Several students living in Cedarbrook Apartments were greeted with bills for damages to their apartments when they came back from the semester break. And they have 30 days to pay.

One student, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of harassment, said he and his roommates were charged $329 by A.W. & Sons, 309 E. Beaver Ave., for damages to their apartment.

A.W. & Sons had left a notice stating that they would be in the apartments to do routine maintenance on the heaters, the student said. He said he and his roommates did not expect to have them check for damages as well.

This is the student's third year with the realty company. And although this was the first time they have ever gone into his apartment mid-lease to check for damages, he said they always seem to overcharge at the end of the term for cleaning and repairs.

"If you get anything back, you're lucky," he said, referring to the security deposit.

The anonymous student said he was annoyed because he and his roommates did not get a chance to fix the damages themselves.

"They weren't there to look for a broken mirror, they were there to fix a heater," he said. "The whole point is they did it while we weren't here."

Leo DeLorenzo, A.W. & Sons general manager, said the lease that these residents signed allows his company to go into the apartment at anytime to ensure the apartment is being taken care of.

"We're not going to let an apartment in disrepair let go," he said.

And if there are damages, they will be repaired immediately to prevent injury he said, referring to the broken mirror found in the student's apartment.

Less than 5 percent of all the apartments received bills and the anonymous student's apartment was "the worst one out of the 450 apartments we inspected," DeLorenzo said.

"We charged for deliberate damages, we don't charge for routine repairs," he said.

The lease also indicates that the lessee must pay for the damages within 30 days.

Stephanie Tray (senior-human development and family studies) and her roommates came back to an $83 bill for damages. They were charged for a toilet seat and two screens.

One of the screens was behind her couch along with their closet doors, Tray said. A.W. & Sons put the doors back on, but they said they did not see the screen. The screen is now missing.

The second screen was knocked out earlier in the semester from what she believed to be an attempted break-in, Tray said. A.W. & Sons has since credited them for the one screen, but they still say they have not seen the other one behind the couch.

The biggest complaint that the parties involved have is that their apartments were checked mid-lease for damages instead of at the end of their leases. They said they are also upset A.W. & Sons is making them pay immediately instead of taking the money out of their security deposits.

Erika Hammer (senior-elementary education), one of Tray's roommates, said, "Why should we pay $83 now when it could break again before the end of the semester?"

Linda Collier, attorney for Judicial Affairs, said if the conditions were in the lease and the residents signed it, everything A.W. & Sons did was legal.

"You can agree or promise to do anything as long as it's legal," she said about contracts. This has allowed certain parties in a contract to gain the upper hand.

This type of agreement is called a contract of adhesion. This occurs when one party has all the bargaining power and the other party may sign under certain circumstances.

Students may be persuaded to sign a contract that is not favorable to them since housing may be limited, Collier said. She added that contracts of adhesion have been found voidable in court.

Collier said A.W. & Sons' lease is legal but unfair because the company is allowed to walk into the apartments anytime they want, decide to make some changes and charge the occupant.

"Why should I accept this burden mid-lease. I could see it at the end of the lease," she said, referring to the immediate payment. She added that this is especially unfair for students who are already in a tight financial situation.

"They really get you coming and going," she said.