Packing one’s life into a plethora of bins and boxes, coordinating which roommate is buying the toilet paper first and deciding whether to wait until Thanksgiving Break to bring a coat are all basic move-in thoughts that cross the minds of students.

However, four students had much bigger problems to worry about when they found out their apartment complex was full and no longer had available space.

Margaret Irvine, sophomore in landscape architecture; Emily Wiese, sophomore in elementary education; Courtney Johnson, sophomore in elementary education; and Alexis Sloan, sophomore in apparel, merchandising and design, were informed two weeks before move-in by 23 Twenty Lincoln that its complex had been overbooked.

Warning signs existed before they learned of the loss of their apartment, the four said. 

“We called in advance multiple times to understand our room numbers and information,” Irvine said. “Our first red flag was when others were talking about their room numbers while we still had yet to hear back from 23 Twenty about ours.”

Wiese said the apartment complex never contacted her about the incident. 

“One of my roommates told us what happened and said we would all get similar calls explaining the situation,” Wiese said. “I never got a call. After waiting, I eventually called them to learn that there was nothing that they could do.”

23 Twenty Lincoln compensated the women with a $200 prepaid card, they said. Beyond the payment, 23 Twenty Lincoln said there was little to no help it could offer with finding the women a new place to live.

“We signed our lease and paid our security deposit back in February, but they didn’t sign their end of the lease,” Wiese said. “Therefore, they argued that they couldn’t be held accountable for finding us a new place to live.”

Irvine said the four of them ended up at Copper Beech Townhomes. She said it is nice and fully furnished, but the location lacks in comparison to 23 Twenty. 

Irvine said she was looking forward to being close to home when her school work requires her to work late nights at the College of Design. Instead of a quick 10-minute walk, she would now have to walk 50 minutes. 

The women said one of the biggest inconveniences that has come out of the situation was the commute they weren’t expecting to have. They said they now must set aside money for gas on the weekends and pay attention to the bus schedule.

Irvine’s parents expressed annoyance in having to figure out a car for her. They also expressed concern for their daughter and her roommates’ safety since they’re no longer living close to campus. They’re nervous about their weekend life and the potential risk of sharing the road with drunk drivers, Irvine said. 

Both Irvine and Wiese expressed thankfulness for not being alone in the situation but said they wish 23 Twenty would’ve handled it in a more considerate manner.

23 Twenty declined to comment on the situation, saying it wanted to move on from the issue.