At the end of each year, staff members from the Office of Residential Life and Department of Facilities Management inspect all living spaces to determine if there is any damage, beyond normal wear and tear, that was not present prior to when students moved into their housing assignment. The University of Hartford incorporates into its yearly operational budget, the costs associated with residential repairs and upkeep for normal wear and tear. Damage billing charges are applied to student accounts when damage or vandalism that is deemed intentional, unintentional, or excessive is discovered in a student's room, residence hall, floor, quad or apartment/suite.

Damage billing charges are applied to student accounts throughout the academic year and at the end of the year residential closing process. It is the expectation of the University of Hartford that students will maintain and return their assigned living space to the same condition they found them in when they first occupied the space at the beginning of the academic year or semester. At the beginning of each year Residential Life and Facilities Management staffs inspect each living space and record the condition of these spaces. The following are a list of examples of common incidents that often result in a damage billing charges being applied to a student account:

• Stained or ripped carpet
• Broken windows
• Removal of personal trash or belongings
• Holes in the walls
• Scratches, marks, and peeled paint on walls and ceilings
• Graffiti
• Damaged or ripped curtains
• Unclean apartment, bedroom, floor, or suite
• Missing furniture and appliances
• Replacement of towel rods or brackets
• Disassembled furniture
• Unauthorized alterations to a bedroom, apartment, suite, or floor
• Lost or incorrect key
• Repair or replacement of University furniture or appliances
• Missing or damaged window screens

As stated in The Source (Student Handbook) and Housing Contract: "The student is liable for any damage to University property and agrees to pay for the restoration of the property to its original condition, "act of God", or reasonable wear and tear excepted. Liability for any damage to the apartment or to the public area within any one of the residential units beyond reasonable wear and tear will be assigned to students of the particular apartment, suite, or room whenever the damage cannot be assigned as the responsibility of identified persons. Property belonging to the University must not be moved or taken from areas designated for its specific use. Students are encouraged to have Hawk Pride in their residential communities and help reduce damage by reporting issues and keeping their space clean."

For the 2011-2012 end of the year residential closing process all damage bills will be applied to student accounts and a email billing notice will sent to a student's University of Hartford email account by no later than June 22, 2012. Students who feel a damage charge is unjustified or who have evidence that they did not cause the damage are able to file an online appeal. Please note, as indicated on the Residence Checkout Envelope, students who utilized the EXPRESS CHECK OUT option have waived their right to appeal any damage charges applied to their student account and are therefore not eligible for an appeal. Appeals are reviewed in the order in which they are received, and typically it can take 10-15 business days for a decision to be made and communicated regarding a damage appeal.

In order to streamline the damage appeals process to better serve our students, appeals can ONLY be submitted by students using the online Damage Billing Appeals Request Form. Appeals WILL NOT be accepted by email or over the phone.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What if I am not responsible for the damages? Can I appeal the charge?

• Students who utilized the escorted checkout option will have the opportunity to appeal damages charges. Often this will require documentation from the party taking responsibility for the damage outlining that you were not involved or evidence that the damage was pre-existing. All damage appeals must be submitted no later than June 29th. Any appeals submitted after this date will not be eligible for consideration. Students are therefore expected and encouraged to check their University of Hartford email account throughout the course of the summer, especially in June when damage billing notices will be sent to a student’s University email. If a damage charge has been applied to a student account, but you have not received a billing notice from the Office of Residential Life please contact the Office of Residential Life at reslife@hartford.edu or by phone at 860.768.7792 to receive a copy of the billing notice. Further directions for the appeals process will be included in the billing notice you will receive in June.

Can a parent submit a damage appeal on behalf of their student?

• Students are the only ones who can submit a damage appeal.

Who sets the prices?

• The Department of Facilities Management sets the prices for the cost of parts and labor to repair or replace the damages every year. Residential Life does not set the prices for repairs, and cannot alter these charges. Appeals cannot be granted based solely on a disagreement over the cost of the repairs.

Please direct further questions to the Resident Director of your area.

• Marsha Dawson for A & B complex
• Max Koskoff for C & D complex
• John Hernandez for E & F complex
• Shelby Summer Ballard for Hawk Hall
• Torshia Maxwell for Regents & Park River
• Mike Ormsby for Village

Damage Responsibility Form