Houses in Oblivion are buildings in which you may sleep and safely store items in non-respawning containers. Each major city (except Kvatch) has a house available for you to purchase. Some of the official downloads also add new homes, and there are even a few free homes that become accessible after completing associated quests. However, only the houses purchased inside major cities count toward your "Houses Owned" statistic. There is no limit to the number of houses you can own. Once a home is purchased and has been entered, the door is permanently unlocked (although there is a glitch associated with the Bravil house). Although it is impossible to lock the door, no NPCs will enter your house when you are not there, nor will any NPCs steal items from your house.
The benefits of owning a house may not be immediately evident. There are free beds available in the game, any items left in a pile on the floor are perfectly safe, and there are even some containers outside houses that do not respawn. One main benefit of owning houses is that they allow you to be organized, giving easy access to your belongings and storage areas. Houses provide you with a regular place to sleep near your stored items, and support roleplaying situations calling for a home. Fast-traveling from within the purchasable homes in every city (except Anvil) is another benefit, especially for vampires.
Note: Each price listed on this page is a Base Cost, meaning that you will nearly always have to pay more than the amount listed, as detailed in Commerce.
Warning: Immediately selling the upgrade papers after having bought them from the merchant (without ever exiting the conversation) prevents the new upgrades from ever appearing in the house. Furthermore, the upgrades will not reappear in the merchant's sales list, since you "gave" away the no-cost notes.
The Unofficial Oblivion Patch fixes this bug.
The City HousesEdit
Once you've learned that a house is for sale, buying that house becomes a quest. The quest is completed when the house and all available upgrades have been purchased. There is no need to carry the house key or the receipts from the upgrades. Upgrades are available for each house, adding furniture and other items. These upgrades can easily cost more than the house itself, by the time you've bought them all. One unusual property of these houses is the fact that you can fast travel from the interior of all these houses, except Benirus Manor.
AnvilEdit
| Benirus Manor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| House Purchased From | Velwyn Benirus | ||
| Price to Purchase Home |  5,000 |
||
| Upgrades Obtained by | Completing Where Spirits Have Lease | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | N/A | ||
Upon purchasing Benirus Manor in Anvil, you will notice that it is in disrepair inside and out; however, after you complete Where Spirits Have Lease, the house will be restored to its former beauty. During the quest, ghosts can be found within the house. Even after its restoration, it's a little dark inside, but it has a balcony, a loft office upstairs overlooking the sitting area, thirty-three containers in the basement, and a secret chamber (related to the quest). Note that you should not use this house for storage before completing the quest, as any items in the house will be lost when the house is repaired. Once you've completed the quest however, all the containers are safe to use. Note that the remains of the ghosts you encounter on the quest stay in the house for a while but do go away eventually. Benirus Manor is the only house for sale in the cities that uses a quest to renovate/furnish it, and not purchasable upgrades. See the Benirus Manor article for additional information.
BravilEdit
| Bravil House for Sale | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| House Purchased From | Count Regulus Terentius (disposition 50+) | ||
| Price to Purchase Home | 4,000 |
||
| Upgrades Purchased From | Nilawen | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 3,900 |
||
The house in Bravil is in the south part of town, over the bridge and then to the left, on the south side of the canal below Luciana Galena's house. It's the bottom floor of a two-story house and is very small; not much better than the Imperial City shack, but it does have twice as much floor space. The Count himself describes it as "a squalid little shack". The house is good choice if in the Thieves Guild, as the fence Luciana Galena lives above. See the Bravil House for Sale article for additional information.
BrumaEdit
| Bruma House for Sale | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| House Purchased From | Countess Narina Carvain (disposition 60+) | ||
| Price to Purchase Home | 10,000 |
||
| Upgrades Purchased From | Suurootan | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 9,900 |
||
The house in Bruma is immediately to the right when entering the town from the east gate. In a word, this house is cozy. It is medium-sized and in good condition. It has a cellar with a bedroom and will actually be very nice once all the upgrades are purchased. It is a little dark, however, even when fully furnished. This house can also prove helpful to thieves as it is close to Olav's Tap and Tack where the Thieves Guild fence Ongar the World-Weary likes to drink. Ill-gotten gains can be stored in your house and taken across the street to sell them to him. Also, despite being in the coldest area in the game, this is the only house that doesn't have a lit fireplace.
CheydinhalEdit
| Cheydinhal House for Sale | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| House Purchased From | Count Andel Indarys (disposition 60+) | ||
| Price to Purchase Home | 15,000 |
||
| Upgrades Purchased From | Borba gra-Uzgash | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 15,000 |
||
The house in Cheydinhal is at the far southwestern tip of the city. If you stand just outside the Mages Guild, you can see it directly in front of you across the plaza. It's bigger than all the cheaper ones and looks to be in very good condition—pricey too, though. Once fully furnished, it will look great inside.
