Several Ohio State students were displaced on Thursday after they were told they could no longer live in their apartments.



The city cited multiple violations for the building located at 2034 N. High St. including a broken boiler system and a lack of proper construction permits, 10TV’s Ashleigh Barry reported.



Ohio State Rep. Robert Hagan said that as a concerned parent and state representative, he wants answers. Hagan said that the way University Apartments operates the building cries for legislative reform.



“We came down as mother and father and family to make sure that she was okay to find out that they had not done anything they promised,” Hagan said. “This has been a broken promise since September and it has been absolutely horrid.”



Tenants of the building said that they were promised heat which never came. Some tenants said that they had to count on heat flowing up from a nearby restaurant.



Kori Mulligan said that she came back from break this week hoping that the heat would be restored.



“They originally gave us these little wonderful, scary coil space heaters that sometimes blew cold air,” Mulligan said.



Property Manager Jim Spiegel said that the boiler system had been broken for months and that the building was undergoing electric heat upgrades. Tenants were provided with space heaters to keep warm during the process.



A city inspection document obtained by 10TV News said that the use of space heaters as a primary heating source is prohibited. The Department of Building and Zoning Services deemed the building unlivable on Dec. 23, Barry reported.



Tenants said they only found out about the order on Wednesday by a secondhand source.



“She did not receive an e mail, or any notification,” Hagan said. “Until the maintenance guy indicated that, in fact, they had to vacate the building.”



When asked why the tenants were not immediately notified of the city’s order, Spiegel said that he and others had been working feverishly to make alternative housing arrangements.



On Wednesday, the company provided a U-Haul and boxes for the students. The students were put up at Varsity Inn and were offered a shuttle service, Barry reported.



The tenants were expected to spend a week at the hotel.



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