The "Where Spirits Have Lease" quest in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion involves purchasing Benirus Manor from Velwyn Benirus, dealing with a curse by fighting ghosts, and ultimately lifting the curse with Velwyn's help. However, there is a known glitch that can prevent progression in this quest.

Common Glitch Description

• After defeating the spirits in the manor, you are supposed to find a note called "Scrap from Lorgren's Diary" near a broken vase on the ground floor. Sometimes this note does not appear or is very hard to see because it blends into the background or may spawn in a different part of the room.
• Without this note, Velwyn Benirus will refuse to help lift the curse, and the quest cannot progress.
• Another glitch occurs when Velwyn refuses to open the sealed portal in the basement, just waving his hands without unlocking it.

Solutions to the Glitch

• Thoroughly search the manor's ground floor around the broken vase for the diary scrap; it may be off to the side or not exactly next to the vase.
• If the note is not visible, reload a save from before breaking the vase and try again until it appears.
• Make sure the note is in your inventory before talking to Velwyn.
• If Velwyn refuses to open the sealed portal, try:
  • Reloading an autosave.
  • Casting a Charm spell on Velwyn.
  • Waiting for one hour in-game to reset his behavior.
  • Using console commands (on PC) like setstage MS02 90 to advance the quest or tcl to pass through the portal wall.
• Installing the Unofficial Oblivion Patch can fix some of these bugs.

Summary of Quest Steps

1. Purchase Benirus Manor from Velwyn Benirus in Anvil for 5,000 gold.
2. Sleep in the manor to trigger ghost attacks and defeat them.
3. Find and pick up the Scrap from Lorgren's Diary near the broken vase.
4. Talk to Velwyn and convince him to help lift the curse.
5. Take Velwyn to the sealed portal in the basement; he will open it.
6. Defeat Lorgren Benirus to lift the curse.
7. The manor becomes fully restored and yours to keep.

This glitch is well-documented and can be resolved by careful searching, reloading saves, or applying patches and console commands if necessary