PLS-8E: Managing Residency Changes

Overview

Once students are assigned to housing, changes are inevitable—students withdraw, request room changes, swap with friends, or leave mid-semester. Managing these residency changes correctly ensures accurate occupancy tracking, proper billing, and clean historical records. This module teaches you when and how to use each residency operation: cancel, check-out, change bed, and swap.

Who this is for: Housing directors, residence life staff, and anyone managing ongoing residency assignments throughout the term.

What you'll learn: The critical differences between cancel, check-out, change, and swap operations; how to cancel residencies with proper refunds; how to transfer students between rooms; how to swap residents; and when to use each operation.

Duration: 20 minutes

Understanding Your Options

Housing.Cloud provides four primary operations for managing residency changes:

See detailed decision guide: When to Cancel, Move Out, Change, or Transfer a Residency →

Canceling a Residency

Use cancel when a student is leaving housing entirely—they won't be living on campus for this housing cycle.

When to Cancel

• Student withdraws from school entirely

• Student moves off-campus and terminates housing contract

• Student never arrives for move-in (no-show)

• Administrative cancellation for non-payment or policy violation

• Student changes plans before semester starts

How to Cancel a Residency

1. Navigate to Residents

2. Search for the student and click their name

3. Click Quick Actions

4. Select Cancel Residency

The cancel residency modal opens with a multi-step workflow.

Step 1: Cancellation Details

Required fields:

• Effective Cancellation Date: When the residency ends (must be before residency end date)

• Cancellation Reason: Text field explaining why (be specific for records)

• Is this an Early Termination? Radio buttons (see detailed explanation below)

Optional fields:

• Cancellation Fee: Administrative fee for cancellation (if your institution charges one)

Canceled vs. Early Termination

The cancel modal asks: "Is this an Early Termination?"

Your answer determines which status is applied and how the cancellation is tracked in reports.

Choose "No" (Canceled Status)

Use for:

• Student withdraws from housing before ever moving in

• Student cancels their application before the semester starts

• Administrative cancellation for non-payment or policy violation before occupancy begins

• Student changes plans and never occupies the space

Example: In July, a student assigned to fall housing decides to live off-campus and requests cancellation. They were assigned a bed but never moved in. Status: Canceled.

Choose "Yes" (Early Termination Status)

Use for:

• Student moves out before their contract end date (mid-semester departure)

• Student withdraws from school after already living in housing

• Housing contract terminated early for policy violations after occupancy

• Student transfers to off-campus housing mid-year after moving in

Example: A student checks in August 20 and lives in housing until October 15, when they withdraw from school. Their contract was supposed to end December 15. Status: Early Termination.

How to Decide

Ask yourself: "Did this student ever live in the assigned space?"

• Yes, they lived there: Choose "Yes" for Early Termination

• No, they never moved in: Choose "No" for Canceled

Step 2: Application Status

Optionally update the application status to reflect the cancellation.

Options:

• Leave as "Resident" (keeps historical record intact)

• Change to "Canceled" (indicates application is no longer active)

• Change to "Archived" (removes from active processing)

• Other status based on your workflow

Most institutions change the application to "Canceled" when canceling a residency to keep records synchronized.

Step 3: Meal Plans

If the student has an active meal plan, you can remove it in this step.

What happens when you remove a meal plan: A full refund for the meal plan is queued for the next step (Refunds).

Step 4: Refunds

The system auto-populates full refunds for:

• Housing charges (based on original transaction amount)

• Meal plan charges (if you removed the meal plan)

Important: Refunds are for the full original transaction amount. Once processed, refunds cannot be partially reversed.

To remove a refund: Click the X icon next to it. You'll create prorated charges in the next step instead.

Step 5: Charges & Fees

This step allows you to apply prorated charges or custom fees based on actual occupancy.

