BROOKSIDE DOWNSIDE: Tenants complain about bedrooms without windows at Odle complex

Drawing straws to "get the room with no window"

by Pat Preston

COLUMBIA, 10/11/12 (Letter) -- Last week, a woman student came to our rental office to ask if we had any places available near campus. She had to get out of her place.

After telling her we didn't have anything, she broke down and completely lost it. I felt terrible and asked her what the problem was and she said she and some other girls had rented an apartment from the Odles downtown.

They were shown a nice model apartment and signed a lease for $775 per room per month, furnished. When they moved in to their apartment on the bottom floor of the building, they saw that one of the rooms had no windows.

They drew straws and the girl I was talking to got the room with no window. I couldn't believe any landlord could get by renting a room that did not have windows, but she insisted that her room had no window.

At that point, one of her roommates came in our office and I asked her about the apartment with a room with no window. She said, yes, that is true. Her roommate's room had no window.

I asked again, are you sure it has no window? And she said, it has no window. It is just four walls. I asked her if other apartments had rooms with no window. She said all the apartments on the bottom floor have one room with no window.