Housing Guidelines and Fines

Listed below are the Housing Guidelines developed in order to help preserve and maintain our University residential facilities.  These guidelines apply to all residence halls, apartments, program houses and wood frame houses.  Physical Plant will charge a student’s account for fines or place a referral to the Community Standards Board (CSB) associated with guideline violations.

It is recommended that you fill out a Room Condition Form upon arrival to document any deficiencies in your assigned space. Completion of this form within the first 10 days of receiving access to your assigned space will assure that deficiencies are corrected and noted for the record. If you do not fill out the form in the allowed timeline then you have forfeited your ability to appeal any fines for damages found when you turn in the keys to your space.  Please complete a room condition form here. If you notice the need for general repairs (light out, lock not working, heat not working, etc.) then please contact our work order desk at work_order@wesleyan.edu or 860-685-3400. 

If you receive a fine to your student account, meet all of the requirements noted above and have merit to submit an appeal then please fill out the following Appeals Form:

Students will be notified by e-mail of the charges prior to billing or CSB referral. There may be times, such as the end of year, when notification in advance is not possible and the student’s account will serve as notification.

The fines listed below are minimum amounts for each associated violation.  Additional amounts may be assessed if the actual cost to make the repairs exceeds the minimum fine.

Lost keys and lock changes                                                 $60 for materials, $6 each key and $24 for labor
When a key is lost a lock change is required. The cost for a lock change is $60 for each core, $6 per key and $24 for labor. Residence Life needs one key per lock to keep in the office for lock outs.

Parking on grass                                                                    Referral to CSB
Cars are only allowed to be parked in driveways and campus parking lots. Fines will be assessed when cars are parked on grass areas.

Special cleaning required                                                      $100 for first hour
Whenever an area requires special cleaning that is not part of routine custodial duties (e.g., picking up trash from the floor, removing items from kitchen cabinets/refrigerators, cleaning of bodily fluids), a fine will be assessed.

Removal of personal belongings                                           $100
If a student vacates a residence and leaves personal belongings behind, Physical Plant will remove and discard these items

Items left in hallway                                                               Referral to CSB
All corridors, entrances, and exits must be kept clear to provide a safe means of egress in case of an emergency and to facilitate cleaning.  Any items found in hallways, lounges and entranceways (e.g., bikes, shoes, clothing, furniture) will be collected and discarded.

Pet Policy                                                                               Referral to CSB                                                   
Pets are not permitted in any student housing with the exception of fish in 10-gallon tanks or smaller. No other pets or animals are permitted in student residences at any time, even for a brief visit.


Students who, because of a disability, seek approval for an emotional support animal must request a reasonable accommodation through Accessibility Services. This is a formal process that requires appropriate supporting documentation. A determination is then made regarding whether it is reasonable for the animal to be on campus. For policies regarding service animals, please contact Accessibility Services.

Students must not bring the emotional support animal to campus until they have received approval from Accessibility Services and Residential Life. Any student who has an animal in residence prior to approval is subject to a fine and judicial action.

The University has a pet policy because of the health and safety considerations of our students and staff and the challenges presented by adding animals to our already densely-populated residential campus. Students who disregard this policy undermine the legitimate needs of other students and the campus community. We ask that if you currently have an unauthorized pet on campus, please remove it from campus and not bring it back for the spring semester. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Residential Life at reslife@wesleyan.edu.

Opening or tampering with security screens                        Referral to CSB
Security screens are in place to help protect residents in the building. A fine will be charged for screens found in the open position or if a screen has been tampered with.

Damaged security screen                                                      $500
A fine will be charged for any screen that needs to be repaired because it has been damaged.

Portable and Window air conditioners                                  Referral to CSB
Portable and Window air conditioners are not allowed to be installed in residential buildings due to the potential for damage to window frames, risk of the unit falling because of improper installation, risk of overloading circuits, negative impact on energy conservation measures and Environmental Protection Agency requirements to track quantities of “Freon” on campus.

Missing or Damaged furniture   
Furniture is provided to all student rooms and common areas and must remain in these rooms. The University does not move or store furniture for students.  A fine will be charged for any furniture that is missing from a room or damaged.

Bed frame full - $400.00, Bed Frame twin - $275.00, Mattress - $250.00, Desk - $280.00, Desk Chair - $175.00, Dresser - $250.00, Bookcase - $175.00, Kitchen Table - $250.00, Kitchen Chair -$150.00, Lounge Chair -$800.00, 2 seat couch - $1,200.00, 3 seat couch - $1,800.00, Coffee Table - $275.00, End Table - $250.00.

Tampering with a light fixture                                               $250 per fixture
Whenever a light fixture has been tampered with or damaged, a fine will be charged.  Tampering includes removing, painting or placing a cover over a light fixture.

Damage to kitchen appliances                                               $100  

Whenever an appliance has been damaged or has missing parts a fine will be charged.

Damaged lock and/or door                                                    $250
Whenever it has been determined that a door or a locking device for a door has been damaged from misuse or vandalism a fine will be charged.

Damage to walls, ceilings or floors                                                  
Fines will be charged whenever damage or vandalism occurs to a wall, ceiling or other basic building structure. The structure of the fines are defined as follows:

Cleaning of surface and/or touch up paint of spot area: $100

Repair of surface and painting of 1 or more walls: $250

Painting any part of a room or building                                 $250
Walls, ceilings, doors and windows are not allowed to be painted.  Students may not paint a wall a new color then paint it back again at the end of the year.  Painting of any wall in a room will result in a fine being charged. 

Graffiti                                                                                    $250
Graffiti on any surfaces using any medium is considered vandalism and is not allowed in student residences.  A fine will charged for each surface in a building that is vandalized in this manner.

Broken window                                                                       $250
Any window identified to be broken from within the building or by building residents will be charged.

Alterations to your residence                                                $250
No repairs or alterations are allowed to be made to any part of building.  This includes, but is not limited to, constructing or removing walls, mounting satellite dishes, signs, banners, flags, artwork, etc.  Only Physical Plant staff may coordinate repairs and modifications to the building. 

Outdoor Furniture                                                                Referral to CSB
Only outdoor style furniture may be placed outside residential facilities or wood frame houses.  Indoor upholstered style furniture may not be set outside buildings or on patios and porches.  University owned furniture may not be taken out of buildings.

Removal of University Furniture left outside a facility       $100.00 per piece

All university owned furniture provided for the interior of residential facilities must be inside at all times. Any university owned furniture left outside will be removed and the resident(s) will be charged per piece removed.

Attic, Basement or Roof entry                                              $500.00/Referral to CSB
Students are not allowed in the basements, attics, or on the roof of any residential unit.  This also applies to any mechanical room or space, telecom/data closet, or under floor hatchway. 

Elevator damage or misuse                                                   $1,000
Damage to an elevator is extremely expensive to repair and can also significantly impact a person who has a physical disability from travel within a building.  Any damage to an elevator will result in charges for the fine amount listed. 

Prohibited Items                                                                    Referral to CSB
Students are not allowed to bring to campus or construct items listed below as they are considered to be an “attractive nuisance” and unnecessarily increases the liability of the University.

  • Swimming pools, Wading pools, Hot tubs or Water slides
  • Inflatable structures
  • Tents
  • Trampolines
  • Skate board ramps
  • Hammocks, Balance Slacklines
  • Flower and Vegetable Gardens
  • Swings - Rope swings, swing sets, etc.
  • Washing Machines and Dryers
  • Dishwashers