My student signed a UVA housing agreement for her 3rd year. She has since found off grounds housing. UVA wants her to pay for the entire lease or find someone to replace her before they will release her from a “legally binding” agreement. Any tips on getting released. I pay the bills an there is no way in hell I am going to pay for an apartment my student is not living in. They can’t take legal action against a kid with no job and no money. We have no plans to spend a lot of effort on seeking someone to take her apartment spot at Lambeth.
They can, however, withhold both class registration and her transcript. So you may wish to expend some effort in finding a replacement.
What part of a legally binding contract makes it “legally binding”.
They can take legal action against anybody. It’s pretty easy.
If you have no plans to pay and no plans to look for a replacement then hopefully you daughter has plans for somewhere else to go to school.
Is it a coed dorm? My S may be needing housing.
torchasse. It is a all female 4 person apartment at Lambeth. The building has both males and females but individual units are restricted to male and female at Lambeth. Please let me know
Yes, we would transfer. My daughter actually turned down 2 Ivy’s (which I thought was a mistake) to attend UVA. She has has maintained a very high GPA and can transfer anywhere. I won’t be extorted by state employees. UVA is a fine institution but I never drunk the Jefferson kool add. Options are plentiful.
Options require an official transcript. No school will take a transfer student without one. A transcript requires that the student is in good standing in her financial obligations to the school. This isn’t extortion, this is following the rules, that apply to this adult. Look into subleasing.
Roycroftmom, As it happens we have an original transcript through last semester. Do you work for UVA? Are you an attorney? I was looking for helpful advice, not an argument. Here are the facts - I’ve already talked to other schools and yes they do require a transcript (no brainer) but they don’t give a rat’s ass about my financial standing at UVA as long as I pay them up front. Yes, the Duke registrar told me exactly that this morning only he didn’t say rat’s ass. By the way my financial obligation at UVA is fine. I didn’t sign a damn thing and tuition and fees are all paid. I’ve never received a bill for housing next year. Did I mention we don’t qualify for any financial aid so school’s just love that tuition paid in full in advance? Another fact, any student can get their transcript released if they pay the fee regardless of financial status. Another fact, UVA is careful to call it an agreement and not a lease. The agreement states that the student is prohibited from subleasing (so much for that idea). I wish it was a lease because the Virginia tenant/lease statute states the landlord (not the tenant) must make every effort to fill the vacancy. You and others are correct that they may not allow my student to register but really try to think about this like a business person. You are going to give up over $33K for two years tuition and fall on your sword over $7,200 that you have not even received yet knowing darn well that UVA has a housing shortage and can easily fill the space. A real business person would be fired for being so penny wise and dollar foolish, plus it looks bad in a Times Dispatch editorial. You can bet your last buck the Board of Visitors would see it that way also. Rules are great but they are constantly changing in a democracy. Usually because they are poorly conceived. UVA paid a consultant a couple million $ to tell them they needed more and nicer housing a few years ago. You can read the report on line like I did. The report repeatedly states that UVA would capture more students in housing if they built more. It also stated that UVA housing is not significantly lower in rent cost than renting in town and compared it other universities similar to UVA. The report noted that most universities try to offer rents that are significantly lower than town to attract students. UVA does not do that. Finally, the report repeatedly states there is a housing shortage at UVA for 3rd and 4th year undergrads. This proves my point that UVA housing could easily fill the spot. In fact, I am sure they will when all the kids who are late to request housing start requesting it. This happens every year. That is why it is ridiculous that UVA housing requires the student to find a replacement. They are the entity with the knowledge base of who needs housing. FYSA in case you can’t tell. I work on the Hill. I’ve researched and written legislation for a living for many years in the area of military compensation and benefits. I’m not an attorney but I am a recognized expert in researching case law and statutes.
I’m no lawyer, but could/would UVA sue your daughter? She could possibly have a negative against her credit if she renegs on the agreement and just doesn’t pay. Not a good way to start out as a young adult.
I hope you’re able to find a solution.
My helpful advice was to work it out, and yes I am an attorney. My free advice is done, good luck to your student.
Well of course they can. It is unlikely they will, they’ll just put the charge on her bill, and she’ll be stuck paying it or being unable to register or get transcripts once the charge is on her bill. She’ll be fine for the fall, the spring will be questionable.
It sounds like she is ready to transfer. If she withdraws from the school, the agreement will be terminated (there may be a fee). No one who isn’t registered can live in the dorms. Simple solution, except that she has to transfer from a school she may really like.
