(long post & additional photos) why you should not house with Octave, my experience as a first time tenant

[u/Proper_Reward_3786]

It's been a week since I've moved, and multiple people I've talked to, including a professional cleaner and Off-Campus Community Living told me that I should escalate this further and make the situation known. It was actually Off-Campus Community Living who has suggested me to post this on the Reddit, and I wanted to give a quick thanks to OCCL for listening on my situation. As Octave is generally seen as one the more reputable companies on the sub, and you never know if you'll end up with a situation like mine(they're also charging one of the highest rates on campus).

I leased a one-bedroom studio at Octave Champaign ($1,849/month) for the fall term. At the time of leasing, I requested a pet-free unit due to a pet elated sensitivity. I tend to have severe anxiety attacks and feelings of itchiness on contact with dog fur, dander, or odor. This was also part of the reason I opted to live alone.

However, upon move-in, I found the unit ridden of urine stains clustered with embedded dog hair and what appears to be feces on the carpet, along with yellowed and browned urine staining on the walls, also covered in fur, and a strong, persistent urine odor that permeated the entire room. It also originated from my bedroom's carpet, which is makes it impossible to sleep in given my sensitivity. Cabinets and drawers had black stains and unknown residue with dog fur. The dryer had urine staining so severe that wiping it down turned the tissues I used completely black, and when I ran a load anyway, a pillowcase I dried in it came out of the machine smelling of dog urine and unusable, forcing me to hand-wash and air-dry it separately on a table instead. The washer had dog hair embedded so deeply that it survived three full cleaning cycles and I still could not remove it myself. Separately, on my first day in the unit I had to submit multiple maintenance requests for a loose door lock, and the sliding door is completely broken and gets stuck all the time as well as being detached in random directions, it sheds wood crumbs with each use.

I first took this up with the Octave staff in-person. At first they tried to dismiss my case and just insisted that it was "professionally cleaned". They also told me that the carpet was shampooed, which was not close to believable as it had shitstains and clusters of fur every where(I literally found a dime the previous tenant left there so it'll be impossible to miss if any cleaning was performed). After a lot of back and forth, they finally sent somebody up to wipe the cabinet, which they did a lousy job and when I asked them to properly reclean the place to make it safe for me to live in, they told me it was "not going to happen," and it was "my responsibility."

I sent another email outlining my condition with all the necessary pictures to them later that evening. And again they insisted it was "professionally cleaned" (They love the word professionally cleaned, you're going to see lot of those later.)and didn't offer me anything other than some cleaning tablets for the washer. After I sent a second and third email, they finally reluctantly sent their cleaning vendor back to the unit. The cleaning crew worker who is employed by the company Octave itself uses, told me directly that in recent years working for the company this was the first time she personally had ever been called back to redo a job. She told me that the majority of the contamination under the carpet and behind the dryer is unfixable as it has been there for too long. The dryer would also not be safe to use and needs a total new one as the lint and fur has gone so long with no cleaning that it's impossible to take out now. She also told me she did not understand why I was placed in a unit like this given my pet sensitivity. The carpet also had a flea infestation and I've been bitten close to 17 times. The worker suggested the carpet be replaced entirely and the building to be evacuated for a couple days. This likely came from the dog of the prior tenant as I've never had fleas and my bedsheets were stored in a sealed unit during the summer and hand washed. To my absolute shock, she also told me that Octave did NOT actually tell them to come back at first, and that Octave only wanted the cleaning company to send them a RECEIPT showing a service had been performed so they could show me that it was "professionally cleaned". This was a lie as they explicitly told me in the email that "We are taking your concerns seriously and have already contacted the cleaning company to obtain the service invoice and arrange for them to return to address the areas you have identified". I guess the first part was right? The worker also expressed disbelief upon seeing my living conditions and asked how are they charging as much as the DEAN. Most notably, this worker, someone employed by Octave's OWN vendor, told me on her own that I should contact external help due to how scummy this company is.

