What he would charge you with is the prorated cost of the carpet replacement based on the remaining life of the original carpet.

The 10 year lifespan of a carpet is an IRS ruling for replacement in rentals; it has nothing to do with a specific state.

About the only way you can legally prove you should have to pay for 7 years 5 months of the carpet lifespan is to sue the landlord and in court state that you lived in the rental property for 2 1/2 years thus if the carpet was new when you moved in it was already 2 1/2 years old at move out.

How much money are we talking about here? That would really be the question as to whether it is worth your time and trouble to consider a lawsuit over this matter. Remember that even if you do sue and win your judgment it would be up to you to collect this money; the court will unfortunately, not help you in that last step.

Gail