I'm pretty sure there's a record somewhere of what does/doesn't happen in a house, although whether or not they're checking it, I dunno. I wouldn't want to risk it, and I went into this event knowing that I wouldn't be able to change our FC house until November (or later). Granted, we then found a large and I decided I was willing to forfeit my chance in the contest for it, but that was my choice.

There isn't "clarification" needed. The word "any" means any. You're not asking for them to clarify, you're asking them to give you a pass. If you didn't read the rules, or you didn't consider them, or you (somehow) hadn't paid any attention to the fact that a patch was coming in September (and patches always have new furnishings), that's personal accountability. They can't be spelled out much clearer than they already are.