Hi, parents. This is a long, I’m sorry :(. But I just wanted to get some feedback. I go to a school that’s heavily commuter based, but I do dorm. However, I’m commuting next semester for personal reasons. So at my school, to cancel a contract, you either need a student to takeover it or you pay 75% of the room’s price.
Not wanting to pay the 75%, I found a guy who had been waiting on a room since August (this was maybe late October, early November). I met him randomly while I was studying with a friend, so it worked out. He needed a room, I wanted to give mine up.
On November 18, we went into housing. They signed a Housing Cancelation Contract for me (I signed and so did they, but apparently it isn’t confirmed until after the person moves in). The problem starts that just last night, the guy texted me saying he had gotten another room instead. I called housing immediately furious, asking to speak to the director. The employee said he was not in. However, I then received an email 2 mins later explaining how I still could get another takeover or pay 75%. Then a minute later, the director called me (I thought he wasn’t in the office?). I made sure to let him know I was fighting the decision and would not so easily comply. Maybe I shouldn’t have let my feelings get the best of me (but I was respectful, no swearing etc).
I feel that I took the steps I had to in order to cancel my contract. I found a student. Had housing not taken from 11/18 to 12/4 the contract would have been signed and there wouldn’t be a problem. Also, they weren’t even going to notify me. And they expect me to just get this all figured out 3 days before finals and when I was already planning my move out? I told the director how I would not let him bully me just because he may think a student is easy prey. I also emailed his higher ups; I’ll be speaking to one later today on the phone.
ps: this housing department is inept. October 29th, I emailed my resident director saying I was concerned I have bedbugs. He never replied. I even mentioned it to my emails to housing last night that although it didn’t end up being bedbugs, the negligence could make for a great lawsuit.
you may have to eat the cost.you essentially became a broker for the housing department with a random person and it did not work out.
is this a state school?
I can understand how you feel but you do better using honey not oil, so to speak. If you start out this angry negotiations won’t go as well. Believe me, I know it’s hard dealing with bureaucracy and one of my kids just dealt with a housing issue/red tape recently so I do understand.
It sounds like the problem is the student you made the agreement with, more than the school. Chances are the opening in housing that came up before you leave, was either better timing or a better room or location or whatever, and he did not honor his conversations with you.
Since the semester is ending, do you think housing can just find a replacement for you? I don’t know the school but some have long waiting lists because the rooms are relatively affordable.
Are you absolutely sure you want to leave? This does give a second chance to think about it.
I’m not 100% sure what you expect housing to do. Housing agreed to release you from the contract on the condition that you find someone to take occupancy of the room and pay the remainder of your contract out for you. You haven’t done that - unfortunately, the person who was supposed to take your room backed out. While that makes him untrustworthy, and Housing may have contributed a bit due to the delay (it’s unclear what the delay was for from your message), the point still stands that you haven’t actually found anyone to take over your room. It’s the same thing with any lease or housing contract: when you sign a contract you agree to pay for a specified period of time. If you decide that you don’t want to live there anymore, you usually have to either pay a large penalty or find someone else to pay the lease out for you. Simply finding someone who wants to live there isn’t enough: they have to actually take occupancy and start paying!
So what decision, exactly, are you fighting? Housing is honoring their side of the cancellation contract because it is contingent upon you finding someone else to take the room. Nobody is bullying you. You haven’t fulfilled your side of the contract - not for lack of trying, of course, but the fact still stands.
You need to go back to the housing department and ask
if they can give you more time to find a replacement, since your prior replacement unethically backed out of your agreement and there’s nothing you can do about that; or
could they give you a discount on the fee - maybe 50% instead of 75% - since you made a good faith effort and the other person backed out. You can mention that this is now an unexpected expense because you thought you had the situation covered, but they’re still not under any obligation to work with you.
also
No. First of all, there’s no negligence because you didn’t even have bedbugs. Second of all, failing to respond to a single email (which could’ve went to spam or gotten lost or been undeliverable or even forgotten) is not evidence of negligence. In the future, if your RD or someone else doesn’t respond to an email, you may want to pick up the phone and give them a call - or visit them in person. Most RDs have office hours during which students can visit and discuss issues. Failing to respond to one email isn’t evidence of ineptitude, either.
I agree 100% with @juillet , especially with the suggestion that you go back to housing and ask for more time to get another replacement person, since you thought their inaction / delay at least in part contributed to the other person backing out and getting another room.
But I do want to wish you good luck on your finals!
Sorry to tell you, I also agree with the above posters. Unless the guy signed a contract with them assuming the lease and releasing you, you are still liable.
I do think the housing office bears some responsibility. OP said “we” went into the housing office. So if OP and the other guy were both present at the same time, housing should’ve had the new guy sign the binding contract at that time. OP should’ve requested that, but as a college student isn’t yet wise to the ways of contracts - i.e. always get it in writing!
But at this point it’s water under the bridge unfortunately. OP needs to be calm and have his ducks in a row when talking to housing, and present what I said above as an argument for some form of consideration like an extension or reduction in fees.