Q: Hi, I recently discovered that our tenant removed our carpet and replaced it with different carpet without asking.
Can she legally do this? I have no clue why she changed the carpet, and do not know when she did so. The carpet was in great condition when she moved in.
A:
Maybe. If the carpet she removed was not tacked or glued down wall-to-wall carpet and she simply rolled it up and is storing it safely until she moves out, it seems she's done nothing wrong. On the other hand, if she removed your tacked or glued down carpet and discarded it without your permission, she may have acted illegally. If the carpet she installed is of equal or better quality than yours and she plans to leave it when she vacates the place, it sounds like"no harm, no foul."
Have you asked her why the carpet was replaced? It's possible she accidentally destroyed it (by dropping an open bottle of
bleach in the middle of it, for example), and replaced it at her own expense.
What does your lease say about such things?
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