Here’s how you can stop it from happening to you.
tl;dr:
- Take detailed photos when you move in and send them to the Housing Foundation
- Do the same when you move out
- Know that you can lodge a case in the housing court if your deposit is kept unfairly
The deposit will be used to cover any repairs due to damage caused by you (in your room or in the common areas), replacement of keys/locks, post-departure cleaning or other things that might have to be fixed at your expense. In other words: if the room is left in an unsatisfactory condition at the end of the semester, the deposit (or part of it) will not be returned to you![1]What ‘unsatisfactory’ means is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain: any decision by the Housing Foundation to keep your deposit is not final. If you think the Housing Foundation has unfairly kept your deposit, you can lodge a case against them in the housing court. Find out how to do it here.
To support your claim you'll need evidence though, so take photos when you move in and when you leave. Send your moving-in photos to the Housing Foundation using the method they describe or just email them. If you want to be extra careful, place the front page of a recent newspaper in your moving-out photos so you can prove that they are not old.
Do you have a story about the Housing Foundation unfairly keeping your deposit? Let us know here.