Black Hills State University: Are all private application payments safely refundable if a remote renter changes plans?

DIRECT ANSWER

Private preoccupancy-payment guidance, separate from campus100deposit and statutory security-deposit return after tenancy. No unsupported fee cap or universal nonrefundability asserted.

The retained consumer guide warns that a deposit paid before deciding not to occupy may not be refundable. It separately says application fees may cover reference checks and tenants should establish their amount and refund terms. Obtain written, itemized terms for screening fees, holding payments and any advance rent before sending money to a verified landlord. Viewing a unit or having a receipt does not itself establish a refund right after a change of plans.