Students are struggling to get their full deposits back from property owners after the latest academic year’s lease ended in August.
Many renting students were charged cleaning and maintenance fees after they moved out, which were deducted from the deposits they paid upfront to cover possible damage to the unit. With little evidence of restoration, students are demanding the return of hundreds of missing people.
“I made sure to clean (the apartment) after I moved in,” AHS junior Juliana Petrov said. “We vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned the carpet. It was sparkling clean, not a single speck of dust.”
Petrov and his LAS junior roommate, Claudia Majercak, were charged more than $500 for cleaning, painting and carpet cleaning after they moved out of their university group apartment in Champaign this summer.
“There was nothing that needed to be painted,” Petrov said. “At least not from us.”
Mr. Petrov and Mr. Majerchak have moved out of the apartment, in contrast to when they moved in, and are even more disappointed in the amount they were charged.
“First of all, they said they would clean it, but it never actually got cleaned,” Majercak said. “There were nail clippers in the drawer. There was no dust and the balcony was covered in bird droppings.”
Petrov echoed these sentiments, sharing his disappointment with the cleaning that took place after the previous tenant moved out.
“So when I moved in, I saw that U Group had left a little business card saying that one of their business companies had cleaned the apartment, and it was signed. Proof that it was signed. I wish I had kept it as a fight against them,” Petrov said.
The roommates contacted the university group to request that the charges be dropped. The company said it would respond within 14 business days, but a month has passed without any response.
“And they said we called them today, but they lost our investigation,” Petrov said.
Mr. Petrov and Mr. Majerczak have confirmation emails from the investigation and photographs that appear to support their claim for the remainder of the bond to be returned.
“It just seems like they’re trying to avoid everything and trying to get us to back down,” Majercak said.
This experience is not limited to undergraduate students renting on campus. Sasha McDowell, a graduate student studying comparative literature, was recently charged $750 after moving out of her university group apartment in Champaign.
Like Mr. Petrov and Mr. Majercak, Mr. McDowell also disputed the bond request, but was similarly promised a response within 14 business days.
“And that was August 31st,” McDowell said. “I haven’t heard from them yet, but I went to Student Legal Services and met with them. A lawyer there sent a letter to the university group on behalf of me and my former roommate.”
According to the letter, there was no major damage and the apartment was actually left in better condition than when it was found. The lawsuit also accuses University Group of failing to provide receipts for invoices sent by Mr. McDowell.
Anthony Allegretti, lead attorney at Student Legal, said: “We can’t see any evidence that it was cleaned, we can’t see any receipts that it was paid, we can’t confirm that someone else actually received the money, and that’s the problem.” ” he said. service.
Without receipts to match the invoice, renters cannot confirm whether the amount charged was fully spent on maintenance of their unit. That leaves them and Mr. Allegretti with unanswered questions about where the money will go.
“There has to be a connection, but we just don’t see it,” Allegretti said. “We see a lot of unpaid invoices that have a lot of boilerplate language about work, hourly rates, hourly hours, rates, etc. But that’s what it really is. But sometimes those things don’t match up with the evidence we actually see.”
While Mr. Petrov, Mr. Majercak and Mr. McDowell are currently in litigation over a single entity, University Group is not the only property management company that students are seeking to recover their funds from.
“We have disputes from all the major landowners in town. I’ve never seen anyone left out by the big-time players,” Allegretti said.
The landlord also disputes Green Street Realty, Smile Fairlawn Student Living, Roland Realty and JSJ Property Management.
“Student Legal Services is the only place where students can consult with attorneys about landlord-tenant issues, and that’s a big part of what we do,” Allegretti said. “We are currently in the middle of bond season.”
Campus Town leases typically run on an August-August cycle. As a result, the Student Legal Department handles bond disputes each year, most notably in the early fall. As of September 25, the office was booked for two weeks due to the high number of students seeking legal assistance.
“Another thing I would like to add is that (the university group) said on the phone today that they are responding to a number of inquiries,” Petrov said. “That got me thinking a little bit: ‘Why are there so many inquiries about deposit refunds?’ Why aren’t all U-Group students getting their deposits returned in full?”
There have been disputes between all the major property owners in the area, and the experience has led some to look for alternatives.
“We wanted to find a place that was the antithesis of a college group. We wanted a small place,” McDowell said.
While Mr. McDowell has had improved experience working with smaller lenders, that doesn’t apply to everyone who borrows outside of major corporations.
Joanna Dai, a graduate student studying nutrition, lived in a house in Urbana that was purchased by Tim Chao, owner of BakeLab and BrewLab.
“Based on Urbana law, the landlord is supposed to refund (the deposit) within 30 to 45 days, so I started texting him after 45 days,” Dye said. “It used to be the only way to get him. And he started ignoring it.”
Unlike his friends, Dai didn’t have to pay for any cleaning or painting. Instead, her lender was simply withholding her money.
“He was like, ‘Oh, you can share your Venmo with me,’ so I just shared my Venmo information with him,” Dye said. “After that, I never heard from him again. I kept calling him, texting him, and basically nothing.”
It wasn’t until Ms. Dai contacted Student Legal Services that she received her full deposit back.
“I finally contacted the Student Law Office and was able to meet a really nice woman…she is one of the lawyers who is helping the students,” Dye said. “So she started calling Tim Chao on my behalf and leaving voicemails on my behalf.”
Dai followed up the call by contacting Chao’s fiancée, whom she knew from her business at BakeLab, about the issue. Dai’s persistence paid off, and she received her deposit later that week.
“I was going to expose BakeLab and BrewLab on social media if necessary, or have my friends hold up placards in front of BakeLab and continue to protest my deposits. “Dai added. “But I didn’t have to do that. It took a lot of courage to do that, so I’m glad for that.”
Disputes over security deposits have become a widespread phenomenon on campus over the years, and students have solid theories as to why they continue to be an issue.
“I think it’s because they think students are stupid,” McDowell said. “I think they think we’re just a bunch of stupid college students and 20-somethings who don’t know their rights.”
Mr. Petrov and Mr. Majerchak thought similarly, believing that companies were simply trying to make as much profit as possible.
“I think they know that college students are not being informed about the resources that they have and the rights that they have and the resources that are available to them in college,” Petrov said.
From a legal perspective, Allegretti recommends thorough documentation to maximize your chances of getting your deposit back at the end of the lease.
“Document the status of your place when you move in and out, fill out all moving reports, submit work orders as needed, and save all information in a place where you can keep it for 30 to 60 days after you move out. Please.’ I’ve already moved,” Allegretti said.
Even this does not necessarily guarantee that the deposit will be returned without a dispute. Mr. Petrov and Mr. Majerchak have the documents required by their lender, but are still waiting for their deposit to be paid.
“So, you know what? Learning something and not losing your life makes you stronger,” Majercak said, reflecting on the whole experience so far.
Majerchak’s newfound strength doesn’t show up in her bank account at the moment, but she and Petrov will likely have more to borrow from in the future, and more students will be able to help their You will have to learn the time-consuming process of fighting for.
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