A compiled reference of 26 verified figures and policy rules on student housing damage billing: what universities charge per item (from a $25 minor repair to a $500 replacement refrigerator), the flat fees around checkout, how charges get split between roommates and whole floors, and the appeal windows and evidence rules that decide disputes. Every figure is drawn from a named university's published damage schedule or policy (UC Santa Cruz, New Hampshire, DePaul, Grand Valley State, Union, Dickinson, Houston) and independently checked before publishing. No cross-industry compilation of these schedules existed before this one.
Key statistics
5 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Universities publish exactly what damage costs a resident, and the schedules agree on the shape: modest per-item repair charges, triple-digit flat fees around checkout, community billing when nobody confesses, and appeal rules that turn entirely on whether condition was documented at move-in.
An improper or uncleaned move-out costs $100-$150 at schools with published schedules
UNH charges a $500 response fee per incident for intentional damage
Repainting bills at $294 per room (DePaul) or $140 per door side (UCSC)
Unclaimed common-area damage is billed to the whole floor, and at Dickinson that charge cannot be appealed
Appeal windows run 21-30 days, and skipping the move-in condition form can waive appeal rights entirely
How we built this report
Every figure below was compiled in September 2026 from universities' published damage schedules and housing policies and verified against the original before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
Published damage charge schedules and damage billing policies from seven US universities' housing offices.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only amounts a school publishes directly, and attribute each inline at the point it appears.
- Disagreements shown, not averaged
Schools price the same item differently; we show each school's figure rather than inventing an average.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
These are published schedule amounts, mostly for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years, from on-campus university housing; several schools note that actual charges are based on real time and materials, and off-campus operators set their own prices. Confirm any figure against the specific school's current schedule before relying on it.
The charge sheet
Selected published per-item charges across the seven schools compiled. Same item, different school, different price; each amount is that school's published figure.
| Item | Charge | Item | Charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improper checkout / failure to clean | $100-$150GVSU / UNH / Union | Replacement mattress | $178UCSC |
| Repaint room | $294DePaul | Repaint door (per side) | $140UCSC |
| Bed frame replacement | $309UCSC | Desk or dresser | $248UCSC |
| Lock change / re-core | $100-$150GVSU / DePaul ($112) / Union | Replacement refrigerator | $500DePaul |
| Extra cleaning (hourly) | $28-$66.58/hrUCSC / GVSU ($50/hr) | Wall hole over half an inch | $100-$200/wallGVSU |
| Window screen damage/removal | $125-$200UNH | Damaged swipe card reader | $450-$600UNH |
| Smoke detector tampering | $200/studentGVSU | Late move-out | $100/dayUCSC |
| Intentional damage response fee | $500/incidentUNH | Trash left behind | $50/bagGVSU |
Damage billing, by the numbers
All 26 figures and rules, grouped by theme, each from a named university's published schedule or policy and independently verified.
What damage costs per item
The schedules are strikingly specific. UC Santa Cruz (ucsc.edu) publishes a full furniture price list for 2026-27: a mattress bills at $178, a bed frame at $309, a desk or dresser at $248, a chair at $135, and repainting one side of a door at $140, with extensive cleaning billed at $28 to $66.58 per hour. DePaul (depaul.edu) prices a minor repair at $25, an advanced repair at $50, repainting a room at $294, a lock core at $112, and a replacement refrigerator at $500. The University of New Hampshire (unh.edu) charges $125 to $200 for screen damage and $450 to $600 for a damaged swipe card reader.
Statistic 1
A replacement mattress bills at $178, a bed frame at $309, and a desk or dresser at $248 each.
UC Santa Cruz damage schedule (2026-27)
Statistic 2
Repainting one side of a door costs $140; extensive cleaning bills at $28 to $66.58 per hour.
UC Santa Cruz damage schedule (2026-27)
Statistic 3
A minor repair is $25, an advanced repair $50, repainting a room $294, a lock core $112, and a replacement refrigerator $500.
