Cleaning deductions from Student Housing security deposit

[nuvola09]

What is the name of your state? CA


Just a general question here: Can a housing director at a university deduct for cleaning charges out of my security deposit under these conditions:

- cleaning fees were, up until a couple months ago, covered by the college/real estate company
- I have lived in the apartment for 2 years, and roommates have come and gone and had NOTHING taken from their deposits since the fees were covered at that time, so it seems I am paying to clean up their messes as well
- the fees were for carpet cleaning, which (after two years) seems it would be wear and tear
- One other former roommate of mine still lives there, and had the apartment cleaned for her and incoming students, but I was the one paying for it
- the apartments are meant to be cleaned for new, incoming student anyway...why do outgoing students all of a sudden have to pay for cleaning?


The charges taken from my deposit were only $60. Is it worth making a fuss about?

Constructive opinions and suggestions welcome...not people saying, "Well you shouldn't have walked on the carpet in the two years you lived there."

 

[Silverplum]

Constructive opinions and suggestions welcome...not people saying, "Well you shouldn't have walked on the carpet in the two years you lived there."

And you prolly shouldn't have barfed on the carpet, either!

 

[nuvola09]

I always made it to the bathroom in time, but thanks anyway.

I'm just pissed because my former roommates who moved out long ago did things like spilling a venti frapaccino, bong water and lipstick (all on a beige carpet), and they never got charged. These stains will probably never come out, and resurfaced each time they cleaned. Now that they've begun charging students, I'm paying for the futile attempt to clean these stains that are years old...and everything else, is honestly wear and tear.

 

[ecmst12]

I don't think it's worth making a big deal about. If you'd cleaned the carpet before you left, you might want to fight it, but you didn't. Them's the breaks, they changed the policy and now you have to pay. If you'd moved out last year, you wouldn't. In the real world, you always have to leave your apartment the way you found it, not counting wear and tear (stains/spills on the carpet are not wear and tear though), and regular landlords might charge more then $60 to clean the carpet.