UL On-Campus Accommodation and deductions from Student Deposits

mid

I just wanted to make others aware of the on-campus student villages in the University of Limerick and the return of student deposits as its that time of the year again. Last year (2010/2011) I was staying in Dromroe and at the end of the year each of us had approximately €140 deducted from our deposits (so €140 x 6 students = €840).

I requested a breakdown of this (it included dry cleaning of curtains, washing windows, repainting apartment, servicing of breakdown to lift, cleaning extractor fan, missing Fire blanket) and I then spoke to someone from www.threshold.ie who advised me that most of these deductions were illegal.

Myself and my housemate informed the village manager who assured both of us that the deductions were correct. He also said that he confirmed the deductions with another village manager and this manager also agreed with him.

2 quotes from emails:
"I am sure that these charges are correct as I looked at each individual apartment myself."
"All of the charges are correct. The previous manager, [name here], took a look at them as well and passed them"

Threshold advised me to open a dispute with PRTB.ie (cost €25 divided between 6 people so €4.25 each) in order to get some of our deposits refunded. AFAIK if the PRTB decide in your favour the €25 fee will have to be refunded by CLS.

Prior to opening a PRTB dispute, my housemate emailed the Manager of Campus Life services and they confirmed we should not have been charged for the breakages and cleaning and each of us was refunded €90 (€90 x 6 = €540).

(Part of the unrefunded portion of our deposit was €210 for replacing a missing Fire Blanket (I didn't dispute this as I can't say for certain if it was there when we moved out), though if anyone else is missing one, you can buy many types of fire blankets online for less than €20, so their replacement fee is very excessive)

3 points to note:
1) If 2 Village managers really believed these deductions were legal, I wonder how many other students (CLS have 2,500 student bedrooms) also had these deductions last year and didn't get refunded? And what about previous years?

2) The students union was informed of this by my housemate. IMO if this happened in one of the off-campus student villages, the Students Union would have sent an All-Student email as they've previously done for off-campus accommodation (not sure if relevant but is there a conflict of interest for the student union as the then Student Union President Derek Daly was on the Board of Directors of Campus Life Services)

3) That year I lived with 4 international students, 3 non-european, who had returned to their home countries when their deposits were returned. At the time the deposits were returned these students believed these deductions were normal as the 'accommodation' was owned by the University, so obviously they trusted UL. Also international students are unlikely to know about the PRTB etc and English mightn't be their first language. So does CLS take advantage of this?

wnolan1992

Excellent post mid.

Re: The Fire Blanket
I've always known their deductions are excessive. A quick look at the handbook they give you will tell you that. Haven't looked at it since first year, but IIRC it was something like 60quid for a toaster and the like.

Will definitely be requesting a breakdown if they take money this year... Our kitchen windows were destroyed by the guys in the apartment above us, and there's no way in hell I'm paying for them to be cleaned.

Jester252

I had an issue with CLS last year. When I moved in the over door was broken and the cost to fix it was taken out of our deposit.

OhMSGlive

Well done mid, excellent post! Will keep this in mind when I get my deposit back.

Aragneer

Thank you so much for this post!
I've been really worried about the deductions of my house in Plassey.

I lived with 7 others and in the first semester, I moved in with my boyfriend in Groody because the mess was unbearable and I was not contributing to it or cleaning it up.
In the second semester 6 of these people remained untidy and I know that when we left the house it was only Cawcheen and me that cleaned..I asked one of them to do the oven and it was not done.

My dad has said that if they take an extortionate amount off of my deposit he is going to phone and tell them my situation and if it goes further he will take further action.

I've heard the campus deposit taking is terrible and I'm really worried about it

mid

Just to add to this, when we moved out our apartment was clean etc the same as when we moved in. The problem we had was they were trying to get us to pay for what is considered 'normal wear and tear'.

http://goo.gl/z0L70

Deductions may be made or the deposit retained in full if there has been damage above normal wear and tear to the property. If your landlord claims that there has been damage to the property receipts must be provided to prove the cost incurred in carrying out repairs.

The apartment will be repainted every x years, electrical items will be replaced, carpet replaced, external windows will be cleaned every so often, curtains will be cleaned, lift will break and need to be repaired etc. These expenses are already factored into the rent we pay and its illegal to deduct them from our deposits - but 2 village managers didn't know this last year.

BTW I only got a partial deposit refunded from Thomond in 1st year and I asked for a breakdown but when the village manager told me all the deductions were correct, I just accepted it as I didn't know who else to complain to

wnolan1992

Will be interesting to see how the new manager in Dromroe will handle things...

Hopefully won't be an issue. I had about 60quid taken from my deposit last year, but thought it was better to leave it alone since there were one or two things that needed repairing. Thinking back now though, I don't think replacing a screw and a broken light probably wouldn't have cost 60 X 6 = 300e.

YFlyer

Ollie Hassett would be proud.

freyners

strange, i actually got a extra fiver back on my deposit for plassey for not using all of our electricity allowance

altho they did charge us 400 euro:eek: for a phone in 1st year

Jester252

€400 for a phone there has to be more to the story

wnolan1992

Jester252 wrote: »

€400 for a phone there has to be more to the story

There is more.

