So I am sure some of you will be amused. My ongoing cat saga - the one where my cat has been peeing on the carpet in my bedroom - has hit the next phase.
I changed apartments and the landlord of the previous one has decided to bill me for the damage.
On the plus side, the damage I actually did has a reasonable bill - $210 to replace a room worth of carpet. On the negative side, the room where the cat box was, which had some dry litter I didn’t have time to sweep up, they want $1100 to replace the floor, which the cat did NOT pee on.
Total bill $1800, minus what I paid in deposits, they demand $1500.
Anyways I made a claim with my insurance company and without any further questions they have paid out $1000, which is the policy limit for this sort of damage.
So, ok. I would like to argue the landlord down to $1000. I have a case in a couple of ways - the landlord has no evidence for this hard flooring damage, and I can prove it with photos. That’s $1100, the landlord could just wash the floor instead and use a cat urine removal chemical and likely fix their floor for a fraction the cost.
It would be easier to argue them down if I owe them $1500 and they would be settling for 2/3.
But, legally, don’t I have to forward them the money the insurance company has given me? I have a suspicion I am obligated by some legal principal to do so. State is Georgia
I wouldn’t tell them they could just wash it. They’ll come back with ‘if that’s all it takes, you should have done it before you left’. I don’t think you’ll get anywhere going down that road.
Anyway…if you have pictures, from when/after you moved out, that show there’s no damage to the floor, then by all means, call them on it. Tell them you’d like to stop down this afternoon and see what they’re talking about because you don’t recall seeing any damage to that area. See how that goes. If they’re truly just trying to nail you for $1100, this could work.
If they’ve already done the work, hopefully the pictures will help, but it might end up in court.
I would imagine, if you told the insurance company that you had to pay $1500 and they handed you the $1500, it’s likely supposed to go to the landlord or be returned to them. But if you got the insurance money and the landlord decided not to charge you anything, I can’t imagine the insurance company would ever find out.
What I’m confused about is why you specifically state that the cat did not urinate on the floor (and you have proof), but then you also mention that they could easily clean it with a cat urine removal chemical.
Also, look through your lease. It’s entirely possible there’s extra cleaning/replacement fees for apartments that have had pets in them.