The main benefit of this house is that there are thirteen containers on the second floor: seven crates, barrels, and chests in a pile in front of the staircase, two cupboards on the other side of the staircase, and four bureaus and chests in the bedroom. Unlike many other houses where you have to run around the entire house to empty your loot, these thirteen containers are all laid out conveniently. This along with many, many shelves have led some to the conclusion that it is one of the best "real" houses in the game ignoring price, second only to Rosethorn Hall. For only 15,000 septims, it is a good alternative. The ground floor of the interior does not extend as far to the north as the exterior suggests.
ChorrolEdit
| Arborwatch | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| House Purchased From | Countess Arriana Valga (disposition 70+, fame 12+) | ||
| Price to Purchase Home | 20,000 |
||
| Upgrades Purchased From | Seed-Neeus | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 19,400 |
||
Arborwatch is the house for sale in Chorrol's Great Oak Place, next to the Mages Guild Hall. It features a sitting area, study, kitchen area, and dining area on the ground level. It also has two upper levels; one houses a servant's quarters as well as a bedroom, while the other is a master suite. Completing A Shadow Over Hackdirt grants a disposition of 100 with Seed-Neeus which helps with prices. Note that, while one upgrade available for purchase is "House Servants Quarters", no help-for-hire is available for this house. See the Arborwatch article for additional information.
Imperial CityEdit
| Shack for Sale | ||
|---|---|---|
| House Purchased From | Vinicia Melissaeia (disposition 50+) | |
| Price to Purchase Home | 2,000 |
|
| Upgrades Purchased From | Sergius Verus | |
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 2,000 |
|
The Shack for Sale in the Imperial City is in the Waterfront District, and is nothing more than a small pitiful shack, though it does have a bed where you can sleep and level up. The upgrades are rather pathetic as well, but you will likely need the storage extension, because the basic house comes with zero containers. The Kitchen Area upgrade also adds some storage. The crate outside the house is not safe for storage. It is also perfect if you have a large bounty and need to avoid all guards until you can meet up with a Doyen. You can fast-travel to Dzonot Cave just west of the Temple District, and from there it is only a short swim to your house. See the Shack for Sale article for additional information.
LeyawiinEdit
| Leyawiin House for Sale | ||
|---|---|---|
| House Purchased From | Count Marius Caro (disposition 60+) | |
| Price to Purchase Home | 7,000 |
|
| Upgrades Purchased From | Gundalas | |
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 7,000 |
|
The house in Leyawiin is on the east side of town next to the castle, where many other homes are. It is somewhat bigger than the cheaper shacks, but looks very rundown and ugly, especially next door to the huge and beautiful house of the wealthy Rosentia Gallenus.
The interior of the home is rather bland and unimpressive, even after all interior upgrades have been acquired. Considering the price of the property and its size (barely larger than the Bravil shack yet 3,000 gold more expensive), it is debatable whether this house is worth the 7,000 gold you will have to spend on it.
SkingradEdit
| Rosethorn Hall | ||
|---|---|---|
| House Purchased From | Shum gro-Yarug (disposition 70+, fame 15+) | |
| Price to Purchase Home | 25,000 |
|
| Upgrades Purchased From | Gunder | |
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 23,200 |
|
The house in Skingrad, Rosethorn Hall in the northeast corner of town, is the grandest and most expensive home that can be bought. Rosethorn Hall was formerly owned by Vandorallen Trebatius, but he is "evicted" when you buy the house. A housekeeper is available for hire upon purchase of the Servants Quarters upgrade. See the Rosethorn Hall article for additional information, including the three quests related to this house.
Official DownloadsEdit
These houses and their associated quests are introduced upon installing and loading the official downloads. The associated quest pages explain how to fully own each house.
Battlehorn CastleEdit
| Battlehorn Castle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Obtained From | Fighter's Stronghold official download | ||
| Price to Purchase Home | N/A | ||
| Upgrades Purchased From | Nilphas Omellian | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 15,000 |
||
This is the castle from the Fighter's Stronghold official download. The associated quest is required to claim it as your home. It is designed for warriors and combat-based characters. The castle has three "hidden" doors. The easiest can be found by exploring the basement—a door at the back of the wine cellar leads to a hidden pillar door on the main floor. The second is a hidden pillar door at the back of the private quarters. This door leads to a small storage vault with three chests, two barrels, a box, and a jewelry case. In the ceiling is a trapdoor that leads to the roof where you will find a steel bow, arrows, and some mugs, presumably for drinking and shooting from the roof of your castle. There is a journal on the top of a bookcase that leads you to the third secret door, behind the archery target in the weapons room in the basement. Use the unlit wall candelabra to the right to open the door. Travel through another hidden pillar door to fight the skeleton and lich that inhabit the castle's grotto.
