Contact Family Housing

Contact Family Housing

Mailing Address:

Family Housing Operations Manager
Housing & Dining Services
102 Buxton Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331

Phone:

Orchard Court Manager: 541.737.7794
University Housing & Dining Central Office: 541.737.4771 or 800.291.4192

Email:

Email Orchard Court

Family Housing Amenities, Facilities, & Services

• Apartment Styles & Floor Plans
• Community Center & Playgrounds
• Schools
• Parking
• Pet Policy
• Staffing
• Family Housing Association
• Transfers
• Utilities

Orchard Court has 94 traditional-style apartment units in 19 separate one or two-story buildings. There are 22 one-bedroom units, 62 two-bedroom units and 10 three-bedroom units. Thirteen new terrace-style apartments were added to the student family rentals in March 2002. Of these two are one-bedroom units, nine are two-bedroom units and two are three-bedroom units.

There are three laundry rooms, an office, and a Community Center, as well as lots of green space and three play areas for children. The total resident population of students, spouses, partners, and children ranges from 280-300 residents.

The apartments are smoke free. Smoking is not allowed inside apartments or other building areas.

Apartment Styles

1) Traditional-Style Units

Built in two phases during 1961 and 1965, these apartments are relatively small-sized compared to newer apartments in the Corvallis area. Families should carefully evaluate their space needs prior to making a decision to live in these units. The units are flats, with all living spaces on the same level. The second story apartments are accessible by outside stairways. There are no elevators.

Apartments are unfurnished, except for a refrigerator and electric stove provided in each apartment. Living room and bedroom areas have carpeted floors, and the kitchen and bathroom areas have vinyl floor covering. Bathrooms have a tub/shower combination, sink, toilet and a small above-sink wall cabinet. There are horizontal mini-blinds on all windows except in the bathroom. Each apartment is assigned a "storage cage" area, which is located in a nearby laundry room building.

Electrical capacity is adequate for a small to medium-size microwave in the kitchen. Some apartments do not have grounded electrical outlets and electrical capacity is limited, so residents must be careful about use of multiple appliances and computers.

Each room has an electric wall heater with an individual thermostat control for heating.

2) Terrace-Style Units

The thirteen terrace-style units built in 2002 have an outside privacy terrace at an apartment entry. Ten of the units are townhouse style with main living areas on the ground floor and bedrooms upstairs. The other three units are ground floor flats accessible for wheelchair use. Floor plans and square footage vary from unit to unit. Many units have skylights, study or storage nooks, and other unique features. Each apartment has a cement-block storage shed connected to the terrace area for personal storage of bikes, toys, barbecues and other items.

Apartments are unfurnished, except for kitchen appliances. A refrigerator, electric stove, dishwasher and garbage disposal are provided in each kitchen. Each apartment has its own electric furnace that heats with forced hot air. The ground floor living areas and stairwells have wood composite flooring, and bedroom areas are carpeted. Window coverings are provided for primary privacy windows, but not for skylights and a few other specified windows. All units have fire sprinkler systems and smoke detectors for fire safety.

Floor Plans

 

Community Center & Playgrounds

The Community Center has a large meeting room, kitchen, and playroom. Residents may reserve the Community Center at no charge for special parties, meetings and events.

There are three outdoor playground areas adjacent to each of the laundry rooms, as well as many sidewalks and open grassy areas in the complex, where children of all ages can play if properly supervised.

Schools

School-age children attend Jefferson elementary school and Linus Pauling Middle School (about 2.5 miles away). Elementary and middle school students can ride the school bus (about a 5 minute bus ride) or go with parents by car. High school students attend Corvallis High school (about 2 miles away), and get to school with a 5-10 minute drive by car or 15-20 minutes by school bus.

For more information about Corvallis schools, visit the Corvallis School District website at: www.corvallis.k12.or.us

Parking

Off-street parking lots in the complex accommodate one vehicle per family, with additional parking available along bordering City streets. One Orchard Court parking permit is issued to each family, which allows access to the Orchard Court parking lots for one vehicle. There is no charge for the Orchard Court parking permit. Students who wish to drive and park on campus must purchase an OSU student parking permit from the University's Parking Services office at the beginning of each year.

Pet Policy

Except for fish and amphibians, pets are not allowed in Student Family Housing apartments. Fish and amphibians must be contained at all times in aquariums with capacities of up to 29 gallons and containing no more than 10 gallons of water. All other pets are prohibited for health and safety reasons and to prevent property damage.