DePaul University damage billing (2026)
Statistic 4
Screen damage or removal bills at $125 to $200; a damaged swipe card reader at $450 to $600.
University of New Hampshire damage billing (2026)
Statistic 5
A wall hole larger than half an inch bills at $100 to $200 per wall; smoke detector tampering at $200 per student.
Grand Valley State damage charges (2026)
Statistic 6
Charges quoted are minimums based on average time and materials; actual charges are based on real-time and material costs.
University of Houston damage charges (FY26)
What this means: damage billing is not improvised; it runs on published price lists the way an auto shop runs on a labor guide. What is improvised, at most schools, is the evidence connecting a specific charge to a specific resident.
The checkout fees
Beyond per-item repairs, the schedules converge on flat fees around move-out itself. Failing to clean at checkout costs $150 at UNH, $150 at Union College (union.edu), and $100 at Grand Valley State (gvsu.edu); UCSC bills late move-out at $100 per day, GVSU charges $50 per bag of abandoned trash, and Union charges $50 per piece of furniture left behind. UNH's newest line is the sharpest: beginning March 2025, a $500 response fee per incident for intentional damage.
Statistic 7
Failure to clean the room at move-out bills at $150 per incident.
University of New Hampshire damage billing (2026)
Statistic 8
Improper check-out or missed break preparation bills at $100; improper check-out with excessive cleaning at $150.
Grand Valley State (2026); Union College (2026)
Statistic 9
Late move-out bills at $100 per day; abandoned trash at $50 per bag; furniture left behind at $50 per piece.
UC Santa Cruz; Grand Valley State; Union College (2026)
Statistic 10
Intentional student damage carries a $500 response fee per incident, effective March 2025.
University of New Hampshire damage billing (2026)
Statistic 11
Biohazardous matter cleanup carries a $100 minimum per incident; extra cleaning a $50 minimum, billed hourly.
University of New Hampshire damage billing (2026)
What this means: the checkout inspection window is where most of these fees attach, and in student housing that window is the compressed May and August turn documented in our turn season statistics: thousands of beds inspected in days, by staff working through the same schedules.
Who gets billed: roommates and whole floors
When nobody confesses, the bill spreads. DePaul's rule is explicit: "All damages will be split equally between roommates (and suitemates for bathroom charges) unless written notification by the responsible party is provided." UNH divides common-area charges among the residents of those facilities; GVSU divides remaining public-area damage across each resident's account; Union assesses common-area damage to all occupants unless someone takes responsibility by email; and Dickinson (dickinson.edu) frames community billing as promoting "individual responsibility" while stating flatly that community billing may not be appealed.
Statistic 12
In-unit damage is split equally between roommates, and bathroom charges between suitemates, unless the responsible party confirms in writing.
DePaul University damage billing (2026)
Statistic 13
Common-area damage with no identified party is divided among all residents of the facility, floor, or hall.
UNH; DePaul; GVSU; Union College (2026)
Statistic 14
Community billing may not be appealed; residents get five business days to provide information about the damage.
Dickinson College housing operations (2026)
Statistic 15
Residents are liable for damage caused by their visitors.
DePaul University damage billing (2026)
Statistic 16
Damage charges post to the student's financial account and are paid through the same system as tuition.
University of New Hampshire damage billing (2026)
What this means: split-by-default billing exists because attribution is hard: without evidence tying damage to a person and a date, the only fair-seeming option is to charge everyone. Attribution is an evidence problem, and the evidence is whatever was captured at move-in and move-out.
Appeals: the windows and the evidence
Every school runs an appeal process, and every process turns on documentation. The University of Houston (uh.edu) accepts appeals within 30 days of checkout; Dickinson within 21 days of notification; DePaul in a fixed June 30 to July 30 window with final decisions by August 10; Union's 2026 deadline was July 15. The evidence rules are the sharp edge: DePaul requires "supporting, verifiable documentation (e.g., photos, videos)"; Dickinson students who skip the room condition form in the first two weeks "waive their right to appeal damage billing at the end of the year"; and GVSU lists undocumented pre-existing damage among reasons an appeal is invalid.
