20 Mellen 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

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. 
• 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.
• For more information and moving day tips, visit the Residents Information page

Internet Access

• You’ll receive login information when you pick up your keys at the Property Management Office. VPN is required to access certain Harvard sites; contact your school’s helpdesk for more information.
• For internet provider and maintenance, contact XFINITY at 866-848-0281.

Cable Television, Satellite Dishes, and Antennas

• Cable television service is available through Comcast. For service, contact the Comcast representative for 20 Mellen 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 (857-288-9315).
• Mobile phone service cannot be guaranteed in any apartment.

• Your apartment has a mailbox located outside of the building. 
• You’ll receive a mailbox key when you pick up your apartment keys.
• Please be aware that the Property Management Office does not accept or store packages for residents at any time. 
• 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 more.

About Recycling At HUH

In accordance with 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.).

Recycling And Trash Disposal

• A recycling station is located behind 12 and 14 Mellen Street in the fenced-in area. 
• Please do not throw trash in with recyclable materials.
• Regular household trash that cannot be recycled should be disposed of in the trash bins located behind 12 and 14 Mellen Street.

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.

• While on-site washers and dryers are not available, residents may use the credit and debit-card-operated washers and dryers located in the basement of 19 Everett Street, at the nearby Terry Terrace complex. The Property Management Office will provide you with a 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.

• Some apartments are equipped with a garbage disposal. Some disposals are activated by inserting the disposal cover (kitchen sink stopper) in the position specified in the directions on the handle of the disposal cover; others are 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).

Bicycle Storage

• Residents are advised to store bicycles in their apartments or in the basement storage area. Bicycle racks are not available.
• Bicycles should not be left in hallways or attached to stair railings benches, entryways, or gates. Bicycles found in hallways or attached to the foregoing may be removed and discarded by the Property Management staff without notice at the resident’s expense.
• Remember to register your bike with the Harvard University Police Department.

Property Storage 

• Open storage space is available in the basement.
• HUH does not recommend storage of valuables in the storage areas and is not liable for water or any other damage to property or for loss or theft of property. 
• We recommend that personal items be stored up off the ground on pallets.
• Storage is not allowed in public hallways, stairwells, or fire escapes. 
• Any items left outside of the storage area may be removed and discarded or recycled by the Property Management staff without notification, 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 20 Mellen 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.