Old Housing Annoys Students

   Students looking for housing in Pullman are having a hard time finding a good deal as many apartment complexes and homes are suffering from years of mistreatment and lack of maintenance.

   Usually settling for a good location many students have resorted to renting housing that could possibly be a risk to them. The majority of houses located close to campus are substantially older than many of the other housing developments located around Pullman.

   Peter J. Ludwig, a WSU student, recently experienced a fire within his rented unit on Spalding St., which may have started due to outdated electrical wiring within the walls.

   “The fire chief was really ambiguous when we asked him what started the fire,” Ludwig said. “I don’t know if he was trying to cover something up or just to keep things simple, but he did say something about the electrical wires and that it started 30 minutes before we noticed. He said it was lucky the whole place didn’t go up in flames.”

   He also stated that the incident made him upset because of previous problems concerning his apartment and getting outlets in his kitchen fixed by DRA Real Estate.

   College students, and 25 years of extreme weather patterns are likely the contributing factors to the dilapidation of these properties and the reason they must be inspected for safety.

   Barbie A. Wilson, a DRA Real Estate employee, explained that certified maintenance man is hired to check their units for any problems.

   “We have our units inspected every semester,” she said.

 

   Maintenance work however, that many students request to be done to their rentals, never seems to get done according to many who have held a lease in Pullman.

   Casey R. Reeves, a WSU student, tried to have his porch fixed by property management, shortly after moving in, because it was falling apart. Spending no more than 10 to 15 minutes working on the porch the workers left without a word.

   “I was confused because all they did was nail a few boards underneath it,” Reeves said. “ I thought they were going to come back and actually fix it, but they never did.”

   Lack of repair to rentals have also made students question the amount of money being paid for rent and whether they are paying too much as compared to housing in other regions.

   According to Chapter Six of the Comprehensive Plan for Pullman City, the housing market has drastically changed over the years due to an oversupply of housing stock in the 1980s, resulting in relatively low costs. After population increased in subsequent years the housing supply was absorbed causing prices to rise and in turn aggravating students who already are struggling to pay for college.

   Though students have had trouble from time to time with Pullman rental agencies, many regard the policies that these companies hold as fairly lenient. Allowing for late rent payments and not charging an extra fee is one of the reasons that students have remained neutral about the service that they receive from these companies.           

   Sam K. Funsinn, a WSU student, lived in the Emerald Downs apartment complex last semester and described his experience with their services.

  “I paid my rent late every single month and didn’t get charged at all for it,” Funsinn said. “That was great except for everything that kept falling apart in our townhouse that never got fixed.”

   Finding it hard to rent prime real estate in Pullman many students put up with living in an older house or apartment because it is what’s available and within walking distance of WSU.