Staffing

An on-site Family Housing Operations Manager and student Community Assistants provide assistance and service for Orchard Court residents. The staff members facilitate maintenance requests, manage the rental process, help support community activities, respond to resident problems, keep residents advised of facility projects and repair, coordinate use of the Community Center, and monitor overall operations and happenings in the complex. Staff members in our department's Residential Maintenance and Facilities unit provide general maintenance services.

Police and security services are provided by OSU's Public Safety department and Oregon State Police. Fire and life safety services operate through the City of Corvallis.

Family Housing Association

The Family Housing Association (FHA) is a resident student group that sponsors activities and programs for the benefit of Orchard Court residents, and advocates on behalf of student families. FHA sponsors events such as international potlucks, barbecues, games, exercise classes, the community garden, and other special activities. FHA is funded through a small activity fee that is included in the monthly rent.

Transfers

If you have lived at Orchard Court for a minimum of 6 months, you can submit a request to transfer from your current apartment to a different apartment in the complex. Transfer requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed to be approved. If your request is approved, you will be charged a $200 transfer fee (subject to change) and you might not have your choice of apartments.

Utilities

Electricity service at Orchard Court is provided through the University, which purchases power from Pacific Power at commercial rates. Residents are charged monthly on their student accounts for electricity use, according to their monthly meter reading. Water, sewer, garbage, and extended basic cable television service are included in rent charges. Residents sign up for their own telephone service. The three community laundry rooms contain coin-operated washers and dryers. There are no washer/dryer hook-ups in either the traditional or new terrace apartments - these appliances are prohibited inside the apartments because of potential water damage, and fire and electrocution hazards. Appliances such as dishwashers (except in terrace units), air conditioners, and space heaters are prohibited because they may exceed electrical capacity, creating a fire hazard.

Orchard Court apartments do not have direct data line connections for internet services. Residents may sign up individually for internet services through their local telephone or TV cable service providers.

Family Housing Application

Step 1: Submit your Application

To apply for housing, you will need to complete an online application for Orchard Court Family Housing available on MyUHDS. Apartment assignments are contingent upon space availability in the apartment type you are eligible for, as well as on your application priority date. Your application priority date is established when you have finished your online application. You may come back at a later date to make changes to your occupancy dependents.

After you have completed your online application for Orchard Court, your OSU student account will be billed for the $35 non-refundable eligibility screening fee. You will receive a bill from OSU for this charge.

Important: We cannot accept an application for student family housing until you have been admitted to Oregon State University. You will not be able to complete the online application until you have received full admission.

Step 2: Wait List

Once your application is received, you will be placed on the apartment wait list based on your eligibility status and application priority date. You will be sent a letter confirming your placement on the waiting list, and an approximate idea of how long the wait may be. The wait is generally between 12-18 months, depending on what type of apartment you are eligible for and your placement on the waiting list.

More information about eligibility status can be found here.

Step 3: Receiving an Apartment Assignment Offer

If an apartment becomes available when your name is at the top of the waiting list in your priority category, you will be contacted to verify your interest in the available apartment.

If you are not able to accept an apartment assignment within a 30 day notice period (for example, if you are in a long-term lease), please contact the Family Housing Operations Manager. The date you expect to be available to accept an apartment offer will be noted in your family housing application. You will be contacted at that point if an apartment becomes available

If you can accept an apartment assignment within a 30 day notice period, you will have an opportunity to view the available unit. The viewing will be coordinated by the Family Housing Operations Manager. After viewing the available unit, you will be given the opportunity to accept or decline the apartment assignment offer. If you choose to decline two apartment offers, your application will be removed from the waiting list.

Step 4: Complete the Rental Agreement

If you decide to accept the apartment unit, you will meet with the Family Housing Operations Manager to go over and sign the rental agreement and establish the date you will officially begin residing at Orchard Court. You may also be required to provide proof of marriage, domestic partnership, and/or custody or legal guardianship of your dependant(s).

Eligibility Documentation

• Affidavit of Marriage (PDF, 18k)
• Affidavit of Domestic Partnership (PDF, 20k)
• Student Family Housing Rental Agreement (PDF)

Step 5: Move in!

When the apartment is available for you to move in, you will pick up your keys from the Family Housing Operations Manager. You will also be issued one parking permit, and given important information about living at Orchard Court.

