Off-Campus Housing: Renting
Apartment Rental Information
Most off-campus students rent apartments for housing. Some students are in the position to secure a condominium, whereas others choose to live with undergraduates in one of the many MIT FSILG's (including fraternities, sororities, and co-ed off-campus housing cooperatives).
Disclaimer: Information on this page is designed to supplement, not replace, the information provided by MIT's Off-Campus Housing Office.
Roommate Get-Togethers
The Off-Campus Housing Office runs a series of roommate get-togethers to assist members of the MIT community in locating off-campus housing by bringing together people with apartments already who are in seach of roommates to fill them, and people who like living with others who need a place. Check the MIT Housing website during the summer for further information.
Sample Documents
- Sample Rental Application
This is the form used by most apartment owners/realtors to apply for an apartment rental and verify that you have the means to afford it. - Sample Apartment "Fixed Term" Lease
This is an example of the standard "Fixed Term" lease that most apartment owners and realtors use to document how long the apartment will be rented, the expected rent, and the conditions of the lease, including care/maintenance, termination, subletting, etc. - Sample "Apartment Condition" Form
A form used to document the state of the apartment at the time it is initially rented, used at the end of your residence to determine how much of the security depost will be withheld. - Sample Rent and Security Depost Receipt
A receipt acknowledging your payment of any rent, security, and/or key deposits to the apartment owner.
Most legal issues concerning apartment rentals are governed by the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, and more specifically, the Rental Housing Association.
Note concerning interest on "last month's rent" and security deposit:
Interest on a last month's rent begins being due at the first day of the establishment of a tenancy regardless of how long it is held. A Landlord taking rent for the last month may hold the fund in a bank account, in which case the interest due the tenant is limited to the amount the bank actually pays, up to five percent. (5%) If the funds are not held intact in a bank account, the Landlord must pay five percent interest. Interest on the security deposit becomes due when the deposit is held more than one year.
