Penn students who opt to live in off-campus housing are required by landlords to pay a significant security deposit that may or may not be returned when they vacate, depending on the condition of the living space.
The security deposit, which is usually equal to one or two months' rent, is required by off-campus realtors to protect their properties from damage or negligence.
The deposits are returned at the closure of the lease minus any costs the landlord incurred for reasons that vary from uncleanliness to holes in walls to ruined floors.
"The language in the lease is that you must return the apartment to us in the condition you found it," said Todd Nitschelm, property manager of Sherman Properties at 4601 Spruce St. Nitschelm added that while he believes some landlords abuse the security deposit to make extra money, he tries to return most or all the deposit whenever possible.
Engineering junior Ben Dodson, who lived in Hamilton Court last year, said that he did not receive his entire security deposit back at the end of the lease.
Dodson said that some of the deposit was withheld due to "stupid things we couldn't really argue," such as cleaning the landlord felt was necessary. Overall, however, Dodson said that the process was "about what I expected, fair enough."
However, not all students feel that the process is fair. College junior Ethan Lipsitz recently vacated his unit, run by University Enterprises, citing dissatisfaction with the landlord.
When Lipsitz tried to recover his security deposit, he was only given about two thirds of the amount and no detailed list of the work done.
"They took out a good amount," Lipsitz said. "I asked for a receipt for all the work they said they would do but I wasn't given anything."
Lipsitz said he cleaned the unit thoroughly before vacating, only to have a professional cleaning company "come in without looking and just go over my work."
Now living in Campus Apartments, Lipsitz said he is unsure if his new landlord will be more fair when it comes time to again claim his deposit.
"It seems like there are just fees that they put on no matter what," Lipsitz said.
Nitschelm, however, put the blame on students, saying that they are more likely than other tenants to abuse their units.
"When you don't own something, you have a lot less incentive to take care of it," Nitschelm said. "Students tend to get drunk, put holes in walls, do crazy things."
Nitschelm added that because many students have parents who pay their rent for them that they may not be as responsible as those who pay rent out of their own pockets.
Alex Senderowicz, who owns several small properties in University City, has a more optimistic view on student behavior.
"I don't think students have a bad rap," Senderowicz said. "My guess is that Penn students [treat their units] the same as everybody else between the ages of 18 and 30."
