The agreement will have your name, the room type and building that you
have been assigned to, and the end date of your assignment.
License agreements for New students will be for one year (single) or
two years (family) and will end on August 15th.
License agreements for Continuing students will also end on August 15th, but can
be renewed each year as long as the resident is a fully registered
graduate student.
These agreements commit you to financial responsibility for the length
of your assignment. They also outline what is acceptable and
unacceptable in your apartment. Please read it carefully.
This is also the time to let us know if you
want to live with vegetarians or in a kosher kitchen. If you have
religious or medical requirements that restrict your living
arrangements, you must tell us now, or else we will not be able to
help you later when everything has been assigned!
Once we send you a confirmation with a move-in date, requests to postpone occupancy are not permited. We may be able to accomodate you on an earlier date if the space is available. Billing begins on the move-in date as indicated on your confirmation.
While we will try to match you up with an apartment that
has a move in date similar to your request, please keep in mind that
we have a limited number of June vacancies, so about 70% of students
get a late August move-in date, even if they have asked for an earlier
move-in date. This is because currently all license agreements end August 15. While students who graduate can give 30 days notice and leave
early, giving us some vacancies in June and during the summer, most of
our vacancies occur in late August.
Students generally finish out their contract on-campus. Although we do give graduating students the
option to move out earlier, we cannot ask them to leave earlier. We ask that
you refrain from contacting the current resident of your room to see
if they will leave earlier. In some cases, this has turned into
harassment for the current tenant. To avoid problems, all questions
about occupancy dates should be directed to the Housing Office. We
will be happy to check with the current resident about when they plan
to leave.
It takes between 2 to 5 five business days to turn over an
apartment and ready it for a new resident, depending on the building. So, even if the apartment is
vacated on August 15, it may not be ready for several days.
In Family Housing, all apartments will be completely cleaned before your move-in date.
Some departments have early orientations, or you may need to take an
English language test. We will make every effort to accomodate you on your requested move-in date so that you can attend these. Since this may not be possible in every case, you may be able to sublet on-campus during the
summer, or work with the Off-Campus Office to find temporary
accommodations.
Be prepared for a later move-in date - it is a little extra effort to
find summer or temporary housing, but once you're finally moved into
On-Campus Housing, we think you will find it worth the wait!
Confirmation email
Within a month after you have accepted and signed
your license agreement, we will send you a confirmation email. This
email will confirm you for a specific room or apartment and will include your move-in date.
Please note that you have accepted an assignment, and canceling it
will incur a $250 fine. You cannot
cancel because you do not like the floor or view. If you do not like your apartment assignment, you can apply for a transfer.
Also, in very rare cases, the Housing Office may have to switch you
into a different room than the one you have been confirmed for: if
this happens you will be given the same type of room in the same
building, and an updated confirmation will be sent to you. (For this
reason, it is not a good idea to make business cards or distribute
your telephone number prior to arrival.)
Your confirmation email will have your move in date, and your
mailing address and telephone number.
It will also contain check-in information, contact information for
your house manager, instructions for setting up your telephone, and
other pertinent building information. Read it carefully and
let us know if you have any questions.
What if I have to cancel?
Cancelling before and after accepting: If you are sent an assignment
from the lottery and decline it, you will be charged a $250 housing cancellation fee.
As long as you give 30 days notice before your move-in date, you will only be responsible for the $250. If you cancel within 30 days of your move-in date, then you will be responsible for rent from your move-in date until the end of the 30 days, or until a new resident moves in, whichever is earlier. For example, if you receive a move-in date for August 1st, and cancel on July 22, you will be
held responsible for the rent from August 1st until August 21st, or until a new resident moves in, whichever is earlier.
I received a confirmation email with an apartment number. Can I go look at my room/apartment?
If the room is currently occupied, you will probably not be able to look at the room. If requested, we will email the current resident with your contact information and if he/she is willing to show his/her room, he/she will contact you and arrange a time.
Usually, the current resident is happy to show the space, but please remember that the resident is also a busy student and may only have limited time to meet with you, or may be unavailable due to travel, etc.
You can also call the manager of the building to make an appointment to see a similar apartment that is currently vacant, if available.
Documentation for Proof of Family
Now that you have been assigned to
family housing, you will need to show Proof of Family.
Documentation must show both names of the couple and must be in English or have an English translation.
Married couples may provide one of the following: marriage license,
engagement announcement in newspaper, wedding invitation, or standard
government documentation, such as a passport that indicates the name
of the spouse, census report of household member, or book of the
family.
Unmarried couples and same-sex couples may provide one of the
following: a previous lease together, copy of engagement/commitment
announcement in newspaper, certificate of civil union.
