Personalizing Your Space 

Welcome to your OSU home. We encourage you to create a comfortable, relaxing space that is totally yours. However, if Housing and Residential Life finds items unsafe, they may be removed. 

 

Residents in furnished apartments/rooms are responsible for maintaining the furnishings. If you have furniture that needs to be replaced or repaired, contact HRL Facilities and Maintenance Office at any time throughout the year. 

 

Potential Damage Charges

• If your decorating choices cause damage to your space, your bursar's account will be charged following your checkout meeting.
• If furniture pieces are missing or damaged at checkout, charges may be assessed.  
• Visit Financial Responsibility for more about fees and charges.

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• University-owned Furniture 
  • Residents in furnished apartments/rooms are responsible for maintaining the furnishings. If you have furniture that needs to be replaced or repaired, contact HRL Facilities Office at any time throughout the year.
  • Furniture that is missing at the time of checkout or damaged from being outside will be charged to the resident’s bursar. If present, the closet door must always remain attached to the closet .
  • University-owned furniture and appliances are designated for the space it is to be used and must be kept in their designated location. Furniture must not be removed from the room/suite/apartment or left outside the unit on a balcony or porch. 
• What You Can Do
  • Hang items on walls. We encourage you to use thumbtacks and push pins (within reason), blue painter’s tape or Command™ Strips/Hooks. When used properly, Command™ products should not damage the walls. When you check out, leave the strips/hooks in place and staff will remove them.
  • LED string lights or fairy lights that are at 12 volts or less are allowed. Carefully read instructions before using any type of light system and follow manufacturer guidelines when hanging. Must be turned off when you are not in the room. Lighting/wiring must not stretch across doorways or common areas. 
  • Bring area rugs. However, the rugs must not be adhered (with glue or tape) to any existing flooring. Considering using rug pads to keep rug in place.
  • While each window has blinds, you may choose to hang curtains using your own café curtain rod or tension rods. Any curtain rod that requires drilling, nails or is affixed to the walls/windows is not allowed.
  • You may decorate your room/suite/apartment door; however, you can't use 3D materials, obstruct the peephole or the room number, or cover more than 1/3 of the door and surface area.  
  • For room dimensions, bed sizes and more, visit our Hall Finder.
• What You Can't Do
  • You must not alter any part of your assigned housing. This includes but is not limited to painting walls, floors, or furniture; installing floor tiles, or adding removable, peel-and-stick or other temporary wallpaper/tiles to any surface.
  • You must not use nails, duct tape, packing tape, clear tape, or masking tape on the walls.
  • Decorations must not be visible through the window from the outside.
  • Items must not be placed or hung within 18 inches of a fire sprinkler head.  
  • Incandescent light bulbs (often called Christmas lights) are not allowed.
• Holiday Decorations
  • Because live-cut trees and natural vegetation (wreaths, corn stalks, hay, pumpkins and gourds) can pose a fire hazard and create mold and other issues, they are not permitted in residence halls.
• Homecoming Decorations
  • Homecoming is a special time on the OSU campus. The residents participate in a number of ways, including decorating in and around the halls/neighborhoods.
  • Before committing time and resources to any special event or project, contact the HRL Facilities and Maintenance Office. They can help plan and coordinate any facility-related needs the project might entail. Be sure to ask first about lights, signs, paint, glue, glitter, crafts and window paint.