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Housing Agreement Cancellation, Termination, and Financial Liability Information

For full details about Financial Liability, please refer to the Terms of Occupancy

Housing agreement cancellations have a direct impact on the University’s housing operations because the budget for housing operations is derived entirely from operating revenue under the housing agreements. The housing agreement is similar to other consumer contracts. Its value is that the agreement terms provide conditions to which either party is assured compliance by the other. While many consumer contracts do not provide opportunities for a party to terminate the agreement, the housing agreement does provide a possibility for termination but only in accordance with the specific reasons listed in the Terms of Occupancy.

Important terminology:

  • Cancellation: when a student cancels their upcoming room reservation by submitting a cancellation request through their housing portal before moving in and does not complete a check-in or receive a room key.
  • Termination of housing agreement: occurs during an active housing agreement after a resident has checked in and received their room key. Housing agreements end in May of the current academic year.
  • Termination Fee: applied to cancellations and/or agreement terminations in the amount of $100, $200, or $400.

Any resident who cancels or terminates their housing agreement loses priority for future housing on campus. Housing is only prioritized for the first academic semester of a newly admitted student or for students who remain living on campus and participate in returning student renewal application processes each year. Students who had housing during or the semester prior who take a documented medical leave through the university, participate in an SBU external study, or U.S. military leave will retain eligibility to return to housing on the first semester they return to classes on campus. All other students will have to join a waiting list if they are interested in housing in the future.

Housing reservation cancellations and agreement terminations can occur under the following conditions:

 

 

Moving out of housing and requesting to terminate your agreement early: 

If a resident chooses to vacate their room assignment and turn in their room key, they will end their housing agreement but continue to be financially liable for the remainder of that agreement. 

There are limited reasons why someone who terminates their agreement by moving out may be released from the financial responsibility at the time of check-out or between housing semesters.

Any request for release of liability must be received within 30 days after checking out by submitting a Housing Appeal through the housing portal. The last day an in-room resident can submit an appeal is April 1 with a requested move-out date of no later than April 15.

Stony Brook will assess an early termination charge in the amount of $400. This charge would be assessed on any student who submits an appeal for release from the housing agreement that is approved. The termination charge would be in addition to any prorated housing fees assessed to the student’s account if they appeal their housing liability and move(d) out after the start of a term session billing period. The total charge assessed to the student would not exceed the published rate for their assigned space.

Students would not be charged the early termination fee in the following situations:

  • Student has graduated from the University.
  • The student withdraws from the University.
  • Student enters into active duty in the US military. 
  • Student leaves on an approved external study from the University (study abroad, clinical rotation, academic internship, etc). 

All reasons not covered below are not eligible for release from their agreement. Students will continue to be fully financially liable for their housing agreement charges until the end of the agreement period. Graduate and Family agreement charges will continue to be applied monthly until the end of the agreement period. Undergraduate agreement charges for Spring will be applied in December or mid-February based on the student's date of check-out in fall semester and when spring charges are initially applied to the student’s account.