LOST KEYS, BROKEN MICROWAVES AND CLEANING UP SICK

Just some of the reasons Welsh students are losing money on accommodation deposits

BROKEN microwaves and cleaning sick off a carpet were just some of the reasons why Welsh students lost money on their student accommodation.

It’s the bane of many a student’s life when they come to the end of a tenancy and find they won’t be getting all of their deposit back.

A Freedom of Information Request revealed the amounts of money being deducted from students’ accommodation deposits at two Welsh universities.

The figures did not include private rentals but accommodation provided by the universities themselves.

At Cardiff Metropolitan University, students lost a total of £11,752 worth of deposits in 2015-16.

Students had deposits deducted 236 times, with £8,751 deducted from students at the university’s Cyncoed campus and £3,001 lost by students at the Plas Gwyn campus.

The most common reasons for deductions was needing a new key to get back into the buildings.

There were 33 charges for tampering with fire extinguishers, £1,699 in total.

One £25 charge was made for cleaning sick off a carpet, while there were 15 charges for broken microwaves.

There was also a £150 deduction for “continual smoking in a bathroom”.

The other Welsh university to provide figures was Aberyst- wyth University, which deducted a total of £19,861 from its students.

The campuses where deductions were made included Bryn Derw, Clarendon House, Cwrt Mawr, Fferm Penglais, Gwalia residences, Penbryn, Pentre Jane Morgan, Rosser and Trefloyne.

The most common reason for a deduction being made at the university was for cleaning, with a total of £11,209 being charged.

Where malicious damage was caused, a total of £2,694 was taken off deposits, while