18 Prescott 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

Activate your Harvard ID Card

• Harvard affiliates living at 18 Prescott Street must have their Harvard ID cards activated by our office. New Harvard affiliates must return the temporary swipe card issued by our office before we can activate newly issued Harvard ID cards.

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 asked 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. That time is required to program fobs and communicate back to the tenant.

• 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.

• 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.

Cable Television, Satellite Dishes, and Antennas

• Cable television service is available through Comcast. For service, contact the Comcast representative for 18 Prescott Street at 857-288-9315. 
• Satellite television dishes, aerials, or antennas may not be installed without prior written consent from HUH. 
• Residents are responsible for paying any installation and removal charges, and monthly fees. 

Telephones

• Any contract made for phone service (landline or cellular) is between the resident and their service provider, not HUH.
• Landline telephones must be connected to existing outlets, and residents are responsible for paying installation and removal charges, and monthly fees.
• To arrange for landline service, contact Verizon at 800-837-4966 or Comcast at 857-288-9315.
• Mobile phone service cannot be guaranteed in any apartment.

• A mailbox for each apartment is located at the main entry. 
• You are issued a mailbox key when you pick up your apartment keys.
• 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.

About 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.

• Recycling bins are located outside the back of the building.
• Please do not throw trash in with recyclable materials.
• Regular household trash that cannot be recycled should be disposed of in the trash receptacles located outside the back of the building.

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.

• Residents of 18 Prescott Street have access to the basement laundry room at 16 Prescott Street. 
• You will be given a key to the laundry room when you pick up your apartment key.
• We request that these facilities not be used outside of the hours of 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, as, in many instances, occupied apartments are located directly above the laundry area.
• Please be courteous and remove your laundry from machines promptly when washing or drying is complete.
• Machines may not be able to accommodate certain items. If you experience any problems with the machines, please contact the service provider, CSC ServiceWorks (877-264-6622). 
• To reduce your laundry’s environmental impact, consider only washing full loads on the cold water cycle.

Bicycle storage

• Bicycles may be stored in the basement of the building.
• Bicycles should not be left in hallways or attached to stair railings, benches, entryways, or gates – they will be removed without notice at the owner’s expense.
• HUH is not liable for damage to or loss of property.
• Remember to register your bike with the Harvard University Police Department.

Property storage

• Limited storage for residents’ belongings is available in the basement of the building. 
• Requests should be coordinated with the Property Management Office.
• HUH does not recommend the storage of valuables in storage areas and is not liable for water or any other damage to property or for loss or theft of property.
• We recommend the use of pallets in basement storage areas. 
• Storage is not allowed in public hallways, stairwells, or fire escapes. Items left in any public areas of the property may be removed and discarded or recycled without notice at the resident’s expense.

• Residents can rent a window unit from RentAnAC (Harvard University Housing's approved vendor), or bring their own, which must be installed by RentAnAC.
• Review the air conditioning policy (PDF) for this property.

Pets are not allowed in 18 Prescott Street, with the exception of fish in a 50-gallon or smaller aquarium.

HUH prohibits the use of grills at all HUH residential properties. This includes charcoal, propane, liquefied petroleum gas, and electric grills, as well as smokers, hibachis, chimineas, etc. 

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.