News

Sheffield University collects £92,000 from deposits

5th December 2011

The University of Sheffield has revealed that almost £92k was retained from accommodation deposits from the academic year 2010/2011.
A request made under the Freedom of Information Act showed that a total of £91,918.57 was kept to pay for damages and cleaning of rooms and common areas not properly maintained or cleaned at the end of the lease.

All students moving into the university’s accommodation have to pay a deposit of £150. Last year’s retained deposits have doubled from the year before, when the figure was only £56,000.

Residents of Opal 2 were all refunded their full deposit, they were not charged for any damage for the second year in a row. In previous years the system to monitor damage and cleanliness was different in these flats, but that has now changed so that Opal 2 runs on the same system as the other flats.

Residents of Oakhome Road and Crewe Flats and Red Lane in Endcliffe Village were also fully refunded.

An Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS) spokesperson said: “The cost isn’t just for the item but also includes labour, materials, delivery and VAT.

“It is therefore not appropriate to compare the costs directly to what you would expect to buy yourself on the high street.

“The replacement items also have to match the rest of the accommodation in terms of style, make and quality, as well as being items that we can maintain in future.”

Students in Endcliffe Village suffered the most, with the retention of £12,261.82 from deposits, whilst Froggatt apartments residents lost out on £10,160.68.

While it is undoubtedly true that some items will need replacing, the university’s depreciation policy is unclear. For example if a towel rail is expected to stay attached to the wall for four years, and it needs replacing after three, should the tenant be charged the full amount to replace an item that was nearing the end of it’s expected life?