If you do not have any of these, you should open a joint account as
soon as you apply for housing. NOTE: your joint bank account must be at least 4 months old by the time you move into your assigned apartment. If this is not possible, you should get a notarized letter from a
parent verifying you are in a committed domestic relationship.
Single parents may provide: a birth certificate of at least one child
or passport of at least one child. (If you are a single parent with
two children, you are eligible for a two bedroom, but you will need to
show documentation for at least two children)
Couples with children: In addition to providing documentation for
yourself and partner, you will need a birth certificate or passport of
at least one child.
Same-sex siblings who are both registered MIT students: Birth
certificates and driver's license or passport.
Students with a parent who is the legal dependent: This option is ONLY
for students who are the legal guardian of their parent. You will need
to show tax forms that demonstrate you claim this person as your
dependent.
Please note: Family housing is NOT for extended stays by extended
families - we do not have room to accommodate your visiting
family. While occasional short term stays are acceptable, all
assignments are made based on your immediate family, who should be the
permanent tenants.
Family Housing is meant for families. Students who live there without
their family will be given 30 days notice and lose their on-campus
housing privileges.
If there is a change of status, please inform us right away and if
possible we will try to accommodate you on-campus in single housing.
Billing
You are billed beginning on the occupancy date in your
confirmation email. Please note: the billing will start on this
confirmed date, even if you show up a few days later.
There is no security deposit, or requirement to pay first or last month's rent in advance.
When you arrive, you will set up a student account with MIT. Your
housing will be billed to this account. Bills are e-mailed to you, and
you can go to Student Accounts to pay.
If you wish to have your rent automatically withdrawn from your
paycheck from MIT you can fill out a Payroll Deduction form at the
Housing Office.
Your address in WEBSIS is created by our billing system. Starting the
day your billing begins and continuing as long as you are billed, your
address will appear automatically. Spouses will need to enter their
address in the temporary field.
WEBSIS Address
Your address in WEBSIS is created by our billing system. As long as you
are billed, you address will appear.
For a family of two students in family housing, the office maintains address information only for the student being billed for the housing. The other student must provide his or her term address on WEBSIS.
If you move out, you will be able to change your address AFTER the
billing has ended. So if your rent ends May 31st, you can update your
address June 1st.
However, if you move out, we will continue to bill you until your rent
responsibility ends, and you will only be able to update your address
when your rent responsibility ends. During this time, enter your new
address in the temporary field.
Moving Into Your New Home
Often, people ask about mailing packages
ahead of their move in date. We ask that you do not do this - there is
almost no storage in the buildings, and we do not have anywhere to put
3 fifty pound boxes of your genetics textbooks. We cannot take
responsibility for any packages that arrive before you.
Storage is also a problem: if there is furniture in the room, it
cannot be removed, as we have nowhere to put it. The same goes for
extra personal belongings. Tang and Westgate have some storage but it
is accessible by all the residents.
For questions about reserving the elevator for a move or borrowing a
dolly, please check ahead of time with your building manager.
How do I receive mail or ship packages to my on-campus housing?
Often, people ask about mailing packages ahead of their move in date. We ask that you do not do this - there is almost no storage in the buildings. We are not responsible for lost mail/packages.
Apartment Building:
Eastgate, Westgate, Edgerton House and Tang Hall are designated apartment buildings through the United States Postal Service (USPS). Therefore, the USPS delivers your mail directly to your mailbox in the lobby of your on-campus building. In these apartment buildings, there is (1) mailbox per apartment. If you live in Family housing (Eastgate & Westgate) there is (1) mailbox per family. If you live in Tang Hall or Edgerton House, this means that if you live in a two, three or four bedroom apartment, all mail goes into (1) mailbox. It is important that you include the apartment number with your mailing address.
For large packages:
If you live in Westgate or Tang Hall, the mail carrier will deliver it to the front desk of Tang Hall. The front desk worker will send you an e-mail informing you of your package.
If you live in Edgerton House, the desk staff signs for the package and places a package slip in the interdepartmental mailbox for you. You will then pick up your package from the desk staff.
If you live in Eastgate, the mail carrier (USPS, Fed Ex, UPS, etc.) will deliver your package directly to your apartment. If you are not home, they will leave a slip on your door. It is your responsibility for making arrangements to pick it up.
Dormitory Buildings:
Ashdown House, Sidney-Pacific and The Warehouse are designated dormitories with the USPS
Ashdown, Sidney-Pacific or The Warehouse mail is delivered to the building and the daytime desk worker is responsible for putting mail in mailboxes. The desk workers sign for packages and then notify residents through e-mail or a slip in your mailbox that you have a package at the front desk. It is important that your room number is included in your address.
