5 Sacramento Street

This property is managed by the Botanic Property Management Group. 

• Please view our  Contact Us  page for the most up-to-date information and Office Hours for the Botanic Property Management team, Leasing team, Graduate Commons, and more. 

Getting Started

Download these helpful PDFs before you arrive:

• Safety first
• How to use your door fob
• How to get online
• How to use your intercom

Temperature, Ventilation, and Windows

Aligned with Harvard's Sustainability Action Plan and the University's Goal Zero for a fossil fuel-free Harvard, this building has been constructed with high performance windows and insulation as well as a cutting edge ventilation system to meet Passive House Performance Certifications for energy efficiency and elevated indoor air quality standards.

• HVAC Guide
• Tilt & Turn Window Guide

Stay Informed

• Email is our primary method of contacting residents and their emergency contacts, so be sure the email addresses we have on file are current and checked frequently. 
• You can change your email address in the Resident Portal. Please email leasing@harvard.edu to update emergency contact information.
• International Students, consider "unlocking" your phone prior to leaving your home country. To learn more, visit the Harvard International Office website.
• All Harvard affiliates are strongly encouraged to sign up for the University's Emergency Notification System, messageme.

Policies and Procedures

• Residents are expected to comply with the terms of their lease and the Housing Policies and Procedures for Harvard University Housing Tenants sent as part of the lease documents package.

• Please contact your Property Management Office at least two business days in advance of your planned move-in to make key pick-up arrangements. 
   
• Your keys will be ready for pick up at the Property Management office on, or after, your lease start date. If you are arriving after business hours or on a weekend, please contact your Property Management Office to make key pick up arrangements. Please also visit our key pick-up page for the most current information about picking up keys and parking during move-in.
   
• Email huh_botanicgroup@harvard.edu or call 617-495-5534 to schedule your key pick-up. 

• Temporary on-site parking for moving vans or trucks may not be available at your location and on-campus visitor parking is limited. Please visit the Harvard University Parking Services website in advance of your move for information about obtaining an on-campus resident or visitor parking permit. 
   
• A permit must be obtained in advance to park your moving van on Cambridge city streets. Visit the Cambridge Traffic and Parking Department website or call 617-349-4721.
   
• A limited amount of on-street metered parking spaces for your car may be available in the area and several private parking lots and garages are located in Harvard Square.

Internet Access

• XFINITY wireless Internet access is available in your apartment and in all common spaces in the building.
• Login information and a password will be provided when you pick up your keys at the Property Management Office.
• Please email the Comcast Support Team or call them at 866-848-0281 if you have questions about this service. 
• Note that you will need to use VPN to connect to Harvard sites that require a Harvard IP address. Please call your school's helpdesk if you need assistance with your VPN login.

Telephones

• Any contract made for phone service (landline or cellular) is between the resident and their service provider, not HUH.
• Mobile phone service cannot be guaranteed in any apartment.

• A mailbox for each apartment is located outside the entry of the building.
• We recommend that you put a hold on your mail if you plan to be away for an extended period of time. Visit www.usps.com to learn how you can do so.
• Please be sure to recycle all of your mail and packaging waste. Additionally, we recommend visiting www.dmachoice.org to reduce the amount of unwanted mail sent to your new address.

Important Information

• Please be aware that the Property Management Office does not accept or store packages for residents at any time. 
• If you are shipping items to your HUH apartment, please plan for your packages to arrive after you move in, arrange for packages to be held by the post office or shipping company, or make arrangements with a friend or neighbor to receive and hold your packages.

Recycling At HUH

In accordance with the city municipal code, HUH is required to separate recyclable materials from trash. Eighty percent of what you throw out can be recycled, and our comprehensive Single Stream Recycling Program means you can collect all recyclable materials (paper, flattened cardboard, clean containers of aluminum, steel, plastics #1-7, and glass) together in your recycling bag. Please use a separate bin to collect household trash (food waste, Styrofoam, used tissues, etc.). Learn more about living sustainably at HUH.

• Trash and Recycling bins are located in the fence outside of the building rear entry near the gathering space in between 5 Sacramento and 5A Sacramento
• Please do not mix any recyclable items in with the trash
• Do not put any plastic bags in with recycling
• Explore Harvard’s waste sorting tool, Waste Wizard to find the best disposal option for any item!

Please help us to maintain a clean and pest-free environment:

• Regularly empty both recycling and trash to minimize odors
• Cardboard boxes should be flattened and left in a recycling area.
• Do not leave recycling, boxes, or trash in any common area, on the sidewalk, or next to bins. If a bin is full, we ask that you find another recycling/trash area to use (if available) and that you notify the Property Management Office.

