Burnt carpet

[bonaparte]

I'm in a strange situation. The house I rent has a wood burning stove. I've used the stove most of the winter to heat the house. I've been very careful and up until now, there has been no problem, until a couple days ago when a coal jumped out of the stove and onto the carpet. I scooped it up as fast as I could, but there is still a big melted spot of carpet about the size of a half dollar. I don't know how old the carpet is, but it is older (think 5 to 10 years or more). I know that in Ohio if the carpet is to be replaced the price is to be pro-rated based on the expected life expectancy of the carpet, but without any records, how could one ever tell? Also I have looked around the house and I don't see any extra carpet pieces, so patching the carpet is out of the question.

What should I expect as a fair reduction in my security deposit for this repair/replacement? Also is it feasible/defendable, that this is normal wear and tear since it is carpeting next to a wood burning stove? This is the first time in 12 years of renting that I actually damaged something. I actually feel sort of bad for the landlord because they want to see the property after I (against my will) move out.

[ohiolandlord]

I would make further attempts to patch the carpeting that was burnt. You may want to ask the landlord if there are some matching carpet remnants or you may want to make an effort to go out and find matching remnants. Without seeing the carpet, it's hard to give an opinion on what the deduction to your security deposit could be. I wouldn't characterize it as normal wear and tear though. I had the same issue with a firepit built into a deck that burned the deck. The court did not consider it normal wear and tear. Instead, it was up to the tenant to take extra care in such situations.

You may want to place an old rug over the carpet and next to the wood burning stove.