<p>Interesting to see how different colleges nickel and dime you for random charges.</p>
<p>D graduated from a small private college this May and I don't think we ever had an additional charge/damage charge for anything. Most of her living quarters were newer - don't know if that had an impact.</p>
<p>S finished freshman year at a small private. This week he got an email with end of year "charges". $2 for "lock outs" - having to call campus police to let him in his room when he locked himself out (twice he said). $14 for drape not closing right (? - he will dispute this one). $3 for something else I can't remember. $1 for "common room damages" - basically meaning they charged every person in the door $1 to cover any upkeep for the common room/lobby. Total charges $20. </p>
<p>Nothing that is going to break the bank, but interesting to me.</p>
<p>The lock-out charges are interesting. My school has none, but the school where I domestic-exchanged for a semester had a $5 fee for every lockout after the first, payable directly to your RA <em>before</em> he/she let you back into the room. I think it does make sense to charge some small amount, as you are taking up the RA’s time, etc. but the prepayment? I thought about that and said, “gee, if I don’t have my key, how likely do you think it is that I’ll have my wallet on me?”</p>
<p>Needless to say, I chose never to test that particular clause…</p>
<p>Generally, the school with lots of these fees left a bad taste in my mouth. $20 if your intramural sports team has to forfeit a game? Really?</p>
<p>None for #2. Yes! We had a $50 tab after S1 moved out of his freshman dorm back then. All dorm kids during his tenure were assessed $40 for common area “damages” and he was assessed $10 for not cleaning the bathroom enough. And yes, S1 also managed to get a $15 fee for losing his dorm room key first semester…so all told $65 for S1…zero for S2.</p>
<p>$25 lock out fee 2nd week at state U, D2 freshman year. Told her we would pay once, and it never happened again. No dorm charges on move out for either D’s.</p>
<p>My H was just commenting that this is the first year we have not had some end of the year move out charges for S. He just graduated. This is the first year he did not lose his mailbox key. He is a slow learner!</p>
<p>No, none this year for the Freshman & the Sophomore! Although the Sophomore did say that she thought no one cleaned out the refrigerator & there would be a charge for that.
Final bill arrived in my email a few weeks ago and balance was zero! At St. Lawrence we always got those charges every year for 4 years, always community damages!</p>
<p>The worse insult was the bill I just received last week for my graduate…$4.85 for “over printing” this semester. (Senior capstone project no doubt.) I called the bursar’s office and sweetly asked since I had already paid close to 6 figures and the day he graduated he had a zero balance would they mind removing the $4.85 and calling it even. They were not amused.</p>
<p>Two years down for our daughter and no dorm charges so far.</p>
<p>At her school, students are given the option of an express check-out where they simply move out and let the RA’s inspect the room anytime after, or they can set up an appointment to have the room inspected before they leave. With an inspection, the room must be fully empty and cleaned.</p>
<p>We have always opted for the appointment check out…I told my daughter that was the only way to insure that she is not charged for anything, as if the RA DOES find a problem we have a chance to fix it.</p>
<p>If you choose express check-out you waive your right to appeal any and all charges.</p>
<p>At my school, a spare key is free to check out if you lock yourself out of your room, but if you don’t return it within 72 hours, they change your locks and charge you $75. I got one of those my freshman year because I lost my key.</p>
<p>This year I did express checkout, where you waive all right to appeal charges and stuff, because my RA wasn’t around when I had to leave. Got charged $25 bucks for improper checkout… Whatever.</p>
<p>Okay, annoyed here…Son left his room last. He cleaned everything and I warned him about not wanting to see fees. He said it was in very good condition when he left. He spent a lot of time cleaning ;). I asked if he signed anything after a room inspection before moving out. He told me that the school does not inspect while the student is still there. I knew this meant a bill. Sure enough we got a bill for about $35 and his roommate also got a bill for an equal amount.</p>
<p>On top of it, I don’t get it since I believe we had to pay a room damage deposit of $150 before he moved in! I don’t know why I am not getting that refunded less the $35. We paid and did not ask questions, but it bothers me. The $35 bill times 2 (roommate’s share) is for carpet cleaning. Frankly, the carpet was stained when he moved in! Annoying, but that is the only nickel and diming so far. I did read something else now about possible new small Greek life charges. We will need to see, nothing is specific or clearly defined yet. My guess is that we will see some new charges the year after next for that.</p>
<p>I believe if you lose your key for your room or mailbox it is either $50 or $60. I forgot the exact amount, but son was warned. I recall it being pretty steep, and I am pretty sure it is btn $50-60. Fortunately, he did not lose his keys.</p>
<p>So far, nothing for my two kids who attend a midsize university, but my oldest was knocked up for a huge end-of-year cleaning fee at his small private college. Since this was a building that I actually lived in twenty five years ago, I was furious. I wrote the RA and explained. I paid all the other random fees they assessed everyone, but you could bet I wasn’t going to pay for the cleaning of a bathroom that was already old when I lived there.</p>
<p>No charges for me at my big public either year, and I always opted out of room inspections while I was still there so we could move out in the middle of the night when it’s cool and there’s no traffic. :P</p>
<p>At my boyfriend’s school, after the first lockout you have to pay $20 to get let back into your room. I don’t know how he manages to get locked out since he has to turn the key to lock the door when he leaves-- my room had an auto-lock and I didn’t get locked out-- but somehow he manages it relatively frequently. I didn’t think the fee was always that steep, I wonder if they were having a serious problem with lost keys.</p>
<p>I think I should start charging my son a fee for every time he loses a key to my apartment. I’ve only lived here a year, and he lost what I think is #4 just yesterday!</p>
<p>We were able to go get a 2nd key made for d and her roommate on move in day, just so they wouldn’t be charged the fee, it was high, but can’t remember how much. They never ended up using them, but it was good insurance.
Every semester, she has had a cover charge for cleanup, which basically means it is split amongst everyone in the floor. They have checkout with the RA and nothing was sighted at that time. The frustrating part is, it always come in an email (to d, not me…ugh) and has to be paid immediately, or they won’t release grades or transcripts, etc. They don’t take visa, so I have to get a check in the mail asap.</p>
<p>son got hit for $45… he needed my car to help get his stuff home…was supposed to be off campus on wed…i couldnt go til friday…so he got a $20 extension fee (alot cheaper than me losing a day of work) and a 25 dollar charge for wall damage…he used that putty like stuff to put up a poster, but it pulled off some paint when removed.</p>
<p>Donna, I can’t trust some of my kids with keys. They can’t hold onto anything. So we have always had a combination lock on our doors. They are having a hard time holding onto their own apartment keys and regularly find themselves locked out.</p>
<p>DD has used a key card and a code the past two years, but this fall she will be in an off-campus apartment with a real key. I wore a chain around my neck in college with my key on it and have suggested she do the same. We’ll see. Perhaps the getting an extra key made before I leave town after dropping her off is a good idea.</p>
and hadn’t lived in the dorms for 2 years…</p>