It was this phone they bought...

freyners

Jester252 wrote: »

€400 for a phone there has to be more to the story

couldnt tell ya if there is, i was out foreign when the deposit came back and can only relay what my housemates saw on their bill thing.

Aragneer

are the deposits back yet?

wnolan1992

Aragneer wrote: »

are the deposits back yet?

Not mine anyway.

Aragneer

wnolan1992 wrote: »

Not mine anyway.

Darn slow deposit-giving-back...Need that money :L

thanks though

Gael23

wnolan1992 wrote: »

Will be interesting to see how the new manager in Dromroe will handle things...

Hopefully won't be an issue. I had about 60quid taken from my deposit last year, but thought it was better to leave it alone since there were one or two things that needed repairing. Thinking back now though, I don't think replacing a screw and a broken light probably wouldn't have cost 60 X 6 = 300e.

I got 185 back but that included 20 electricity refund so in reality 90 was taken.

wnolan1992

ryanf1 wrote: »

I got 185 back but that included 20 electricity refund so in reality 90 was taken.

I couldn't remember how much they took. 90 each is probably more like it. So 540e total... Expensive lightbulb they put in the hall after we broke it that one night. :P

Jester252

wnolan1992 wrote: »

I couldn't remember how much they took. 90 each is probably more like it. So 540e total... Expensive lightbulb they put in the hall after we broke it that one night. :P

€540 does it s1ht out rainbows when you turn it on?

mid

Jester252 wrote: »

€400 for a phone there has to be more to the story

The replacement cost for a broken phone is listed as €400 in the student handbook (page 28) so what freyners said is true

http://www.studentliving.ul.ie/media/StudentHandbook1.pdf

According to this, receipts must be provided to prove the cost incurred in carrying out repairs. I don't see how they could give a receipt for anything close to €400 unless the maintenance guy has a very very high hourly rate...

garv123

mid wrote: »

The replacement cost for a broken phone is listed as €400 in the student handbook (page 28) so what freyners said is true

http://www.studentliving.ul.ie/media/StudentHandbook1.pdf

According to this, receipts must be provided to prove the cost incurred in carrying out repairs. I don't see how they could give a receipt for anything close to €400 unless the maintenance guy has a very very high hourly rate...

There surely must be something illegal about saying a broken phone cost 400euro?

I got full deposit back off campus

highlydebased

400 euro would hardly be the cost of an entirely new connection to the house!

wnolan1992

Being fair, the only unusual charges they've listed ard:

Replacement Kettle €50.00
Replacement Toaster €50.00
+ the aforementioned €400 for a phone

Everything else seems to be mostly repair costs or towards the high end of acceptable enough costs.

daniels.ducks

Aragneer wrote: »

Thank you so much for this post!
I've been really worried about the deductions of my house in Plassey.

I lived with 7 others and in the first semester, I moved in with my boyfriend in Groody because the mess was unbearable and I was not contributing to it or cleaning it up.
In the second semester 6 of these people remained untidy and I know that when we left the house it was only Cawcheen and me that cleaned..I asked one of them to do the oven and it was not done.

My dad has said that if they take an extortionate amount off of my deposit he is going to phone and tell them my situation and if it goes further he will take further action.

I've heard the campus deposit taking is terrible and I'm really worried about it

Got back €319 from groody today! €54 for damages and €16 for replacement stock! Surprised with the damages thing as christ we wrecked the place, (we were the house at the end of the middle row, Lucas visited us a fair few times i.e weekly, toughness and all that.)
How much did you get back if you don't mind me asking?

Aragneer

daniels.ducks wrote: »

Got back €319 from groody today! €54 for damages and €16 for replacement stock! Surprised with the damages thing as christ we wrecked the place, (we were the house at the end of the middle row, Lucas visited us a fair few times i.e weekly, toughness and all that.)
How much did you get back if you don't mind me asking?

Wow! That's really good. I would be delighted with that :P

I lived in Plassey so I know nothing of what we got back yet.
My boyfriend lived in the other groody park - bru na grudain or whatever it was called and it seems like they may get barely any because their land lady is horrible i'll let you know when I findd everything out though!


Also! On another note:

The broken phone thing guys...Our phone was already broken when we moved in and I thought my housemate told reception but i dunno if they did now since they were ****e housemates (bar Cawcheen).. will that mean that they'll take for the phone too ?

wnolan1992

Aragneer wrote: »

The broken phone thing guys...Our phone was already broken when we moved in and I thought my housemate told reception but i dunno if they did now since they were ****e housemates (bar Cawcheen).. will that mean that they'll take for the phone too ?

If twas broken when you moved in then don't accept it if they do try and take it. Ours was broken as well when we moved in, but I told management myself so they'd better not try anything.

The wait is killing me, I just want to know (need the money for a deposit for next year, so need to know how much I'll be short).

Aragneer

Got 179euro back Not too bad, dad isn't happy.

