The aftermath of the riots didn’t just leave a bruised ego for Ohio State. Major property owners in the campus area were out Sunday and yesterday and will be out today assessing property damage from the fires and violence.
“We’re about halfway through the assessment, but have already encountered four burned-up Dumpsters, one yard full of burned furniture, and quite a bit of debris,” said Richard Talbott, partner and owner of Inn-Town Homes. “We still have Norwich and West Lane avenues to take a look at.”
The worst building damage Inn-Town Homes experienced was a kicked in window at 185 E. 13th Avenue, near the center of the activity.
“It’s going to take a week to get the glass to fix it,” said resident Abbey Rosenberger, a pre-business administration major. “We have an alarm system and it started going off. My roommate, who was home at the time, locked herself in her room and called 911.”
Although the broken window was damage to the residence, the tenants won’t lose their security deposit, and Inn-Town Homes will be paying for the glass replacement.
“We wouldn’t even consider affecting the security deposits (of those tenants affected),” Talbott said. “All is forgiven.”
Pella Company, another major property owner in the campus area did not report any major damage.
“As far as I know we’re OK and have very minimal damage,” said George Contakis, office manager at Pella. “But the majority of our properties were not in the affected area(s).”
Both property owners stated any damage caused from the riots would not affect the tenants unless they caused it themselves.
“If a tenant damages something, it’s their responsibility,” Contakis said. “But if it comes from an outside source, the tenant is not responsible.”
Neither had a solution to protect campus property.
“We try to go around the week prior (to an expected event) and talk to the tenants,” Talbott said. “We also tell kids to watch out for who comes into their homes. If someone comes into their home and puts a cigarette burn into the carpet, it’s the tenant’s responsibility.”
As for finding out who is responsible for damage to the property surrounding the buildings, landlords look to the tenants for help.
“Usually there is someone who will rat out the culprit,” Talbott said. “Then we will find and bill that person who is responsible for the damage.”
Talbott said people do not realize burning a couch can ruin the underlying ground. If that ground is cement, it will need to be replaced.
— Lantern staff writer Ashleigh Wells contributed to this story.
