Here’s the thing. Getting out of a housing contract at mid semester is pretty tough. Tougher than I thought it would be. I would rather just move back home and commute and I applied in the Financial Hardship category saying I don’t have a ton of money to live on campus anyway. Money is pretty tight because my job doesn’t give a consistent take home pay each period as its that type of job. Plus of increase in bills my parents pay like dentist, prescriptions, and higher insurance and they would not accept that type of reasoning. Even if I tried to demonstrate that they wouldn’t accept it.
Plan B would be to apply in the Medical hardship and say I am homesick being away at school than at home, or say I am afraid of fire alarms going off in the dorms, kinda was the case last year. If they didn’t approve to be released from the contract at that point is suing possible? I mean cause now I feel they’re trying to steal away my money just to live on campus when I’m 25 miles from home. I am actually getting incredibly pissed because of the situation. That anyway I wont actually live there if I’m forced to stay in contract.
Depends on what is in the contract. In my previous housing contract, I could only be released from rent payments if they find someone to fill my spot. Luckily, someone did. If you signed the contract, you agreed to all the terms. So read what the terms say about your situation.
You definitely should check on what is in your contract.
Also, ask nicely. Don’t threaten to sue. If you are running into financial issues, then point out the financial hardship. Stay calm at all times when talking to people about this issue (regardless of how difficult it is to stay calm).
Finally, a 25 mile commute is probably do-able, but is not ideal.
As others have said, what you can do depends on the contract you’ve signed.
But the idea of a contract is that you don’t “get out of it.” It’s a series of terms agreed to by both parties. They gave you housing with the understanding that you knew the cost, and run the numbers, and had determined that you could afford it. In return you got the assurance that you would have a room for the year.
No one is “stealing” your money. You’ve agreed to live there and to pay the published cost…
What @bjkmom said. The contract is designed to provide assurances to both parties. It’s what makes renting viable for both landlord and tenant. Read the fine print, run the numbers, consider contingencies before signing one. Money being “pretty tight” due to unanticipated but relatively routine expenses isn’t likely to be the level of financial hardship they had in mind. I’d be surprised to discover that homesickness and fear of fire alarms was an acceptable medical hardship.
How much more time is left in your contract? A few months? If you run the numbers, you may find it more feasible to deploy the hours and money you’d spend fighting this towards trying to get some more work hours to cover the cost of your remaining financial obligation. You’ll have even more hours available if you don’t try to commute back and forth while you still have the option of staying on campus. Lawsuits can be expensive, and unless this is a rather unusual contract it doesn’t sound as if you have much of a case.
I would not threaten to sue. Unless your family is very wealthy, the university will have better (and more) lawyers than you. They take on much bigger cases.
The whole point of a housing contract is that it is a guaranteed amount and duration of money for the university and living space for you. It’s not designed to be easy to get out of. The medical hardship is for students who have medical changes that make it difficult for them to stay in the residence halls - like suddenly needing to use a wheelchair in an inaccessible residence hall; or developing a serious illness that requires them to withdraw from the university; or having debilitating mental health disorders that necessitate them staying home. Homesickness isn’t even a medical illness, much less the kind that will get you out of the contract. Nor is being afraid of the fire alarms.
(Similarly, financial hardship is usually for drastic changes in financial situation - like if one of your parents lost their job, or if there was an illness that consumed big medical bills. Small increases in routine bills doesn’t usually qualify.)
You are likely stuck and will have to stay in the residence halls for another semester before moving out. Do review your housing contract, because sometimes they’ll allow you to move if you find someone to replace you, but otherwise you will likely have to stay until the end of the year.
And the fact that you likely didn’t read the contract before signing is irrelevant.
You will find a lawyer who will take your case and charge you a lot of money even if she knows that there is no chance of winning. She gets paid and you are still in the contract.
The reality is that you are a adult and you signed a legally binding contract. Housing has every right to sue YOU if you do not meet the terms of the contract just like you could sue if they didn’t furfill their part. I doubt they would. I suspect that they would bill you and you would be unable to register for your classes next semester or get a transcript until it was paid. Bottom line, work with housing to see what your options are.
Many years ago, I could not officially graduate and get my final transcript until I paid a library fine. Mind you, I was full pay at a private school. At the time it pissed me off but that’s reality. I owed the money.
Check and see if your school has a commuting distance. The school my daughter went to did and our town was just under 10 miles over it so commuting from home would have come with a steep fine, almost as much as room and board.
You signed a contract and don’t seem to have a good reason for release. You can live at home but are still going to be billed for the room. No need to get angry when you agreed to the terms.
Yeah thanks guys some helpful answers here, but I’m still not satisfied. I made the MISTAKE of signing a contract for a residence hall for a 2nd year and will probably regret it for a long time.
It’s OK to be mad, but being mad isn’t going to change the fact that you signed a contract, which signifies you read it and agree to the terms. I had friend who used to get super mad when she would get parking tickets (lives in L.A., so parking can be at a premium) and would try to fight them, etc. She finally came to a zen moment: just pay the damned thing and move on. It has been absolutely freeing for her. Sometimes, we have to take our lumps in life and move on, even when it feels unfair and we feel powerless.
I will block all future emails from Housing however cause I don’t care what they have to say. If they don’t give a damn about students then why should I give one about them!?