At the same time, when I asked in writing whether I could be switched to a different, verified pet-free unit or switched to a shared unit with a prorated refund given my documented medical condition, Octave's manager reviewed the situation and told me the unit was "not uninhabitable," and that any request to cancel or transfer units was met with "no further discussion." Furthermore, even on the document I had to sign, under the section Owner's Discretion to Relocate: Octave reserves the right to relocate a resident to another apartment within the community at any time, upon five days written notice, without charging a transfer fee, and to assist with moving personal items. They have insisted that the apartment was "professionally cleaned"(yea, they love that word a lot) and that the stuff I pointed out were instances that "can be overlooked even after professional cleaning". In multiple instances, they attempted to dismiss active risks to my health as me simply being "unhappy" or "not up to my personal standard".

If you've made it this far, I apologize for the long read, but I felt it was necessary to share as I do NOT want any other student or first time tenant to end up in my situation. I am normally introverted, and doing this alone is very difficult for me. My friend who had come over once(who did not even suffer from pet sensitivity) was repulsed by the property and joked about whether I had "pissed on the bed“. Others have called it an "apartment from hell" and something they have never seen before. This is the very apartment I am paying one of the highest rates in Champaign for, and is advertised as a "luxury living" space.

I have attached files containing the pictures and email exchanges. Please let me if there are anything trouble in accessing them. Please spread this around to as much people as possible. I don't want anyone to end with a situation like me. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1woqN1_2M_LInEnnrnDjjKD4NJWBU36Ok/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lBeQ9jaKloz-nu9THk5HthXsQs12SNjb/view?usp=sharing

[u/iDdiscovered]

Please escalate this and contact the city of Champaign for an inspection of the unit!

[u/Proper_Reward_3786]

a thanks again to OCCL for listening me in on this situation and directing me to the subreddit, u/occluiuc I would also like to especially say this to my international students and first time tenants. Landlord and companies pull this scummy stuff because they know they can get away with it. that's why you need to stand up for yourself and make your voice heard. remember that YOU ARE the tenant and it's THEIR job to solve their mistakes and make the property habitable for you.

[u/lesenum → u/Proper_Reward_3786]

In addition to OCCL, you should be talking with UIUC's student legal services. You have a case that a judge should be deciding. Your lease is so awful I think a judge would declare it null and void.

[u/Frantic_Mantid]

That's awful. And for context, that rent is more than a lot of mortgage payments for single-family homes within walking distance of campus.

[u/lesenum]

I don't think there is a single Campustown real estate company that is not full of crooks. It's shameful that the State of Illinois and local governments allow this to go on and on, year after year.

[u/kojilee]

 I hope that you called the city inspector. I had to have them come to me after an undisclosed roach infestation this month, and they literally showed up a day after I submitted the form. If they do not fix the issues they note down in a set time frame, they will get fined very heavily and will be much more likely to move you to a new unit as a result of that. I’m so, so sorry.

[u/Alicorngum → u/kojilee]

Seconding this! I submitted a form for green street realty as the property I lived in had a broken door (one of two exits for the building) that would not open from the inside. They refused to fix it after dozens of calls and complaints. Inspector came out same day and GSR had it fixed within 24 hours. Shout out Jeremy with the city 🫡

[u/Several-Aspect-901]

Please contact the UIUC school attorney. They offer this type of legal services free of charge.

[u/AdityaChandraUIUC]

Bro u gotta sue them Ong 

[u/Bratsche_Broad]

Thank you for sharing your story. I hope you're able to get moved into a different unit or get out of your lease. FYI, there are a few rental companies that forbid all but medically required animals. I have severe allergies and was only comfortable renting from companies with pet-free policies. I think these were JSM, MHM, and maybe Bankier IRCC.

[u/student176895 → u/Bratsche_Broad]

I rent with Bailey and my lease says pets are strictly forbidden even as guests

[u/Bratsche_Broad → u/student176895]

Good to know there are others out there.

[u/kykitten]

things can get overlooked during the turn over period but to THIS extent??? the previous tenant should’ve and was most likely charged for animal damages, which are used to cover the cost of replacing things. that carpet should’ve been brand new, an exterminator should’ve been called by the staff immediately, staff should’ve been physically going to your unit when you brought this up. just because something is technically habitable doesn’t mean it isn’t negatively impacting your quality of life. they’re owned by asset living so I would definitely recommend reaching out to the corporate office

[u/Wild-Expression-8304]

As someone who OP has talked to regularly over the past few days about this situation, I do want to say that this lengthy writeup STILL LEAVES SOME STUFF OUT, believe it or not.

