Petition to break the lease/license agreement

When applying to live on campus, students living in the residence halls sign an academic year Student Housing and Meal Plan License Agreement that is in effect from August move-in until May move-out. Tenants living in Ponderosa Village sign a Lease Agreement (available when offered a unit/space) that is in effect from mid-July until the following June 30. The timeframe for occupancy is clearly stated in both lease and license agreements, the website, and during recruitment and orientations.

Rationale

On-campus living is similar to living off-campus. Individuals living in apartments are still responsible for rent or those with homes must pay the mortgage. By agreeing to live on campus for the academic year (or 11.5 months at Ponderosa Village), residents are responsible for the terms and conditions of the agreement. While a resident's situation may have changed, Residential Life, Housing and Food Services are still committed to offering an excellent residential experience to support student/tenant success for all residents while covering expenses like debt service, utilities, and staffing. This is similar to off-campus entities like an apartment complex or bank/mortgage company.

Qualifying events for release consideration

If your situation has changed since applying for on-campus housing and agreeing to the Lease/License Agreement, please refer back to that agreement as it states what is possible in terms of requesting to break it. As stated in the agreement, only the following reasons will be considered by a committee of students and staff when residents request to break this legally binding license agreement, as they are considered “Qualifying events”:

Resident/Tenant withdraws from University for medical reasons
Resident/Tenant is drafted or commissioned by the U.S. Armed Forces for active duty
Resident/Tenant participates in University Study Abroad Program
Resident/Tenant graduates in December

Reasons not entertained for release consideration

As you think about your situation and are considering submitting a request to cancel your legally binding lease/license agreement, please reflect on the following reasons residents have provided in the past that do NOT qualify as a reason to break the agreement:

"I signed a lease agreement to live off campus (in the middle of my current license agreement)"
"I need/want to live off campus for financial reasons"
"I was not able to get documentation on official letterhead from a medical provider"
"I don't want to request an accommodation through the Disability Resource Center"
"I want to take all online classes"
"I need to take care of a family member but don't have/can't get documentation from a medical provider stating that medically, it needs to be me who is providing care for that family member"
"I moved out of on-campus housing and no longer live there"
"I was not able to get documentation from the U.S. Armed Forces about me being called up for active duty"
"I was not able to get documentation from the University Study Abroad office (or applicable partner) stating I will be an active participant in a study abroad program"

Petition to break the agreement

If you wish to complete a Petition to Break the Lease/License Agreement based on the information and criteria above, please fill out the Petition to Break the Housing Lease/License Agreement.

Refunds

If your petition is granted and you are eligible for a refund, that dollar value is credited on your student account in MyNevada. Given the processing time for the petition process, please allow up to two (2) weeks to see a housing/meal plan credit on your MyNevada account.

If you owe the University money (tuition, fees, insurance, library, parking, housing, meal plan, etc.), any credit from refunded housing/meal plan charges will first be applied to your outstanding balance in MyNevada before being refunded to you. If you do not have an outstanding balance, you will receive a refund via the method you used to pay housing/dining charges. For example:

If you paid housing/meal plan charges by credit/debit card, the refund would be issued to this bank; and it may take up to three (3) weeks to see the refund on your account depending on your bank
If you paid housing/meal plan charges by cash, check, or money order, it may take up to three (3) weeks for you to receive a paper check; and this will be sent to your Home/Permanent address on your MyNevada account