Common scenarios:

Full Refund (Student Never Moved In):

• Keep the auto-populated full refund from Step 4

• Don't add charges in Step 5

• Student gets complete refund

Prorated Refund (Student Lived There Partially):

• Remove the full refund in Step 4 (click X)

• In Step 5, click Pro-Rate Charge

• Enter actual move-in and move-out dates

• System calculates daily rate and charges only for days occupied

• Net result: Partial refund

Example: Student was charged $5,000 for full semester (120 days). They lived there 40 days before withdrawing. Daily rate: $41.67. Prorated charge: 40 days × $41.67 = $1,667. Refund: $5,000 - $1,667 = $3,333.

Step 6: Confirmation

The final step shows a complete summary of all changes:

• Residency end date and status (Canceled or Early Termination)

• Application status change (if any)

• Meal plan removal (if any)

• All refunds being issued

• All new charges being applied

Review carefully, then click Confirm to finalize.

What happens after confirmation:

• Residency status changes to Canceled or Early Termination

• Residency end date updates to effective cancellation date

• Bed becomes available for reassignment

• Application status updates (if you changed it)

• All refunds and charges post to student account

• Student receives notification (if enabled)

See complete step-by-step guide: Cancel a Residency →

Changing a Bed (Transferring a Student)

Use change bed when a student needs to move to a different room on campus—they're staying in housing but switching locations.

When to Use Change Bed

• Roommate conflict requires moving to different room

• Student requests room type change (triple to double, etc.)

• Accommodation needs require different room features

• Building consolidation at end of year

• Maintenance or facilities issues require temporary relocation

How to Change Bed

1. Navigate to Residents

2. Search for the student and click their name

3. Click Quick Actions

4. Select Change Bed

5. Assignment modal opens with current assignment shown in right sidebar

6. Browse and select new room/bed

7. Review ruleset violations

8. Review charges (may include rate differences or change fees)

9. Confirm the change

What happens after confirmation:

• Original residency status changes to "Transferred"

• Original residency end date updates to transfer date

• New residency is created for the new bed with status "Assigned"

• Old bed becomes available for reassignment

• New bed shows as occupied

• If room rates differ, appropriate charges/refunds are posted

Managing Financial Impacts

When changing beds, you'll need to handle rate differences:

Moving from Double ($5,000) to Single ($7,000):

1. In Refunds step: Refund the full double room charge ($5,000)

2. In Charges step: Add prorated charge for time in double room (e.g., 30 days at daily rate)

3. In Charges step: Add prorated charge for remaining time in single room (e.g., 90 days at higher daily rate)

Moving between same-rate rooms:

• No refund needed if rates are identical

• May still add a change fee if your institution charges one

Swapping Residencies

Use swap when two students want to exchange room assignments—both beds remain occupied but with different students.

When to Use Swap

• Two students agree to switch rooms

• Students informally swapped during move-in; you're updating records to match

• Resolving conflicts by exchanging incompatible roommates

• Balancing building occupancy by swapping students between buildings

Requirements for Swap

Both students must:

• Have active residency assignments (not canceled or checked out)

• Be in the same housing cycle

• Have residencies that are not in the past

How to Swap Residencies

1. Navigate to Residents

2. Search for and click the first student's name

3. Click Quick Actions

4. Select Swap Residency

5. Modal opens with Step 1: "Review Swap"

6. Search for and select the second student's residency

7. Review both residency details side-by-side

8. Click Next

9. Step 2: Review any ruleset conflicts between the new pairings

10. Click Next

11. Step 3: Add or remove refunds (typically for rate differences)

12. Click Next

13. Step 4: Add new charges or fees (prorated amounts if rates differ)

14. Click Next

15. Step 5: Review complete swap summary with all financial impacts

16. Click Confirm to finalize

What happens after confirmation:

• Both original residencies change to status "Transferred"

• Two new residencies are created with the swapped bed assignments

• Student A moves to Student B's old bed

• Student B moves to Student A's old bed

• All charges and refunds post to appropriate accounts

• Both students receive notifications

Handling Rate Differences in Swaps

Example: Student A in Double ($5,000) swaps with Student B in Single ($7,000)

Step 3 - Refunds:

• Refund Student A's full double room charge: $5,000

• Refund Student B's full single room charge: $7,000

Step 4 - Charges:

• Charge Student A for time in double (e.g., 30 days prorated): $1,250

• Charge Student A for remaining time in single (90 days prorated): $5,250

• Charge Student B for time in single (30 days prorated): $1,750

• Charge Student B for remaining time in double (90 days prorated): $3,750

Net financial impact: Student A pays more (upgraded to single). Student B pays less (downgraded to double). Both are charged accurately for actual occupancy periods.

