The Plattsburgh Fire Department was once called to the apartment building at 84 Court St. when water leaked into the ceiling light and wiring. He said he is taking students who rented that same property to court over broken windows and garbage continually left in hallways. Glode, whose violation numbers were lower than some other landlords the Press-Republican reviewed, said that, years ago, students from Long Island were arrested by police for selling drugs out of one of his properties. They left the place demolished, he said. He said he cleans, paints and upgrades his rentals during the summer instead of renting them out, which he said more landlords should do.
Some people are here just to rake the money in.
Westland Homes s Patnode says the students do contribute a great deal of wear and tear. Sometimes, a student will screw a light bulb in too tightly or yank a chord too hard and damage an outlet. But, Patnode said, students rarely intentionally wreck the properties they rent. That s rare, though, and only one instance. Patnode said people who rent to college students often get an undeserved reputation.