Deepscorn HollowEdit
| Deepscorn Hollow | |||
| Home Obtained From | Vile Lair official download | ||
| Price to Purchase Home | N/A | ||
| Upgrades Purchased From | Rowley Eardwulf | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 15,250 |
||
This is not a house in the traditional sense, but Deepscorn Hollow, from the Vile Lair official download. A quest must be completed to actually own it. It is tailored for "evil" or "criminal" characters. This house is for those that wish to live like the Dark Brotherhood but do things their own way. The lair is in a very hard-to-reach area of the map in a swampy area, and is decorated with interesting and morbid items. When the upgrades are completed, you have the perfect house for a vampire assassin. The Shrine of Sithis can cure illnesses if your Infamy is too high to use temples, and the Font of Renewal can cure vampirism. It offers many poisonous plants, some unique. You can even send out a Dark Minion to "kill in the name of Sithis" for you, storing the items of the victim in the lair's chest, though this will earn you an infamy point. It is possible to obtain and use all the lair's benefits except the Shrine of Sithis and sending the Dark Minion out without earning any infamy points. The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal may be used to circumvent these restrictions, but a character concerned with keeping infamy at zero is unlikely to have obtained the cowl.
Dunbarrow CoveEdit
| Dunbarrow Cove | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Obtained From | Thieves Den official download | ||
| Price to Purchase Home | N/A | ||
| Upgrades Purchased From | Dahlia Rackham | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 5,500 |
||
Dunbarrow Cove from the Thieves Den official download is not a house in the traditional sense, but is particularly well suited to thief-type characters. It may be slightly difficult to reach if your character is heavily burdened. To obtain this as a base of operations, you must complete a quest and purchase all the upgrades. It offers five merchants, one of whom is a Spell Merchant and one of whom is a Fence; they also offer training in Speechcraft, Mercantile, Security, Marksman, and Sneak. The cave contains both cairn bolete caps and wisp stalks. Outside the cave entrance and along the coast nearby are some sacred lotus, water hyacinth, lady's mantle, and aloe vera plants. These ingredients are all useful in making potions and poisons. The upgrades for this home are all fixed prices; haggling is not necessary. The cove also comes with pirates who you can direct to go out and plunder; they will give you a share of the profit after they return.
Frostcrag SpireEdit
| Frostcrag Spire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Obtained From | Wizard's Tower official download | ||
| Price to Purchase Home | N/A | ||
| Upgrades Purchased From | Aurelinwae | ||
| Total Base Cost of All Upgrades | 8,500 |
||
Frostcrag Spire is available from the Wizard's Tower official download. It is particularly well-suited for mage-type characters and those who prefer solitude, but is also ideal for one does not want to join the Mages Guild but wants access to custom spells and custom enchantments. You may want the tower simply for the view. To use all available features of this home you must complete the associated quest. Even with no upgrades, the tower contains a wide variety of plants to harvest, including those otherwise only available in Oblivion and Mankar Camoran's Paradise.
Priory of the NineEdit
Once you have completed the Knights of the Nine questline, you can safely use the Priory of the Nine as a home. There are multiple available beds to sleep in and all the chests and containers in the Priory are non-respawning. However, do not use any of the second floor chests other than in the bedroom before completing the associated questline: as the Priory is being cleaned up by the other knights, several containers vanish completely. After the Priory is restored, it is safe to store items in any container for the remainder of the game. Beware though, the other knights may take books to read and ingredients to eat, especially if you drop them on the floor. You can also use the crates outside for safe storage.
Free HousesEdit
These places are not proper "houses", but they do provide you with a place to sleep, and at least one container in the same room that is safe (non-respawning).
Abandoned ShackEdit
The Abandoned Shack in the Imperial City Waterfront District can serve as a house. There are two chairs, two sleeping rolls, two barrels, five regular sacks and two grain sacks. All seven of the sacks are safe storage. There is no exterior door lock and the shack is available at no cost from the beginning of the game.
Dranas Llethro and Hillod the Outlaw both squat in the shack. They will follow your character around the room, stare at him and say things like "I need you to leave, so I can lock up", "I need you to leave now", and "It's time for you to go." However, their responsibility is too low for them to report any trespass to the guards and thereby incur a bounty, so call their bluff and stay. Hillod never sleeps in either bedroll, and neither one sleeps if they are following your character around.
If need be, they can be eliminated by picking up any real food and leaving poisoned apples out for them. If there is nothing else to eat, their low responsibility will cause them to steal and eat the apples. Your character will not incur a bounty for people killed using poisoned apples. Other methods may lead to bounties or, in Hillod's case, suspension from the Thieves Guild.
Aleswell InnEdit
You get a free permanent bed and storage in a room at the Aleswell Inn for completing the easy starter quest Zero Visibility. The chest of drawers within that room can be safely used for storage (but the other containers in the building cannot). There is also a small bedroll in the room that you can sleep on.
