School Refuses To Refund Security Deposit!!!

[Damaramu]

Ok, here's the deal.

I live in Houston, Tx. I'm attending an art school here that offers students housing through local apartment complexes.

When moving into student housing, I paid the Housing Services a security deposit of $175.

Now, fastforward to a few days ago. I had to move out of student housing to ease the financial burden of my parents (step-father got laid off from work) and moved in with my girlfriend.

Before I moved, I informed Student Housing of my intentions to move out. In December of last year, I signed a new lease agreement, which would have lasted until June. Since I'm moving out early, I am being charged an early move out penalty, which is half of next semesters rent. No problem.

I go to fill out a form in financial services to get my deposit back. I was informed that $50 of the $175 deposit was non-refundable. No problem. They inform me it would take about two weeks to clear. No problem.

So, a couple of days ago I go to the Financial offices to get my deposit back. They inform me that I have a early move out penalty on my account and that my deposit was applied to it, reducing the amount of the penalty.

This angered me. They told me that they could not give me my deposit back, and that the computers had credited my account automatically. They did all of this WITHOUT my consent.

Ok, does anyone know what I can do to get my deposit back? Are they right doing what they did? Please help, cause I'm fixing to raise some hell at school!

 

[LL]

It is difficult to follow exactly all the details of your problem.

Are you angry because they are deducting charges which are due to them, from your security deposit, without your consent to the deduction, aside from whether or not you owe for the charges?

If so, I don't know that you can prevent it. Check all of your paperwork to see if you signed off on such a procedure. What little I have read in the TX law seems to indicate that TX puts a lot of emphasis on whatever is in a contract, and doesn't seem to have so many laws that regulate tenant rights and responsibilities outside of the contract.

 

[Damaramu]

Yeah, that's it.

What I'm angry about is the fact that they did not notify me with what they were doing with my deposit. They did not give me the option to say, "Sure, just put the deposit towards that penalty."

As you see, when the penalty is factored into the financial planner, my parents would pay for it.

Isn't the deposit separate from everything else? Isn't it used only for damages done to the apartment? Since there was no damage done what so ever (my two roommates still live there), shouldn't they return the deposit to me?

You see, they cram 4 students into a 2 bedroom apartment....

Hmmm....what do you think?

 

[LL]

I think they can do it.

 

[Damaramu]

Thanks for the help!

Anyone else have any additional advice?