5 Sacramento Street provides built-in composting services as part of its sustainable site design. The composting services provided at this property will inform future composting considerations for other properties within the HUH portfolio at a later time.

Residents of 5 Sacramento Street are provided (1) kitchen compost bin and a supply of compostable bags:

• Line your kitchen bin with a compost bag and fill with acceptable food scrap items.
• To avoid smells and for a clean transport of bags outside, we recommend keeping bins and/or full bags in the freezer if space allows.
• Every few days, ensure the bag is tied and drop it into one of the large outdoor compost toters located in the trash area.
• Do not throw loose compost into outdoor toters.
• Be sure to use the lock on the toter to keep rodents out and report any concerns to property management
• Compostable bag supply refill is available on-site.

• Your apartment is equipped with a garbage disposal, which is activated by flipping the nearby wall switch. 
   
• Disposals are not designed to process large amounts of peels (potato, carrot, and other types of foods with peels) and should not be used for fibrous foods (i.e., celery, corn cobs or husks).

• A stacked washer and a dryer are provided in each unit.
   
• To reduce your laundry’s environmental impact, consider only washing full loads on the cold water cycle. 
   
• Please review the Guide (PDF) for the laundry facilities in your unit.

• Aligned with Harvard's Sustainability Action Plan and the University's Goal Zero for a fossil fuel-free Harvard, this building has been constructed with high performance windows and insulation as well as a cutting edge ventilation system to meet Passive House Performance Certifications for energy efficiency and elevated indoor air quality standards.

• HVAC Guide
• Tilt & Turn Window Guide

GENERAL STORAGE

• General/additional resident storage space is not available at this property. Please search online for a list of local storage companies.
• Storage of personal items is not allowed in public hallways, stairwells, fire escapes, or any other common area.
• Any items left outside of units may be removed and discarded or recycled by the Property Management staff without notification, at the tenant’s expense.

BICYCLE STORAGE

• Bicycles may only be stored in your apartment or within the bike shed located on-site.
• Bicycles should not be attached to stair railings, benches, entryways, or gates or left in hallways any bicycles found in a hallway or attached to the foregoing will be removed without notice at the owner’s expense.
• HUH is not liable for water or any other damage to or loss of property. 
• We require residents to register their bicycles with the Harvard University Police Department at www.hupd.harvard.edu.

Pets are not allowed in 5 Sacramento Street, with the exception of fish in a 50-gallon or smaller aquarium.

HUH prohibits the use of grills at all HUH residential properties. 

Prohibited items include (but are not limited to):

• Charcoal, propane, liquefied petroleum gas, and electric grills
• Smokers
• Hibachis
• Chimineas

Smoke Detectors

• Your building is equipped with individual smoke detectors within each apartment as well as a common area fire alarm system. Apartment detectors will sound only in your apartment when activated. They will not silence until the source of the alarm is eliminated. Open windows to ventilate your apartment if food is burned. Do not open doors to hallways to ventilate.
   
• Common area detectors are linked throughout the building. The entire system will sound if one common area detector is activated. If this occurs, the building must be evacuated and the fire department will be called. The system will not be silenced until it is determined by the fire department that the occupants are not in danger.
   
• Do not remove or disable detectors. Deliberate triggering of false fire alarms and tampering with apartment or building fire safety equipment are more than a nuisance; they are subject to criminal penalties under Massachusetts law.
   
• All detectors and alarm systems are checked and maintained during annual fire safety inspections. Fire alarm testing can be loud and invasive. We make every effort to take academic activity into account when scheduling testing and to provide advance notification to residents. Please contact the Property Management Office for more information.

Sprinklers

• Units are equipped with sprinklers. The sprinkler head will be activated at temperatures of 165°F and above.
   
• Sprinkler systems that are not recessed are very sensitive and can be activated if they are banged or pulled. 
   
• Please do not hang anything from sprinklers or sprinkler pipes and refrain from stacking items close to them (a minimum of 18” of clearance underneath the sprinkler is required). 
   
• Residents are responsible for damages caused by activation due to improper use.

• It is your responsibility to insure any personal property. HUH and Harvard University do not cover the cost of replacing residents’ personal items (clothing, computers, furniture, stereos, books, etc.) that may be damaged or lost due to theft, fire, water, or vandalism. 
   
• Personal property insurance may be obtained by searching online for local insurance agents, National Student Services, Inc. (800-256-6774), or CSI Insurance Agency, Inc. (888-411-4911). 
   
• Full-time Harvard employees may also be able to obtain discounted insurance through MetLife (to obtain a quote, call Marsh@WorkSolutions at 866-228-3516). 
   
• Students may first want to check if they are covered under their parents’ homeowners policy, if applicable. Also, residents who live here and own a home elsewhere may want to add appropriate coverage to their home insurance policy for a small additional fee.