You wrongfully assume I have not been working with UVA housing to settle this issue and give them plenty of time to fill the space. No one has replied to the penny wise dollar foolish position.
What @roycroftmom and some others have suggested is that, once there is a balance due on a student’s school account, the student will not be able to get a transcript to send to another school, whether to apply for transfer or as a newly enrolled transfer student.
At my kid’s public university, there was a FB group of kids looking for apt swaps/sublets etc. so ask the student to look for a similar group on FB for U VA. Students sometimes had to offer a discount to make it worth while for another student to take over their lease etc., but it was better than the alternative of paying for space in full which they weren’t using. Alternatively, the student can see if she can find someone to taker her spot in the off campus housing, and remain on campus.
twoinanddone, I agree with you. The school could be entitled to a fee and I would gladly pay one to get released but that is not an option for them even though it is a common practice in VA lease agreements when terminating early or getting out of a signed lease prior to occupying. I have offered to pay a fee. This is why I believe UVA is being totally unreasonable. They can make money from my fee and still rent the room. What are they losing? I don’t understand their motivation at all. Again, it is stupid business similar to stores that lose long time customers over a return issue or some petty business. Some businesses get it. My spouse was the Pharma Director for Harris Teeter. They got it. If an employee did something stupid like refuse a $5 dollar return due to lack of receipt for a customer that routinely spends a $100 on a regular basis they fired that person on the spot. UVA doesn’t get it. They have a person that will pay them over $33,000 in the next two years and they are fighting about $7,200. Yes, it could impact future credit but highly unlikely because in the real world your credit cannot be penalized for refusal to pay for goods and services you have not yet received. Especially when you are not the bill payer. Does UVA send my student the bill? No, they send it to me. That is why in case law (come on lawyers, let me hear from you) most of these agreements are dropped with no further action. People sign up for gym memberships then change their mind or certain services yada yada and then change their mind. When I was younger I was a part time personal trainer and I also sold gym memberships. People would sign contracts then change their mind. It happened on a weekly basis. We always let them out of it because our attorneys said the person had not received the service and we would lose if we pursued it in court.
BTW my daughter does like the UVA faculty and so do I. She belongs to organizations and has many friends. We like UVA and are generous annual supporters of the Parents Fund. Everything would be great but she has had bad on grounds apartment sharing experiences with apartment mates using property without permission and destroying it, overnight male guests of other apartment mates and verbal abuse from one young woman. We have sought help for her because she cannot even study in her own room and we fear it will effect her grades. She did not want to return to the apartment after spring break. She has seen a counselor about it as it is very troubling for her. I have shared these facts with housing but they are nothing more than a profit center without compassion. I raised my daughter to be an independent young woman but when an entity like UVA housing tries to bully your kid a father has to step in.
Midwestmomofboys, Thanks for the advice. We have already done exactly what you suggested on the UVA FB housing site. Remaining on campus is not an option.
You have to care about transcripts, even if she transfers. Grad schools will want transcripts from all schools she attended.
I’m sorry you are having this trouble. My only point here is to remind you that an outstanding bill can cause trouble later.
I think your best bet would be to find someone else to take over the lease/agreement. Maybe even try the transfer student groups.
I’m sure your daughter isn’t the first UVA student who has needed to find a replacement. She needs to network, advertise where she’s allowed, and see if the housing office can help. Also, I hope when you’ve spoken with the housing staff, you did so with a better attitude than you are displaying here. People are much more likely to help someone who is nice and apologetic than someone who is condescending.
It seems like your daughter is bound by the agreement that she signed, so perhaps having an attorney look at it is a good start.
From what you’ve said, transferring or finding a new tenant are the most straightforward options (assuming keeping the room is not an option). I can’t imagine transferring over something like this alone, so if there are other factors that have made transferring a consideration, maybe that is the best option. But if she doesn’t really want to transfer, there must be other women on the UVA campus that are stuck for housing and would welcome an opening.
Does the housing office maintain a waitlist for students seeking on campus housing openings in the event that other students with rooms do transfer?
trojanchick, I certainly started out nice with a very kind attitude and tone. On this site I simply asked for advice on how to fix the issue not to be lectured to so that maybe changed my tone to not so nice. My student is networking but to no avail. It is frustrating because as jmk518 mentioned UVA does have a list of people needing housing that registered for housing after the cutoff but they will not use that list to fill the spot. I’ve had that conversation with them. I guess I am perplexed and cannot understand that a generation that marches in the streets on a regular basis is so willing to rollover and let themselves be governed by arbitrary and capricious rules made up by college admin types.