Charles Street
Decorating Your Apartment
Restrictions to Decorating
As a resident, you may decorate your apartment to your own taste. However, you are required to obtain the written consent of the Residence Office for any alterations, and your lease makes you liable for the removal of paint, wallpaper, or any other alterations you may have made. Do not change lighting or plumbing fixtures. You will be charged the full cost of repairs/replacement or any damages that may occur if you replace the fixtures without permission.
How You Can Decorate Your Apartment
The walls of your apartment are concrete, covered with plaster and finally paint. Short nails can be driven into the plaster without causing much damage. Consider hanging paintings or pictures, either from a picture hook if framed, or with some form of adhesive which will not do excessive damage to the paint underneath.
The ceilings are solid concrete and are extremely difficult to drill, even with a tungsten-carbide masonry bit. Hanging plants or mounting window blinds can be quite difficult as a result. Curtain rods and eyelets should be present on all your windows – if not, request them from the Residence Office upon move-in.
The floors of your apartment are also solid concrete, covered by linoleum/vinyl tiles, and/or wooden parquet flooring, depending upon the type of unit. Because the floors are hard and usually quite cold, many residents want area rugs in their apartments.
Please be aware that Maintenance staff are not available to hang curtains or pictures, install shelves, or move furniture.