Purdue student plans to sue property management company for throwing belongings away
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – Two weeks ago, Purdue senior Carly Christensen was all ready to move into McCormick Place, also known as the Quarters at West Lafayette.
“I drove two hours to move into my apartment,” Christensen said. “Four truckloads worth of stuff.”
But she said she was the only one prepared for the move in.
“The apartment was trashed,” she said. “Mold in bathrooms, doors bashed in, ripped sofa, carpet burned from where it looks like hookah coals had been dropped, broken blinds, broken chairs, moldy food in the fridge, etc.”
Christensen addressed management with Granite Student Living about the issues.
“And they were apologetic then,” she said. “And they had the idea to stick my stuff in another apartment to store it so I didn’t have to make another trip with it back.”
Christensen said management told her to come back on Aug. 14. When she did, her apartment was not properly cleaned. When she went to get her belongings a few doors down, two girls had moved in, and none of her stuff was there.
She had to hear it from the girls first.
“[The two girls] said that a week ago when they had visited the apartment, they saw all my stuff, and they said maintenance told them it was trash and they were throwing it out,” Christensen said.
Without warning, Christensen said management threw away everything she owned.
“I’m really mad,” she said. “Mostly, just because I haven’t really received an apology from Granite on top of the whole situation. They are not being helpful about it.”
She said Granite told her to make a list of what was thrown out and they would reimburse her.
“It was plastic bins, floor to ceiling,” Christensen said.
She couldn’t remember it all.
“Kitchen wear, shower wear, all my winter clothes, boots,” she said.
Some things you just can’t put a price tag on.
“Like my textbooks with things written in it, pictures, memorabilia, things that can’t be replaced,” she said.
She did her best to make a list and came up with about $14,000 worth of items.
“They came back with an offer yesterday morning for $2,000, and that’s when I laughed at them and got a lawyer,” said Christensen.
WLFI in West Lafayette reached out to Granite Student Living to try to get its side of the story.
Co-founder Brent Gutwein told us he had no comment and didn’t think it was newsworthy.
“I think it’s a great story for the news,” said Christensen. “And I think if you don’t want to tell that story, then you are hiding something.”
Christensen wants an apology and proper compensation. But she also hopes others learn from her story. She regrets being so trusting.
“Be really careful with what you are doing, because I would hate for this to happen to anyone else,” said Christensen.
Christensen said she’s couch surfing right now with friends.
Now that she’s getting a lawyer, she isn’t sure if she will actually move into to her apartment.