Statistic 17
Damage appeals must be filed within 30 days of checkout.
University of Houston damage charges (FY26)
Statistic 18
Appeals must be received within 21 days of the notification that a damage charge is posting.
Dickinson College housing operations (2026)
Statistic 19
Appeals are accepted June 30 through July 30, with final decisions by August 10 and no further appeals permitted.
DePaul University damage billing (2026)
Statistic 20
Appeals must include supporting, verifiable documentation such as photos or videos.
DePaul University damage billing (2026)
Statistic 21
Students who do not complete the room condition form within two weeks of move-in waive the right to appeal damage billing.
Dickinson College housing operations (2026)
Statistic 22
Undocumented pre-existing damage is an invalid basis for appeal, as are move-out time constraints and unfamiliarity with procedures.
Grand Valley State damage charges (2026)
Statistic 23
One student cannot appeal on behalf of an entire room; each resident appeals individually.
Union College damage charges and appeals (2026)
Statistic 24
Charges are assessed by residential staff inspecting spaces after move-out, compared against the recorded move-in condition.
Union College; DePaul; GVSU (2026)
Statistic 25
Normal wear and tear is not considered damage and is not billed.
Union College; UC Santa Cruz (2026)
Statistic 26
Issues documented on the move-in inspection form are excluded from billing at move-out.
UC Santa Cruz damage billing (2026-27)
What this means: across all seven schools, the move-in condition record is the whole dispute. A charge stands or falls on whether anyone can show what the room looked like on day one, which makes the quality of move-in documentation, not the repair price list, the real variable in damage recovery.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How much do colleges charge for dorm damage?
Published university schedules run from $25 for a minor repair (DePaul, depaul.edu) to $500 for a replacement refrigerator or a $500 intentional-damage response fee (UNH, unh.edu). Common line items: improper checkout or failure to clean, $100 to $150; repainting a room, $294 at DePaul or $140 per door side at UC Santa Cruz (ucsc.edu); a replacement mattress, $178 at UCSC; extra cleaning, $28 to $66.58 per hour at UCSC and $50 per hour at Grand Valley State (gvsu.edu).
Can a college charge a whole floor for damage?
Yes. Community damage billing is standard: UNH, DePaul, GVSU, Union College (union.edu), and Dickinson (dickinson.edu) all publish policies dividing common-area damage among all residents of the floor or building when no individual takes responsibility. Dickinson states community billing may not be appealed.
How long do students have to appeal a damage charge?
Windows vary by school: 30 days from checkout at the University of Houston (uh.edu), 21 days from notification at Dickinson, and fixed calendar windows elsewhere. DePaul accepts appeals June 30 to July 30 with final decisions by August 10; Union's 2026 deadline was July 15.
What evidence decides a student housing damage dispute?
The move-in condition record. Dickinson requires the room condition form within two weeks of move-in and states that students who skip it waive the right to appeal; GVSU lists undocumented pre-existing damage among invalid appeal reasons; DePaul requires appeals to include verifiable documentation such as photos or videos.
Are roommates billed individually or together for unit damage?
Usually together by default. DePaul splits all in-unit damage equally between roommates (and suitemates for bathroom charges) unless the responsible party confirms responsibility in writing; GVSU holds occupants responsible for their room and adjacent areas.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these universities' published damage schedules and housing policies, each checked against the original before publishing.
UC Santa CruzResidential damage charge scheduleucsc.edu
University of New HampshireDamage billing policyunh.edu
DePaul UniversityDamage billing policydepaul.edu
Grand Valley StateDamages and charges schedulegvsu.edu
Union CollegeDamage charges and appeals policyunion.edu
Dickinson CollegeHousing operations damage policydickinson.edu
University of HoustonResidence hall damage chargesuh.edu