Should the landlord choose to repair or replace the carpet anyway the tenant may be made to pay for the cost of the same.
Wisconsin landlord law carpet cleaning.
In disputes over security deposits courts have often considered basic carpet cleaning to be part of normal wear and tear.
Under wis admin code atcp 134 06 3 c landlords cannot withhold from a tenant s security deposit for normal wear tear even if included in a nonstandard rental provision.
Atcp 134 06 note note.
This means that a landlord cannot automatically deduct the cost of routine carpet cleaning from a tenant s security deposit unless the cleaning i.
Under wisconsin law a landlord cannot deduct the costs of routine carpet cleaning or painting caused by a tenant s normal wear and tear from the security deposit.
Atcp 134 06 note note.
In most cases landlords should not charge tenants for a standard carpet cleaning.
Even if the lease includes the permitted provision the cost for routine carpet cleaning may not be collected by the landlord in advance because all prepayments in excess of one month s rent must be treated as security deposit.
A lease may include a contractual provision requiring the tenant to pay for routine carpet cleaning.
Because routine carpet cleaning is not an obligation statutorily imposed on either the landlord or the tenant assigning this responsibility to a tenant through a contractual provision does not render a rental agreement void.
Tenant caused damage as an exception to the above no state requires the landlord to replace repair damaged carpet if the damage to the carpet has been caused by the tenant.
If a tenant abuses or negligently damages the carpeting or walls in a way that requires repair replacement and or repainting the tenant may be at least partially liable for the damages though.