I am seeking your assistance regarding a dispute with Joivy concerning a €225 “Admin Fee Check-Out” deducted from my €505 security deposit following the termination of my tenancy in Milan.
I have attempted to resolve the matter directly with Joivy, but they have not substantively responded to my formal complaint despite acknowledging via WhatsApp that my email had been forwarded to the appropriate department. The five-business-day deadline I provided for a substantive response has now passed.
I would therefore like Altroconsumo to assess whether the €225 charge was properly incorporated into my contract, whether the manner in which it was presented was sufficiently transparent, and whether the deduction is fair and enforceable under Italian consumer law.
POINT #1 Contract and security deposit:
My signed lease is contract CNT-IND-000085829, it establishes a €505 security deposit. Article 11 provides that the deposit serves as security for the tenant's obligations and may be used for amounts due under the contract.
Article 4 refers to administrative costs as costs “concordati tra le Parti” (agreed between the parties), but the signed lease itself does not specify a €225 Admin-Fee Check-Out.
The €225 checkout charge is therefore not stated in the signed lease itself.
POINT #2 The quotation provided at the time of contracting
The quotation/preventivo provided to me before the tenancy separately identifies:
- SECURITY DEPOSIT: €505
- ADMIN FEE CHECKIN: €225
The quotation contains no corresponding “ADMIN FEE CHECKOUT” charge.
Moreover, its explanation of the €225 administrative fee specifically describes it as covering:
- customer care and dedicated emergency call support;
- bureaucratic assistance; and
- organization of the check-in.
The quotation separately describes the purpose of the €505 security deposit as guaranteeing the proper preservation of the room and common areas and covering outstanding payments. It ALSO states that the security deposit: “will be returned by bank transfer within 15 days from the latest date between the return of the keys and the termination of the contract upon verification of payments and the condition of the housing unit.”
The quotation therefore expressly identifies the €225 administrative charge as a CHECK-IN fee, while describing the deposit as refundable following verification of payments and the condition of the property. It does NOT disclose that €225 would subsequently be deducted from the deposit as a checkout fee.
POINT #3 The FAQ / General Conditions
During onboarding, Joivy sent me an email containing the lease, quotation, house rules and a document explicitly presented as: “FAQ (all your questions answered)” This document was not presented to me as a separately signed contractual agreement or amendment to my lease.
The FAQ nevertheless contains a section titled “Tenants' Regulations – General Conditions of Contract,” which introduces an €225 “Admin-Fee Check-Out” payable at termination.
Most importantly, the provision itself refers to a separate document: “see Preliminary Agreement” in connection with the Admin-Fee Check-Out.
I have searched the onboarding email, its attachments and my Joivy account. I have not been provided with, and cannot locate, any separate Preliminary Agreement. I do not recall signing or digitally accepting such a document.
I therefore ask Altroconsumo to assess:
1- Whether the FAQ, despite being presented as an FAQ, can validly introduce a substantive €225 financial obligation that is not contained in the signed lease;
2- Whether the FAQ was sufficiently identified as contractual terms to constitute informed incorporation into my agreement;
3- What legal significance should be given to its reference to a separate Preliminary Agreement;
4- Whether Joivy must establish that the Preliminary Agreement was actually provided to me and accepted by me;
5- and, if Joivy claims that I accepted it digitally through the app, whether it should be required to produce the exact version of the document allegedly accepted and the corresponding electronic acceptance/audit trail.
I am not claiming that I never received the FAQ. I did receive it. My concern is whether a document presented to me as an FAQ, while simultaneously containing substantive contractual obligations and referring to a separate Preliminary Agreement that I was never given, was sufficient to establish informed contractual agreement to the €225 charge.
POINT #4. The eventual deduction
Following termination, Joivy issued Closing Statement / Nota di Credito No. 0045057-0026.
It deducted:
- Security deposit: €505
- Admin Fee Check-Out: −€225
- Refund: €280
The €225 deduction therefore represents approximately 44.6% of my entire security deposit. The closing statement describes the €225 as covering customer care/emergency assistance, final cleaning, bureaucratic assistance and organization of check-out.
This description also differs from the description of the €225 check-in fee in my original quotation and from the wording of the General Conditions, which describe the checkout fee as a lump-sum amount covering termination registration tax, administrative costs and cleaning.
I would therefore ask whether Joivy is required to substantiate the individual costs or services underlying this €225 amount, particularly where it is deducted as a fixed lump sum from a security deposit.
POINT #5: Joivy's response when I specifically asked about my deposit
There is also an important contemporaneous WhatsApp exchange with Joivy on 6 April 2026.
I specifically asked Joivy about the amount of my security-deposit refund. I explained that the app indicated that I would receive only a partial refund and asked when I should expect it.
Joivy responded that, after the contract ended, I would receive a final invoice showing “exactly the amount” I would receive back.
I subsequently asked whether the refund would be processed after check-out, and Joivy confirmed that it would be processed after the contract ending date and that the final invoice would be followed by the bank transfer.
At no point during this exchange, despite my specifically asking about the amount of my deposit refund, did Joivy inform me that €225 would be deducted from the €505 deposit as an Admin-Fee Check-Out.
I have preserved screenshots of this exchange and can provide the complete exported WhatsApp conversation if required.
POINT #6. Failure to respond to my formal complaint
I subsequently sent Joivy a formal written dispute requesting:
1. the specific contractual provision authorizing the €225 charge; and
2. an itemized invoice and justification for the amount.
I requested a substantive response within five business days.
Joivy acknowledged receipt of the matter through WhatsApp and stated that my email had been forwarded to the appropriate department and that I should expect a response. The five-business-day period has now expired and I have received no substantive response to my formal email.
To conclude: I would appreciate Altroconumo's assessment:
1. Was €225 Admin-Fee Check-Out validly incorporated into my individual tenancy agreement?
2. Does the fact that my quotation expressly identifies a €225 “ADMIN FEE CHECKIN” but contains no checkout fee, while separately describing the €505 deposit as refundable following verification of payments and property condition, affect the enforceability or transparency of the subsequent €225 checkout deduction?
3. Assuming the charge was contractually disclosed, was Joivy nevertheless entitled to deduct it directly from the security deposit in these circumstances?
4. If the charge is found not to have been properly incorporated, insufficiently transparent, or otherwise unenforceable, what remedies are available to recover the €225?
