It was a matter of chance

[sb70012]

It was a matter of chance that I should have rented a house in one of the strangest communities in North America. It was on that slender riotous island which extends itself due east of New York-and where there are, among other natural curiosities, two unusual formations of land.

http://www.publicbookshelf.com/fiction/great-gatsby/younger-vulnerable-5

Hi,
I know what "chance" is but would you please clarify it to me? I mean it doesn't make sense to say "I should have rented a house by chance"
Does the blue part mean that?

Thank you

 

[MikeNewYork]

It was a matter of chance that I should have rented a house in one of the strangest communities in North America. It was on that slender riotous island which extends itself due east of New York-and where there are, among other natural curiosities, two unusual formations of land.

http://www.publicbookshelf.com/fiction/great-gatsby/younger-vulnerable-5

Hi,
I know what "chance" is but would you please clarify it to me? I mean it doesn't make sense to say "I should have rented a house by chance"
Does the blue part mean that?

Thank you

It means that renting a house in a strange community was not planned.