See complete step-by-step guide: Swap Residencies Between Residents →

Check-Out vs. Cancel: Which to Use?

This is a common point of confusion. Here's the distinction:

Use Check-Out When:

• Student is departing at the natural end of their contract

• Residency dates are correct and don't need adjustment

• You're logging departure for recordkeeping

• Student completed their housing term normally

What Check-Out does:

• Records check-out date

• Changes status to "Moved Out"

• Keeps original residency start and end dates unchanged

• Bed may not be immediately available (depends on contract end date)

Example: A student's contract runs August 20 - May 15. They check out on May 15 as planned. You use Check-Out to log the departure. Status: Moved Out. Bed becomes available after May 15.

Use Cancel When:

• Student is leaving before their contract ends

• You need to update the residency end date

• You need to free the bed immediately for reassignment

• Student is withdrawing or moving off-campus mid-cycle

What Cancel does:

• Updates residency end date to effective cancellation date

• Changes status to "Canceled" or "Early Termination"

• Frees the bed for reassignment

• Optionally records check-out date

• Handles refunds and prorated charges

Example: Same student contract (August 20 - May 15), but student withdraws October 1. You use Cancel Residency with effective date October 1. Status: Early Termination. End date changes to October 1. Bed becomes available October 1.

Adding Check-Out Dates After Cancel or Transfer

Both Cancel and Change Bed operations allow you to optionally add a check-out date after the fact.

Why this matters: The check-out date records when the student physically left the space, which may differ from when the residency officially ended.

Example: You cancel a residency with effective date October 15 (contract ends), but the student actually moved out October 12. Add October 12 as the check-out date for accurate recordkeeping.

This creates a complete picture: Residency officially ended October 15 (cancellation), but student physically departed October 12 (check-out).

Common Residency Change Issues

Issue: Cannot Cancel Residency - Button Not Visible

Cause: Residency is already in a terminated status (Canceled, Transferred, Moved Out).

Solution: Check the residency status. You cannot cancel an already-canceled residency. If you need to undo a cancellation, you must create a new assignment.

Issue: Bed Still Shows Occupied After Cancel

Cause: Residency dates may still extend into the future, or bed status hasn't updated yet.

Solution: Verify the effective cancellation date is in the past. Refresh the page. If issue persists, contact support with the residency details.

Issue: Student Has Two Active Residencies

Cause: System allows manual assignment to a new bed while student has an existing assignment. This is intentional for flexibility but can cause confusion.

Solution: Cancel or transfer the old residency. Use Change Bed instead of creating a new assignment to maintain proper transfer records.

Issue: Swap Fails or Hangs

Cause: Network timeout, conflicting ruleset violations, or system processing delay.

Solution: Wait for the operation to complete (may take 30-60 seconds). If it fails, try again. If persistent, contact support. Recent updates have addressed most swap timeout issues.

Issue: Transfer Shows Wrong Dates

Cause: When transferring, the system may set the old residency end date to the transfer date, creating a short occupancy period.

Solution: This is expected behavior. The old residency shows actual occupancy dates. Check the Activity tab for complete transfer history.

Best Practices for Residency Management

Decision Flowchart

Student is leaving housing entirely:

• Never moved in? → Cancel (Canceled status)

• Lived there and leaving mid-cycle? → Cancel (Early Termination status)

• Contract ending normally? → Check-Out (Moved Out status)

Student is staying in housing but changing location:

• Moving to different room alone? → Change Bed (Transferred → Assigned)

• Exchanging with another student? → Swap Residency (both Transferred → Assigned)

What's Next

You've completed all PLS-8 modules! You now have comprehensive skills for managing applications and assignments.

• PLS-9: Finance Operations & Transactions - Learn to manage charge codes, track transactions, and monitor billing

• Complete PLS-8: PLS-8: Managing Applications & Assignments