If you do not wish to receive mail at your on-campus residence, you may apply for a P.O. Box through the United States Postal Service.
http://www.usps.com/receive/businesssolutions/poboxservice.htm
http://web.mit.edu/housing/grad/ghg/gettingout.html
On-campus parking is run by the MIT Parking Office in the Department of Facilities. Parking fees are not included in the rent, and they increase every year. Check the Parking and Transportation website for current rates. To apply for parking, please
fill out the online form at https://commuting.mit.edu/parking/index.html.
You are assigned a parking sticker for the lot closest to your residence hall. You
cannot be assigned to a different lot. There are no exceptions to this
policy, except at Ashdown, where certain spaces closer to the building
are assigned by the house committee.
To park in a handicapped space, you need to have handicapped plates on your car. If you do not have these plates but have other special needs that might affect your parking, you should contact the Parking
Office.
Your ID will provide you access to the parking lot.
Students with children at Eastgate can apply for a space in the small lot next to Eastgate. Other Eastgate residents are assigned to a lot across the street. Westgate lowrise residents will be assigned
spaces closer to their buildings.
In order to obtain a Massachusetts driver's license or ID card you will need to bring proof of address to the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV).
Please email the Graduate Housing Office asking for this letter and we will prepare for you a proof-of-address letter with all the information requested by the RMV. If you fail to do this you might end up waiting in line at the RMV for hours only to be told that you do not have the needed documentation to obtain the driver's license or ID card.
If you live in Single housing and change your status from single to
family, you can provide documentation and be released from your rent
responsibility with at least 30 days notice. Note that we always charge through the end of the month, so you will be charged through the end of the month that the end of the 30 days falls in. Also, thereare termination fees in some months. See the details of moving out here. Make sure you give 30 days notice;
you can show the documentation later:
If you live in Family Housing and your family will no longer reside
with you, you must provide 30 days notice and vacate the apartment. If
you want to remain on campus, we can try to accommodate you in Single
Housing.
Single students can apply to transfer to another room in the building
by filling out a transfer request card in the Housing Office at E32-238. Transfer
assignments are made by date applied and room availability.
Most transfers occur in June, September, and January, but we will make
transfer assignments at any time if there are vacancies.
Ashdown residents have a room assignment lottery run by
its house committee. Assignments are made based on seniority
points. For more information, go to Ashdown's website.
Family transfers are much more difficult because of the limited number
of vacancies. The details of Family Transfers are found here.
Once a year in November, you may apply to transfer to a different
building.
These assignments depend on who else is looking to transfer out of
their building. Applications are available online in November. We
can't always offer everyone a transfer, but if you are assigned you
must move, or you will lose your housing.
When you move, you take your assignment status with you. So, if you
have a continuing assignment in Edgerton, you will have a
continuing assignment when you move to SP.
However, if you transfer to Tang or the Warehouse, your assignment will end
according to their license agreements. All Warehouse transfers end June
1st, and all Tang transfers end August 15th.
Please note: you cannot transfer from Single to Family because we have
a tiny number of vacancies in Family. All Family assignments are made
through the Allocation Process and waiting list.
In March, an email will be sent to you to ask if you want to renew
your housing. This email will have two URLs: one for your new license
agreement, and one for the online termination form.
If you are going to be a registered graduate student and want to stay
another year in housing, you can sign the license agreement.
If you are graduating, you can go ahead and sign the termination
form. If you aren't sure of when you will leave, you can put the last
day possible and later move the date forward as long as you give at least 30
days notice. So, in March you terminate for August 15th, but then you
get a great job building space robots and it starts June 1st. As long
as you resign the card with the new move out date by May 1st, you
won't be charged rent past May 31st. Please see the full details of moving out in the section Getting Out.
If you don't know if you will graduate or not, please contact the
Office and they will work with you to set a later deadline.
If you have a Nonrenewable Officer assignment - meaning you have been assigned solely on the basis of an appointment to a leadership position in your residence hall, and not from the allocation or waiting list for the year in which you are serving- your license agreement is conditional on your performance in that position. If you are unsure of your status, please contact the Graduate Housing Office.
Failure to meet the requirements of your position, as deemed acceptable by the Housemaster or Residential Life staff, may result in termination of your position and loss of your housing assignment. In this case, you will be given 30 days notice to vacate your assignment.
During the academic semester, you must live in your room. However,
during the summer and IAP, students may sublet their on-campus rooms
and apartments (with exception of shared bedrooms).
There are four important requirements to subletting.
