If I started an application but have not submitted nor signed a contract with university housing, am I still bound to the contract?


Hello I am a student going to a university. Originally, I plan on living in on campus. I've started the application and had a room tentatively reserved for a period. The university housing has a policy that if students don't pay reservation within 48-72 hours, the reservation will be cancelled. However, due to financial changes, I am unable to afford on campus housing. I haven't paid a reservation fee nor signed/submitted a contract. But they haven't cancelled my reservation. Housing is making me pay a cancellation fee for contract termination. So my question is, if I haven't paid the reservation fee to reserve the room (which was still reserved under my account) and I haven't signed or submitted anything, am I still consider bound to the contract? Can I argue with them about not paying the cancellation fee? If they still demand me to pay, is it reasonable to sue them?

Have them show you terms or conditions you agreed to (even electronically) that make you liable to pay the cancellation fee.

You may argue, Of course a bad thing about Universities, they may just put the fee on your student account. So you may end up paying and having to sue for the money back. Since they may take the money from what is on your university account.

So yes, go and talk to them, nicely ask them to show you in the rules where you have to pay the fee, if you did not pay any money, or sign anything, and the rules say they will cancel

Read your contract, as likely you are still under the terms for the cancellation. TALK to them as perhaps they can waive the cancellation fee because of changes beyond your control. Worth a shot, even if it fails. Bottom line is go talk to them.

Unless you can show us copies of every single piece of paper associated with this situation, how can we advise? We don't know if you missed some fine print or not.
If there really is no clause, even on the application, about a fee, then sure, sue them as a last resort. It might cost more than the fee.
It's hard to believe that the stipulation for cancellation doesn't call for YOU doing so, not just that you lose the reservation. Correct me if I'm wrong.