A landlord can charge to return a unit to its move-in cleanliness, but generally not to make it cleaner than you found it, and usually not an automatic flat “cleaning fee” or “carpet cleaning fee” regardless of condition. Routine cleaning between tenants is normally the landlord’s cost of doing business.
[Your name / address / contact]
[Date]
[Landlord name / address]
Re: Disputed cleaning and carpet charges
[former rental address, unit #]
Dear [Landlord name],
I dispute the following charges on your itemized statement dated [date]:
• "Cleaning fee — $[amount]" — I returned the unit clean and in the
same condition as move-in, normal wear excepted. A flat or automatic
cleaning fee is not a permitted deduction; only the reasonable cost of
cleaning beyond ordinary use is, and there was none.
• "Carpet cleaning — $[amount]" — [I had the carpets professionally
cleaned on [date]; receipt enclosed / the carpet was left in normal
condition]. Routine carpet cleaning between tenancies is ordinary
turnover, not tenant-caused damage.
• "Carpet replacement — $[amount]" — the carpet was [age] years old and
showed only normal wear; at most a prorated amount for its remaining
useful life could apply, not full replacement.
My move-out photos dated [date] are enclosed. Please remove these charges
and refund $[amount] within [10] days.
Sincerely,
[Signature / printed name]
Points that win these disputes:
- Flat fees and “automatic” charges are vulnerable — the deduction must reflect an actual, reasonable cost.
- Receipts beat estimates. If you cleaned or had carpets cleaned, attach the receipt.
- Carpet age and useful life. Full-replacement charges for old carpet are commonly reduced to a prorated figure or struck entirely.
Read your lease — and your state’s rules — on carpet cleaning. A lease clause requiring professional carpet cleaning is unenforceable in some states and enforceable in others. Don’t concede the charge just because the lease says so; note that you dispute its enforceability.
For broader wear issues see the wear-and-tear letter; for inflated quotes see inflated repair costs.