Editor’s note: Sam Hill lived at Doyle Apartments and did not receive his security deposit three weeks after forwarding a bank transfer request. Here is what he found after looking into it.
In the lobby of Doyle Apartments, books sit in neat little piles, a modern-looking coffee machine sits on one side and a tenant checks her mailbox. It is Sunday evening — meaning it has been almost two months with no real word on her security deposit return from the previous year.
“I find it to be absolutely ridiculous that the management doesn’t have the most basic skill of communicating with their tenants,” the tenant wrote in an anonymous email to the Daily due to fear her deposit would not be returned. “I have inquired about my deposit continuously over the past few months and I have only ever been met with vague answers of ‘I don’t know,’ and ‘It’s an issue with multiple people’ and ‘Thanks for your patience,’ and that’s if they bother to answer me at all.”
She said she was furious because she asked in person, over the phone and through email and said this was another prime example of apartment managers taking advantage of students.
Hao, a tenant who asked to be referred to only by his first name, said management kept communication to a minimum.
“I realize that it’s also because Doyle got bought by another property company, but still not a good look for them,” Hao said.
Greystar, the largest property management company in the U.S., owns several properties at the University of Minnesota — including The Marshall and briefly the Doyle.
According to multiple anonymous sources, many students at Doyle have not received their security deposits promptly despite forwarding receipt addresses months ago.
According to the University of Minnesota Student Legal Service (SLS), a landlord is obligated to return a security deposit or provide a statement outlining any withholding of all or part of the security deposit within three weeks of receiving the former renter’s forwarding address or delivery instructions. There is no legal obligation for a landlord to affirmatively ask for the information when a renter is moving out.
SLS lawyer Shana Tomenes said the SLS housing legal team sees about one security deposit case each week during each fall semester. She added skirting the edges of legal limits on returns is something all management companies in the area do.
If a student does not know their new address and does not affirmatively provide that information, there can be a significant delay between the time when a student moves out to when they receive their security deposit, according to Tomenes.
One tenant shared her emails to Greystar from several weeks ago. The Greystar point of contact, given to her by Doyle management, told her they would get ahold of the accounting department and follow up on if and where the deposits were sent.
That tenant never received a response. She is currently filing a small claims court claim against Greystar.
Another anonymous source said he had seen many former Doyle residents with the same security deposit issues on social media. He eventually received his deposit and encouraged anyone being held out by management companies to reach out to legal services.
“I had to contact UMN legal services and had an attorney send them an email threatening legal actions and over a thousand dollars in fines if they didn’t get the return to me by the end of October,” the source said. “The next day they sent over the return.”
Some students described their experiences with Greystar management in other apartments.
Fourth-year student Samantha Clark said she requested to not have a bed at The Marshall because she was bringing her own. Her room came with no bed or mattress, but at the end of the year, she received a $500 missing bed charge.
“I called and spoke with their corporate office about it and they said they would get back to me,” Clark said. “I have been dealing with this since Aug. 9 when I moved out and it still hasn’t been resolved.”
Management responses
Doyle property manager Sydney Dreyer said in an email to the Minnesota Daily to direct any inquiries to the former Greystar management company contact for “any questions regarding the time period prior to October 1, 2024.”
“I believe your inquiry is related to security deposits and tenancies that ended prior to October 1, 2024,” Dreyer said in the email. “The Doyle’s ownership, and management company, recently changed as the result of a sale that closed on October 1, 2024.”
The Greystar contact has not responded to multiple requests to connect from the Daily.
In an email to an anonymous source, Dreyer said she had “no clue where the security deposits were” on Oct. 3. In a phone conversation with the Daily, Dreyer said all deposits were mailed out the week prior to Oct. 22.
“I have been trying to work with Greystar for an update and they say they are approving them,” Dreyer wrote in the email. “As far as I know, no one has received their deposits or even the email from smart disburse so this is news to me!”
Greystar communication director Andrea Davis said in an email to the Daily that any questions regarding the timing and return of security deposits should be directed to the former owner.
“We are not authorized to speak on behalf of the former owner of The Doyle, which we have ceased managing,” Davis said in the email. “Any questions regarding the return of security deposits and the timing of such should be correctly directed to the former owner.”
Greystar did not respond to the Daily as to whether they were in charge of collecting security deposits from former tenants.
Why it matters
The Minnesota Daily reported that increased housing development in the Dinkytown area has led to increased legal dilemmas for student renters, with a vast majority of student legal service casework being related to housing in the present day compared to 10 years ago.
Greystar Management is the largest property management company and property owner in the U.S., according to 2024 NMHC rankings. As a property management company, it is responsible for collecting rent and security deposits, marketing, and addressing tenant and maintenance concerns.
From Dec. 12, 2023, to Oct. 1 of this year, Greystar was responsible for managing Doyle Apartments. After Oct. 1, management and ownership transferred to Go Gopher Rentals Management company.
Go Gopher Rentals did not respond to the Minnesota Daily with comments on missing security deposits.
Emails from former Doyle management from December of last year suggest that Greystar was responsible for both owning and managing the property.
“The security deposit plus 1% interest in the amount of $500.00 has been transferred to the new owner and manager as listed below,” the email from Dec. 8 read. “New Management: Greystar Management.”
The Minnesota Daily reached out to Northstar management, the company in charge of managing Doyle Apartments prior to Greystar. The Northstar contact said that the current Northstar manager was assisting Doyle management on security deposit issues but did not provide further details.
Renter legal protections
Tomenes said University Student Legal Services advises students on the likelihood of legal success and helps them find solutions other than going straight to small claims court. She said their office also helps students fill out the required paperwork and prepare them to testify before the court.
“Renters have strong legal protections when it comes to security deposit disputes,” Tomenes wrote in an email to the Daily.
Tomenes added students generally report satisfaction with the results of their small claims court claim. She added that when there are multiple unresolved cases with a landlord, or if students have three or more substantiated claims, such as a security deposit court ruling in their favor, the landlord is placed on the University non-compliant landlord list.
“Often if one student is having a security deposit problem with their landlord, others in the same building are facing the same problem,” Tomenes said. “Student Legal Service recommends reaching out to our office whenever you have a legal issue with your landlord, and encouraging your neighbors to do the same.”
