Tips for proving cracked vinyl issues

[Tom_88]

Hi there. I rent a unit with brand new vinyl flooring. The vinyl flooring started cracking around a low/soft spot in the middle of the space about a week after I moved in. I sent a report and pictures to the management company and they thanked me for the pictures and that was that. After a couple months of avoiding the spot I just bought a area rug and covered up and went on with life.

Anyways I will be moving out soon 1 year later, and the cracking has gotten much worse, and I want to collect some photo proof while I still live here incase they try and charge me for it. Where I live they will have to arrange an over the phone arbitration with an official, and I would have a chance to submit photo evidence as well as my emails reporting the problem right away.

So anyways I bought a 4 foot level and was just planning on taking a series of photos showing the gap under the level corresponding with the cracks, and the level areas not being cracked. Does this sound like a good strategy?

I am not experienced in flooring but I assume you are supposed to have a level sub floor. It also has random pieces around the house that have chipped. Flooring was done by the rental company's repair guys, paid for by the owner, so I expect them to be biased as they are the ones on the hook for the faulty installation if they cant somehow manage make me pay.

I can show the end result pictures before and later if anyone is interested.

 

[Floorist]

Sheet vinyl normally won't crack over a dip. Is this vinyl planks?

 

[C.J.]

Maybe they will try and throw it back on you, maybe they won’t. If they do then having documentation would hopefully put an end to it real quick. Good on you for taking pics in the beginning and bringing it to their attention. Take more pics and document everything. Breaking out the level and document any humps, dips and unlevel areas. You can’t have too much documentation but you certainly can have not enough. Might be worth it to send an email to them bringing them up to speed about the worsening condition of the floor before your lease is up. Could just turn this whole thing into a non issue by being proactive instead of reactive.

 

[Tom_88]

Maybe they will try and throw it back on you, maybe they won’t. If they do then having documentation would hopefully put an end to it real quick. Good on you for taking pics in the beginning and bringing it to their attention. Take more pics and document everything. Breaking out the level and document any humps, dips and unlevel areas. You can’t have too much documentation but you certainly can have not enough. Might be worth it to send an email to them bringing them up to speed about the worsening condition of the floor before your lease is up. Could just turn this whole thing into a non issue by being proactive instead of reactive.

Yeah I going to send them the pictures as a reply to the original as a update to them as well as mentioning that we showed it during our annual inspection last month.

 

[Tom_88]

Sheet vinyl normally won't crack over a dip. Is this vinyl planks?

Yeah its planks. Sorry I dont know much about flooring.