Deposit of no return

Security deposits are true deposits in most of the country. But in Bloomington, it’s all just an act.

I just received my security deposit back for the house I rented last year, a full 45 days after I moved out.

At first I didn’t understand why it took so long to get the deposit back.

But now I understand that it takes a long time to make up illegitimate things to charge someone for.

My roommates and I slaved over this house before we gave it up, cleaning every inch for three days.

We swept and mopped, dusted fans and even replaced drip pans on the stove. But apparently, this was not enough.

We were charged $1,300 in total, including a $560 cleaning fee.

When I moved into my house last year, it was dirtier than commercials on Spike TV.

Dust and dirt caked the bathroom floor. There were no screens in half of the windows. The first day I walked barefoot in the kitchen my feet were entirely black.

You can bet that the students before me were charged this “cleaning fee” just as much as I was.

Landlords of Bloomington take advantage of the students because they know they can.

Most of the time it goes unnoticed because parents are paying the rent, we’re young kids with our first house or we come from another state with a lot of money.

For a responsible middle-class kid, this extra $500 they steal from you can be devastating.

It’s one last addition to the tuition cost, monthly rent and textbook costs we have to pay during a school year, and there is nothing we can do about it.

I would advise you to take pictures or document things, but it doesn’t matter. The rental companies in Bloomington make you sign your life away in the lease.

Don’t want to sign the lease? Then have fun not having a house.

As a student of IU, you have no choice. Your only other option is to live in a dorm for all four years of your college experience, but that would stunt your growth more than steroids.

My only advice is to milk the landlords for all they’re worth. Call them about every single thing wrong with your house if they say they will fix it. Make them accountable. Look at the specifics in the lease that will help you get the most out of your housing experience.

But ultimately, when you sign a lease and look at the security deposit, just forget it. You won’t get it back.

Forget your deposit like Bloomington landlords forget their morals.

­— lewicole@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Cole Lewis on Twitter @ColeThenLewis.