Took off 40euro for painting when I don't know where needed painting and stuff for the sofa which wasn't damaged at all when I left

wnolan1992

Aragneer wrote: »

Got 179euro back Not too bad, dad isn't happy.

Took off 40euro for painting when I don't know where needed painting and stuff for the sofa which wasn't damaged at all when I left

179 seems fairly reasonable if your housemates were ****e as you say.

Still waiting... h'on ta fook Dromroe.

Jester252

I lived off campus and got my full deposit back minus my what I owed in electricity

Aragneer

wnolan1992 wrote: »

179 seems fairly reasonable if your housemates were ****e as you say.

Still waiting... h'on ta fook Dromroe.

Yeah, which is always a good thing. Just saw a post on facebook saying one of my dirtier housemate got a hell of a lot taken off of him cause of his room :L So quite happy with my lot then :P

I'm sure you'll get it on Monday if it's not true yet! Let us know what you get back!

wnolan1992

Aragneer wrote: »

Yeah, which is always a good thing. Just saw a post on facebook saying one of my dirtier housemate got a hell of a lot taken off of him cause of his room :L So quite happy with my lot then :P

I'm sure you'll get it on Monday if it's not true yet! Let us know what you get back!

I actually found my receipt from last year while searching for something, I only got 177e back, so apparently my place last year was worse than yours. WIN! :P

AndrewFla

Wow, great post mid.

Never lived on campus, always found it to be too expensive, but I'm sure this post will help people facing a similar situation to yours. Thanks

Gael23

wnolan1992 wrote: »

I couldn't remember how much they took. 90 each is probably more like it. So 540e total... Expensive lightbulb they put in the hall after we broke it that one night. :P

Let's not forget the chair incident:D

wnolan1992

ryanf1 wrote: »

Let's not forget the chair incident:D

That was NOT MY FAULT! It broke by itself! :pac:

Gael23

€237 has been lodged into my bank account!

wnolan1992

€15 has been lodged to my account!

Two possibilities:
a) They took €250 for a deposit for next year and I had a surplus of €15
b) They took €235 for damages

If it's case b), mid's post will be of immense value to me. :P

clonadlad

Got a total of €53 back from Plassey this year. Lovely!

Ave Sodalis

Got 140 back from Kilmurry. Charged us a total of 112.76 for a sofa which we (myself and my mother) had reported at the start of the year and, although I've only just sent the email requesting a breakdown of energy charges, I'm fairly sure the over-run in energy was due to when the plumbers left the water boiler on constant trying to fix us. Surely, they haven't charged us an over run in energy from a boiler that wasn't working for the guts of a month at the start of the year?

wnolan1992

Got the invoice during the week. €15 back, no damage charges, and a deposit rollover.

Me -> :D:D:D:D:D

Said at the bottom of the letter "Damage charges amounted to €1.44, which was divided among 9 housemates." :P

Gael23

I never got an invoice from Dromroe?

wnolan1992

ryanf1 wrote: »

I never got an invoice from Dromroe?

Odd... mine was dated 4th July and was sent by Registered Post.

Gael23

Might email them on Monday and see whats going on

OhMSGlive

ryanf1 wrote: »

I never got an invoice from Dromroe?

Me neither.

Jester252

I think you have to request it

wnolan1992

Jester252 wrote: »

I think you have to request it

I didn't request mine.

mm1985

A friend told me today that there is a new Inventory Replacement list -
http://www.studentliving.ul.ie/media...gecharges1.pdf

So replacing a fire blanket will cost €26 instead of €200,
fire extinguisher will cost €60 instead of €200 and
vacuum cleaner will cost €85 instead of €150.

Its not very often you hear of a business giving massive reductions like this.

mid

mm1985 wrote: »

A friend told me today that there is a new Inventory Replacement list -
http://www.studentliving.ul.ie/media...gecharges1.pdf

So replacing a fire blanket will cost €26 instead of €200,
fire extinguisher will cost €60 instead of €200 and
vacuum cleaner will cost €85 instead of €150.

Its not very often you hear of a business giving massive reductions like this.

i wouldn't call it 'massive reductions', they've just reduced the replacement charges to what they are legally entitled to charge because people started to question them.
(and this is what they should have been charging since the beginning)

whistlerblow16

mid wrote: »

i wouldn't call it 'massive reductions', they've just reduced the replacement charges to what they are legally entitled to charge because people started to question them.
(and this is what they should have been charging since the beginning)

so have they paid back all the money they have taken off the students in the passed, ya right..

mel1991

Hey guys,

I know this has nothing to do with deposits, I'm actually looking for accommodation for next year (4th year). I dont want to live on campus anymore as its too dear and there is no way I'm going into one of the houses in College court. I was just looking at Troy student village p://troystudentvillage.com/ . Has anyone ever stayed here, it looks nice and the prices are reasonable too??

Ave Sodalis

See the cleaning thing... does that apply to off-campus houses too?

Also, would a crack in a bath (didn't know it existed until we got a run down of the deposit), be considered above normal wear and tear?