- The Aleswell residents may take stolen property out of your drawers.
- The container in this location is not safe for storage before completing the quest.
- Some of the inn's regulars enjoy hanging out in your room, thus often making it tricky for you to enter or exit. Some may also take food and drink from the drawers, so it is best to leave out some cheap stuff for them, to keep them from making off with any of value.
Fort FarragutEdit
Entered via a hollow tree in the area, Fort Farragut provides a safe open-topped grain sack, small sack next to it, and jewelry box; the other containers are not safe. The bed can be used, and a very-hard-locked barrel respawns poisoned apples you can sell. This is a rather rough free home, and you have to fight off some respawning undead to get and keep it.
Summitmist ManorEdit
You get free permanent beds and storage in two of the upstairs bedrooms for completing the Dark Brotherhood quest Whodunit?. The chest containing Legion heavy armor within the southeast bedroom can be safely used for storage. The chests at the foot of the two beds in the southwest bedroom are likewise safe storage. All six of the beds here are usable. The Summitmist Manor basement has an additional six sacks that are also safe storage.
The Marie ElenaEdit
The Marie Elena is a pirate ship which can become a makeshift player home with safe storage in many locations, if you can fight off First Mate Malvulis and a few minor pirates. Simply talk to Malvulis, standing on the Imperial City Waterfront District docks, for a warning to not dare approach their ship. So, of course do so. You'll be attacked by her and some pirates she calls to her aid. Guards may not help you. If you are playing in the Dark Brotherhood, you need to do the quest A Watery Grave first rather than just dealing with the first mate; it spawns a captain and additional pirates to deal with, though under these conditions it is actually easier, since guards will intervene if you lure all the combatants to public view.
Once cleared of pirates, the ship makes a serviceable home. All beds and items are unowned (they will not count as stolen when you pick them up), and the pirates are non-respawning. Don't get too excited; the ship is stationary and cannot be sailed to other locations.
Thieves Guildmaster's QuartersEdit
The Guildmaster's Quarters of the Thieves Guild contain a bed and multiple containers, all of which are safe for storage. These quarters are only accessible after you have pulled off The Ultimate Heist at the end of the Thieves Guild questline. At that point, this room becomes accessible via the basement in Dareloth's House in the Imperial City Waterfront District.
Waterfront LighthouseEdit
The main entrance from the Imperial City Waterfront District leads into the ground floor of the Waterfront Lighthouse. Using the trapdoor in the floor of each level your character can descend into the sub-basement, called just the Lighthouse, which serves as the private quarters of Velan Andus. There are two sacks for safe storage by the double bed. Even when Velan is asleep from 6am to noon, the other side of the bed is open.
The sub-basement is available at no cost from the beginning of the game. One difficulty with this location is that the trapdoor leading to it locks when Velan is sleeping, so entering then may require sneaking between the cupboard and column in the Imperial Watch Barracks to open the easy level lock. Although he is a pleasant NPC if Valen ever asks your character to leave, do so because his responsibility is high enough for him to report the issue to the guards.
Weynon PrioryEdit
After giving the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre as part of the Deliver the Amulet quest, Jauffre will offer you the contents of his personal chest in Weynon House. This chest is non-respawning, thus it serves as a good early container. However, you must be careful to not take, move or otherwise interfere with any of the other objects that are lying around the house because they are all owned and interfering with them will count as stealing and the monks will turn hostile.
There is a bed that can be slept in on the east wing of the house in the center of the beds of the other monks, and the nearby chapel serves as a means of curing any diseases that you contract. Additionally, Weynon priory is close to the town of Chorrol, a small mine and a wayshrine of Dibella. Be warned though, that an Oblivion Gate will spawn nearby after the completion of the Dagon Shrine quest (part of the main quest). The gate can cause problems as daedra will spawn around it.
Weynon Lodge, the abode of the Dunmer herder Eronor who cares for the priory animals, also becomes available as a home. There is a usable bed, though it requires waking Eronor after mid-night (or you could kill him as he sleeps which does not count as a murder). There is an open grain sack for safe storage.
White Stallion LodgeEdit
You can get a permanent free room and storage at White Stallion Lodge. If you travel to Leyawiin you will hear rumors about Mazoga. Her questline can be started by speaking to Count Marius Caro at Leyawiin Castle County Hall. One reward for completing the second of the two quests is the key to the White Stallion Lodge. You can sleep in the lodge and all the containers in the building can safely be used for storage. If she survives the quest, your friendly Orc roommate will eat the food, but will also take drinks out of containers. If you want to keep your Tamika 399, find an alternative storage place (or, don't speak to her after the quest finishes and she'll remain in the castle). Mazoga will often leave to hunt Black Bow Bandits. You can follow her to Rockmilk Cave, Undertow Cavern, and Telepe to fight together.