Family Housing Eligibility

Eligible for Application

To be eligible to apply for student family housing, you must be admitted to Oregon State University. You will not be able to complete the online application until you receive full admission status. You do not need to be enrolled at the time of application, but must be enrolled (or in the process of enrollment) prior to signing a rental agreement and taking occupancy.

There is a $35 eligibility screening application fee to help cover the cost of staff time for verifying application and wait list eligibility records, including, but not limited to, checking academic admissions and enrollment records, reviewing proof of eligibility documents (affidavits, birth certificates, etc.), and verifying student account status. This fee is billed to the OSU student account upon completion of the online application for family housing, and is non-refundable.

Upon accepting an apartment assignment offer and signing a rental agreement, you may be asked to provide documents showing that you meet the eligibility requirements for student family housing, such as an affidavit of marriage or domestic partnership, birth certificates or custody papers for children, and other applicable documents. Your date of application establishes your place in the list within your assignment priority category (or categories).

Because space at Orchard Court is limited, eligibility for student family housing is granted to OSU students in this order:

1. Students with dependent children or students with a spouse or domestic partner
2. Single graduate students

Dependents are defined as children 17 years of age or younger, of whom the student has custody. Both graduate and undergraduate students may apply. Appointees on the University staff at higher than .5 FTE are not eligible for student family housing.

Assignment Priorities & Household Occupancy

Priority for assignment to one, two or three bedroom units is listed below. Each unit is limited to a maximum of two adults.

*Graduate students may apply for student family housing, but are assigned only after other priorities are met for students with dependents or for students with spouses or domestic partners. The likelihood of assignment is contingent upon how many others with higher priorities have applied for student family housing.

Waiting List

Once your application is received, you will be placed on the apartment wait list based on your eligibility status and application priority date. You will be sent an e-mail confirming your application has been received, and an approximate idea of how long the wait may be. The wait is generally between 12-18 months, depending on what type of apartment you are eligible for and your placement on the waiting list.

Residency

You will sign a rental agreement at the time you are offered and accept an apartment unit. Rental agreements for student family housing are on a month-by-month tenancy, requiring a 30-day vacate notice for cancellation. The residency period is limited to a maximum of four years per household, with some exceptions possible for students finishing academic degree programs.

You must be enrolled, or in the process of enrollment, before you sign a rental agreement and take occupancy. The household members who qualify you for eligibility in student family housing (dependent children, spouse, domestic partner) must reside with you in the apartment unit, as stated on your application.

While living in Student Family Housing, you must be enrolled as a student each term and meet the minimum qualifications for satisfactory academic progress as specified in current OSU academic regulations. You do not have to take a specific number of credit hours to maintain your residency.

Residency eligibility may be transferred between the adults (spouse or partner) in your household, as long as the adult named is an enrolled OSU student. The transferability option is available only for adults who were originally listed on the household occupancy information or added later as an amendment to household occupants on the rental agreement. The maximum residency period is four years per household, even if eligibility has been transferred to a different person than originally designated.

Your eligibility for residency ends 30 days after the end of the month in which you complete your academic program at OSU.

After you move in, you are responsible for notifying us of any changes in your household occupancy, and in directory and application information. This includes any updates in your current address and phone number.

Family Housing Rates

Monthly rent and electricity charges are billed through your OSU student account. Rent amounts generally stay the same throughout one school year (July through June). Annual rent increases typically take effect on July 1^st each year. Electricity is billed at the commercial OSU rate according to your actual monthly meter reading.

2013-2014 Rates

Legacy Units
One bedroom - 480 square feet	$525 per month
Two bedroom - 624 square feet	$572 per month
Three bedroom - 756 square feet	$617 per month
Updated Legacy Units
One bedroom - 480 square feet	$561 per month
Two bedroom - 624 square feet	$611 per month
Three bedroom - 756 square feet	$659 per month
New Units (2002)
One bedroom - 825 square feet	$677 per month
Two bedroom - 825 to 834 square feet	$700 per month
Two bedroom - 925 ro 935 square feet	$752 per month
Two bedroom - 1000 square feet	$752 per month
Three bedroom - 1100 square feet	$880 per month

* Rates and pricing are subject to change with 30 days notice. Rates typically change on July 1 each year. Electricity rates may vary monthly. Electricity and Internet billed monthly. Family housing application fee is $45. Laundry services can be used for $1 per wash and $1 per dry.