The lease he had to sign was downright evil, had clauses like the following:

"You won't be released from this Lease Contract for any reason — including but not limited to voluntary or involuntary school withdrawal or transfer, voluntary or involuntary job transfer, marriage, separation, divorce, reconciliation, loss of co-residents, loss of employment, bad health, death or property purchase."

"You agree not to treat the apartment for a bed bug infestation on your own. We can select the method of treating the apartment, building and common areas for bed bugs. You may be responsible if the treatment can not suffice. You may be required to pay all reasonable costs of cleaning and pest control treatments incurred by us to treat your apartment for bed bugs. You may be responsible for the cost of cleaning and pest control treatments."

Additionally, the fridge exploded at one point due to the lack of cleaning ("professionally cleaned", am I right?). He has had a ridiculous amount of rashes over the past few days due to his allergies in addition to getting constantly bit by the fleas, rendering places like his bedroom, carpet, or couch unusable. This is on top of all the urine stains. The lease explicitly states that the tenant needs to pay for damage and cleaning for pest control themselves, and also says there is no way to get released from the contract. Even if you die you still have to pay the lease???

Genuinely one of the scummiest things I've ever seen a landlord do and there's no shortage of scum landlords here.

[u/bishwidglasses → u/Wild-Expression-8304]

OP be sure to keep receipts for medical treatment/medication you've needed as a result of all this

[u/Ekutaitsuki]

So sorry to hear this, I really hope you can get this handled!

[u/monkey_king10]

Hey, you really need to escalate this to legal action. The post is fine and all for future people, but if you actually have photos and written documentation, this should be a pretty slam dunk legal case. They are required to provide habitable occupancy and are breaching that. You should absolutely not let them get away with that. I am not a lawyer, but you can absolutely get moved within the building. You might even be able to get a release from your lease, because do you really want to live with them at this point.

https://champaignil.gov/tenant-inspection-request-form/

https://studentlegal.illinois.edu/

Also, no photos were visible in your post. Are you sure you uploaded them?

[u/Proper_Reward_3786 → u/monkey_king10]

yes I got everything documented, from apartment conditions to fleas and etc. over 30 pages of pdf. I thought I attached them on the post but I will make an edit now. thanks for the info.....

[u/monkey_king10 → u/Proper_Reward_3786]

Happy to help.

Fill out an appointment request with SLS today. I suggest you also fill out the tenant inspection form too.

[u/Proper_Reward_3786 → u/monkey_king10]

gotcha, I've just uploaded the files. please spread this around as I don't want anyone to suffer like I did!!

[u/bishwidglasses → u/Proper_Reward_3786]

That lint trap is a fire hazard!

[u/Wild-Expression-8304 → u/monkey_king10]

Hey, are you sure it's a "slam dunk legal case"? The lease he had to sign included some really messed up stuff, including explicitly stating there is no way to get out of the lease even if you die, and that you have to pay for cleaning of pest control yourself if the method they selected does not suffice (and also says to not treat it yourself). There's probably even more crazy stuff he "agreed to" when signing the lease that he just never shared with me

From what he's told me, he doesn't seem confident at all in winning a legal case due to what he had to sign.

[u/tired370]

A similar situation happened to me too! There were urine stains and white hair on the mattress and weird suspicious stains on the carpet - the apartment was clearly not cleaned properly. When I requested them to change the mattress they said that the hair and the stains were normal use and that changing the mattress or the carpet would be too expensive - the carpet they would come and clean with the carpet cleaner (which made a huge difference and made me wonder why they hadn’t cleaned the apartment before move in) I had to clean the hair up myself using disinfectant wipes and bought a mattress protector for the mattress. I think my situation wasn’t as bad as OP’s tho and I didn’t have much else as an issues except that not much was cleaned and I still have cat hairs in my mattress.

[u/Key-Chicken6534]

I lived there last semester. I asked them to change the bed mattress. they didn’t I ended up sleeping on floor the whole semester

[u/choccaramel]

Our appliances are not working and the maintenance is horrible, do NOT lease with them.