of odours left by previous occupants. As it is my own house I kept up the efforts to mind my dog and simultaneously mind my floors!! It might not feel so urgent if one does not own the house. And then the house owner would have troubles.

Discodog

Antares35 wrote: »

As someone who tried to rent in the past with pets, I'd happily pay this. It seems fair.

A friend of mine has holiday lets. He would far rather have a couple with a dog than a family with kids.

Another friend lives in a new apartment in Finland. No problem with having a dog.

ted1

[Deleted User] wrote: »

A deposit is given over to cover damages.
You will not receive your deposit back if it is required to cover damages.

A dog chewing up the carpets is damage.

These are fairly elementary facts.

The deposit covers some damages. It’s value is limited.