SUBREDDIT: r/legaladvice
TITLE: California Security Deposit
POST: Hello,

I have recently moved out of my apartment in San Diego, and the landlord is wanting to charge me for a carpet replacement due to a dog urine stain. The carpet was supposedly new from my move-in.

They performed an initial inspection but did not notify me about any of the findings from it (in written or verbal form), which I've come to learn is not proper protocol. Regardless of this, I question the finding of the dog urine stain, as my dog has never urinated in the apartment (600 sq feet, trained very well and no accident when he even had Giardia), and he has never been left alone at home (goes to daycare or a friends place). I do understand however, that my senses and personal judgment can be fallible. 

What I want to know is: Do I have recourse to bring in an independent assessor to verify the damages, and estimate possible remedies? The only evidence they've shown is moisture underneath the carpet, which I've suggested may be due to my carpet shampoo wash the night before the inspection. This ties back to lack of follow-up from the initial inspection, as I never got the chance to verify the original damages, and make appropriate repairs. 

It isn't cheap to fix, and I don't necessarily think they are being malicious, but I just have a hard time believing it and would like to verify the damage independently. The one procedural aspect that I am going to push back hard on, is their lack of itemization from the initial inspection.
TL;DR: 
Landlord charging for carpet replacement, I want independent verification of damages. Also, didn't provide itemized list of repairs from initial inspection.