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Daniel Chivu, a fourth-year Carleton University student from Toronto, had his lease in hand. He’d paid the month’s rent. And he had a van load of belongings to unload at his new digs in the Glebe.

Ready to begin another school year, the last thing he needed — or expected — when he and his dad rolled into Ottawa on Tuesday was to discover that his accommodations — a townhouse at 95 Fourth Ave. owned by Takyan Consulting & Development — were still very much under construction.

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“I paid my rent, I signed the lease, and this is what I get. It’s frustrating,” Chivu said as he surveyed the unpainted walls, lack of lighting and the absence of fixtures in what was supposed to be his $765 a month basement room. Never mind the pile of lumber, the thick carpet of dust on the floor and the distinct lack of furnishings.

The young man wasn’t alone in his frustration. At least a dozen out-of-town students, some accompanied by their parents, showed up the twin townhouses on Fourth Avenue near Bank Street, Tuesday afternoon expecting to move in. Instead, they were left standing on the sidewalk staring for a few hours with the property manager nowhere in sight.