Posted by wiremanibew on March 08, 2005 at 16:59:16:
Odor X It
or if you need another e mail me both of these will work
Good Investing
wiremanibew
undisclosed cat urine odor - Posted by Jill
Posted by Jill on March 08, 2005 at 01:34:12:
Hello,
I closed on a house last Monday. My realtor scheduled the walk through for the day before but the seller delayed it because she was cleaning the carpets so we did it 1hr before closing. When we arrived, the house reeked of cat urine. I, my realtor, a friend or the home inspector did not notice this odor in 4 prior visits - we suspect that steam cleaner she used to clean the carpets brought the smell out.
At the last minute, my realtor inquired about the cost of professional carpet cleaning and we accepted $500 for carpet cleaning at closing. Unfortunately, my realtor did not specifically mention the cat odor to the carpet cleaning company and when I called later that day, I was told by 3 different companies that you cannot completely remove cat urine odor and the suggestion was made that I rip out the carpet and underlayment. This will cost $2-3000!!!
I had been told that the carpet was only 1 year old and after moving in, I noticed a leftover can of Kilz in the garage. This was likely applied to the subfloor to remove the cat urine odor from the previous carpet and, to me, is an indication of the seller’s prior knowledge of this situation. I was also told (by a neighbor) that she kept the litter box in one of the bathrooms, though there was NO litterbox visible anywhere in the house when I was there - I assume she “hid” it outside? I did know about the cats but they were always outside and I have several friends with cats whose homes do NOT reek of urine!
My question: is the seller liable for the cost of replacing this, now worthless one year old carpet?
PS the house still reeks after 1 week of open windows and treatment with an enzymatic cleaner
Re: undisclosed cat urine odor - Posted by Gavin Wilkinson
Posted by Gavin Wilkinson on March 09, 2005 at 17:07:09:
Try to isolate where the smell is coming from. Is is just one room or one or several corners? If so, you can just replace the carpet in that room.
I am sorry to say I was involved in one of these and I was never able to remove the smell to my satisfaction. I used enzymes, sealing the subfloor, ozone machines, and replacing the carpet.
If I was in this situation again, I would replace the subfloors and walls in the effected areas.
Re: undisclosed cat urine odor - Posted by River City
Posted by River City on March 08, 2005 at 06:42:54:
First, let me say I am not an attorney. Although it appears that you settled on a price to correct the odor with the $500. Have you called a pet supply company or a veterinarian? They might have some ideas that can help. There are also some types of candles that can remove odors. Good luck with this. Cat urine is a terrible odor.
Hopefully one of the attorneys on this board will have better news than I have.
Re: undisclosed cat urine odor - Posted by Jill
Posted by Jill on March 09, 2005 at 19:03:12:
Living room/dining room/downstairs hall. A carpet repair guy is coming over tonight to try to pinpoint the spots w/ a black light. Wretched creatures, cats are.
Since I’ll prob do the tearing out myself, Ill hopefully be able to wait a few days and see how bad the subfloor is. Im pretty sure it was sealed about a year ago when the new carpet went in.
Thanks for the replies.
Re: undisclosed cat urine odor - Posted by Jill
Posted by Jill on March 08, 2005 at 09:39:52:
The $500 was for a standard professional carpet cleaning BUT we (my realtor and I) were unaware that even professional carpet cleaners are unable to remove cat urine odor. The $500 decision was made in haste due to the fact that we just found out about the problem 1hr before closing. Had the seller not postponed the walk-through, we would have had 24hrs to do a more thorough investigation.
Re: undisclosed cat urine odor - Posted by River City
Posted by River City on March 10, 2005 at 06:52:16:
Would it help if you did not recarpet for a while? Tear out the old carpet and pad and leave it for a month or so to air out and then recarpet? That might help??? Try this website: http://www.heloise.com/
Re: undisclosed cat urine odor - Posted by Rich[FL]
Posted by Rich[FL] on March 08, 2005 at 12:06:09:
Jill - the Mr. Landlord website recommends a product called Odor X-it for situations like this. I haven’t had a need to use it yet so I can’t offer any first-hand testimonials. However, if I ever run into a situation like yours, that would be the first place I’d start.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Rich
Re: undisclosed cat urine odor - Posted by Jill
Posted by Jill on March 08, 2005 at 12:24:35:
Thanks Rich,
I tried a similar product recommended by the animal shelter. It is an enzymatic product and did not work. I think some of these products may work if applied soon after the deed is done, however is much less effective after several months and especially after detergents have been applied to the carpet. Also, I fear that the urine soaked through the carpet and sturated the underlayment. Finally, this might not be the best logic but if I can buy a product for $19.99 at PetSmart that actually works, why won’t professional carpet cleaners charge me $100 to apply this stuff themselves? Thanks, though.
Jill