The Philosophy Behind Damage Billing
Part of the on-campus experience at the University of New Hampshire is living in a community. Although challenging at times learning to live with others is also extremely beneficial. One aspect of community living involves dealing with damage that occurs within a residence hall or university apartment unit. Unfortunately, damages do occur in buildings that require maintenance attention for no other reason than “someone broke it and we don’t know who did it.” The Department of Housing does not collect nor require a “damage deposit” with application request for on-campus housing. Instead of requiring a damage deposit for each resident, the Department of Housing has chosen to bill for each incident that occurs in belief this encourages a sense of ownership in the building by the resident’s and improves ability to control cost. How this works is that each month a listing of damages that occurred in a on-campus residence building is posted. Residents are encouraged to look over these listings and share any information with the staff about who might be responsible for the damage charges. When individual responsibility is not associated for a particular damage that charge is then allocated to the community and divided-up evenly either by building or by zone. At the end of each semester invoices are created and the charge is placed on your UNH account. Your Room and Board Agreement also addresses damage billing concepts.
How Am I Billed for Damages
Our damage billing process is on-line and viewable from your UNH WEBCAT account. Log into Blackboard and select the Webcat /Student Services tab, select Webcat then click on account summary and then “up to the minute details.” Next, click the actual damage charge to view a breakdown.
Damage charges for the fall semester will be posted on accounts in early February and damages occurring during the spring semester will be posted on accounts in late June.
For more information about residence-hall damage, please call 862-2122. If you lived in the on-campus apartments and have questions about damages, please call 862-2798. You can also mail your inquiry to Department of Housing, 10 College Road, Durham NH 03824 or you can e-mail our offices at housing.office@unh.edu
How It's Broken Down -
Individual: When a person is personally responsible for damage, the charge(s) are billed directly to them.
Room - Residents in a particular room may be held responsible for damages, i.e., broken windows, they incur.
Zone: Each building is broken down into different areas, or ZONES. Generally, they are broken down by floor and/or wing. For example, damage that occurs on a particular floor is billed to the residents on that floor.
Building: When damage occurs in common areas, such as lounges, stairwells, elevators, and the like, the charge is assigned to all residents in the building.
Damage Billing Fees
Extra Cleaning
The following reasons are grounds for billing:
- Removing food from carpets, walls, ceilings, stair, etc.
- Removing sputum from walls, bathroom stalls, etc.
- Cleaning food, tobacco chew, excessive tooth paste, etc. out of sinks/water fountains.
- Cleaning excessive graffiti off walls
- Cleaning excessive shaving cream off sinks, stalls, floors, etc.
- Cleaning hair up that was left behind from a haircut done in the bathroom.
- Any other similar cleaning
Charge: $20 minimum -OR- billed by the hour ($20.00) if Housekeeping includes this information.
Lock & Combinations Changes
- Lock Change & Cut Keys (Residence Halls) $45
- Lock Change & Cut Keys (Gables) $75
- Lock Change & Cut Keys (Woodsides) $50
- Combination Change $15
- Damaged Swipe Card Reader $400-$800
Trash
The following reasons are grounds for billing:
- Emptying room trash into a bathroom trashcan
- Leaving room trash in the hallways or stairwells
- Leaving room trash in the lounges.
- Emptying room trash into a lounge trashcan.
Charge: minimum of $20 per bag of trash removed regardless of the size of the bag.
Rationale: Trash can leak on the carpets and create unsanitary conditions, and it has the potential to be a fire hazard. Students are responsible for disposing of their own trash.
Bodily Fluids or Waste Urine, Feces, Vomit
The following reasons are grounds for billing:
- The removal and/or cleaning of urine, feces, condoms or vomit found in the residence halls.
Charge: minimum of $100 per instance (depending on the situation, may become a criminal investigation with the Police Department)
Blood
The following reasons are grounds for billing:
- Any blood clean up in bathrooms, hallways, walls, carpet, lounges, etc…
- If the incident was accidental and an attempt was made to clean up, no charge will occur.
Charge: Charges vary depending on the incident. The range could be anywhere from $10.00-$100.00 plus. Situations that are accidental will be looked upon differently than ones that are purposeful. For example, a person who had a nose bleed and bled in the bathroom will be treated differently than an injury, resulting in blood loss, due to drunkenness or violence.
Missing Lounge Furniture
Two times a year, the residence hall staff take inventory of the community furniture. Items found missing will be billed to all residents living in that hall. The following are replacement costs for community furniture:
- Couch $300-$700
- Love Seat $200-$605
- Lounge Chair $60-$605
- Coffee Table $140-$200
- End Table $76-$200
- Table $150-$350
- Study Carrel $210-$300
*Price Varies due to different types of furniture in Halls.
Pizza Boxes
The following reasons are grounds for billing:
- Leaving a pizza box in a hallway, elevator, or stairwell
- Leaving a pizza box in a bathroom or lounge outside of a trashcan
- We will not charge if the pizza box is broken down and placed in a trash receptacle.
Charge: $20 per box that has to be removed
Rationale: Having to make special trips to dispose of pizza boxes slows Housekeeping down from their daily responsibilities. Students are responsible for disposing of their own trash.
Room Cleaning
The following reasons are grounds for billing:
- Students leaving for the year and did not clean their rooms
Charge: $50 minimum -OR- billed by the hour ($20.00) if Housekeeping includes this information.
Other Charges
- *Spring-loaded door hinge tampering - $40
- *Screen Removal OR Screen Damage - $50
- *Extinguisher Replacement - $60
- *Smoke Detector Tampering - $100
- *Extinguisher Tampering - $40
*Minimum amount