While it can be exciting to live off campus at one’s own apartment, there are important things students should consider when living independently for the first time.

Like all renters, students can encounter maintenance problems in their apartments, like clogged sinks, lights not working or previous tenants not properly cleaning the place. 

“The first week we moved in, I don’t think they inspected the house fully,” said Srija Palla, an Oregon State University sophomore who has been living in The Retreat, a student-housing complex located west of campus, since the start of this school year. “So we had a missing couch and the TV in the apartment. I mean, we did get that fixed, the couch, but TV we are still waiting on.”

The couch was given to Palla and her roommates, but they have been waiting on a television for about a month. Palla also mentioned that other renters have also experienced missing utilities. 

Palla said that her unit had clogged sinks and the internet had gone out for a few days, which Palla described as frustrating.

The Retreat has an online feature where residents can file complaints, and Palla and her roommate have filed their complaints using that feature. She has said the office personnel are helpful and friendly, and all her problems have been resolved in a timely manner.

“They do get back to us pretty quickly,” Palla said. “That’s something I like about them.”

Palla said she would recommend The Retreat because it is flexible for people without cars, it is conveniently close to campus and the neighborhood is nice.

The Retreat was contacted by The Daily Barometer to talk about their maintenance issues, but did not respond.

“My other roommates have had a lot of sink problems, like drains,” said Candice Vo, an OSU sophomore who has been living at The Union, another student-housing complex that is north of campus, since the start of the school year. “The fan and the lights wouldn’t work for a little bit.”

Vo said it took a couple days for maintenance people to get back to her roommates, but the problems did get resolved easily. She did mention that contacting The Union over the summer was difficult because they would take about two weeks to respond, but they had gotten better since the school year started.

Vo also mentioned frustration with The Union’s mailing services, and said she became upset when packages were delivered to the lobby because they stayed on a table where anyone can come take them.

Furthermore, Vo said that she had challenges with The Union’s method of rent payment.

“I had to pay for renters insurance that The Union suggested that I participate in,” Vo said. “But then, when rent was due they double charged me for the insurance, so I ended up just canceling that.”

Vo said she likes the atmosphere of The Union and that she enjoys having her space. She said that while The Union is expensive, she would live there again in the future.

The Union was contacted by The Daily Barometer, but did not respond.

At The Domain, another student housing complex, students have voiced complaints about maintenance and contacting management.

“On Sept. 29, I woke up to an email saying ‘please review your final bill,’” said Andrea Burke, an OSU alumni who lived in The Domain for the 2022-2023 school year. “But then it turns out there were damage charges … and the damage charges were normal wear and tear charges, and I got billed–I won’t say the exact amount–but it was over $400.”

The email said that this was a final reminder for her, and if she did not pay, a citation would go to collections and show up on her rental history.

Burke looked on Google Maps to check the reviews, and noticed that other students had also complained about the same thing happening to them. She began calling The Domain a few times and when she got no response, she emailed them as well. 

They responded to her email and said that they needed students to be patient, before not answering her again. Burke said that there were about 300 disputes from students who had received similar emails.

“Frustrated, irate, floored, appalled, disgusted,” Burke said about her feelings on the situation. “Where my frustration is, it’s like, they’re not telling us anything.”

Burke is still waiting to hear back from The Domain about these charges and what will be done about them. 

Burke also said that when she moved in, there was dog pee and hair on their couch, and one of her roommates had dog food in her room as well. She also mentioned hearing other renters complain about unlawful occupants. 

Burke said that because of what she is dealing with now, she would not recommend The Domain for any students. 

The Domain was contacted to remark on these charges, but they did not respond.