4th-year student claims ownership of inherited Ohio State rental

A fourth-year architecture student at The Ohio State University recently told her older brother on a phone call that the house he passed to her was no longer his. "No, it's my house. It's not your house," Camille Zitney said. "It's my friends and I. This is our house, and it feels like our house."

Zitney's situation is common in the University District, where most housing is rented by students for their final two years of college. While some arrive in empty rentals, others inherit leases from sororities, fraternities, or family members. This practice, often rooted in Greek life traditions, allows new tenants to carry forward the identity of a specific group.

Emma Geesling, a third-year actuarial science major, lives in a house affectionately called Love Shack. The property was passed down from seniors in her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. The lineage of the house dates back to Madison Lasso and her friends, who graduated in 2022. Lasso's group originally named the residence Kappa Krypt, a name derived from their group chat.

Lasso noted that the house had previously been occupied by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. She said that knowing the vague history of the tenants made the move-in process less daunting. "It's a more familiar place, you know that there's a shared history with your community, your sorority, which I think that's a nice aspect, too," Lasso said.

Geesling expressed appreciation for the continuity provided by the house name. "Sometimes I wish we did get to coin it [ourselves], but I love the lineage and the tradition of it," she said. She noted that the name often changes based on the inside jokes and background of the new friend group.

Not all houses come with an inherited name. Paige Sommerfeld, a fourth-year health sciences student, lives in a rental her roommates named Red Rocket. Sommerfeld explained that the group chose the name because the interior was predominantly red. "We thought [the house] was very red, so we were just sitting there, and then someone just said, 'Red Rocket,'" she said.

For Sommerfeld, the transformation from a rental to a home relies heavily on interior decoration. "We try to make it really homey with stuff that we've all brought from home, and then as we collect stuff too," she said. "I look back at pictures of when I moved in, and I feel like, 'There's no way I'm living here?'"

Zitney emphasized that combining personal styles creates a unique atmosphere. She cited examples such as collecting fridge magnets from travels and keeping old birthday posters. "It's more about bringing your roommates' personal styles together and combining things," she said. "Collecting fridge magnets from everyone's travels, having old birthday posters and decorations linger really can make your house feel a lot homier."

Cost is a factor in these design choices. Zitney said she created her own headboard and bed valance using DIY tutorials to save money. "But when you're on that college budget, it's important to use your resources, get creative, find tutorials online and work with what you have," she said. She added that the goal is to create a space where residents feel safe and comfortable. "You can feel the energy when you walk in, and it's more than just what you put in it."