Keys will only be issued to the authorized residents of the assigned housing. MIT staff are not permitted to issue a key to a friend, family member, or designee, unless otherwise stated below. Residents are prohibited from giving their keys to anyone who is not an authorized occupant (as defined below).
Residents are prohibited from duplicating room, apartment, or house keys, or possessing a master key. Residents may be subject to severe disciplinary action for unauthorized use of keys.
MIT ID Cards
MIT ID cards are required to gain access to all MIT residence halls. MIT ID cards are also used to access house dining halls, can be used for Dining Dollars and TECHCash, and in some cases serve as a student’s subway and bus pass.
Students are prohibited from giving their MIT ID card to anyone else.
Students who lose their MIT ID card, or have it stolen, should follow the procedures for card deactivation on the MIT Card Services website. They should also report to the card office (E17-106) to obtain a replacement.
Lost or Stolen Keys
All lost or presumed stolen keys should be reported to the house operations manager or area director immediately. At that time, all locks accessible by that key will be rekeyed immediately. The first time a resident needs a new key(s), they will be charged $30. After the first replacement, the resident may be charged a $150 lock replacement fee.
All keys issued at move-in must be returned to the house operations manager—or as directed—upon checkout or the resident will be charged a lock replacement fee.
Lost or Stolen Access cards
All lost or presumed stolen access cards should be reported to the House Operations Manager or Area Director immediately. Residents will be charged $25 for each replacement access card. All access cards issued to a resident (including a resident’s authorized occupants) must be returned to the House Operations Manager (or as otherwise directed by Housing & Residential Services staff) upon checkout. Residents will be billed for any access cards that are not returned.
Lock-Out Keys
If a resident is locked out of their room, they should go to the front desk and sign out the lock-out key. Students are required to show a valid MIT ID. Under no circumstances shall a room key be given to anyone but the resident of that specific room.
Residents are required to return their lock-out key within 30 minutes of signing out the key. If the key is not returned within 30 minutes, the resident may be fined no less than $30. The fee amount is dependent on how long the key remains signed out past the initial 30-minute period.
If no lock-out key is available, residents should notify their house operations manager or area director. If it is after hours, residents should call (617) 253-1500 and ask for Housing Unit 12.
Additional Key and Card Access Policies for Graduate and Family Housing
Keys will only be issued to the MIT-licensed resident and authorized occupants of the licensed resident’s specific room or unit.
Keys for Authorized Occupants
- At the request of the licensed resident, MIT will issue one key for the resident’s unit, and one access card for the building to each authorized occupant age nine (9) or older.
- Residents are responsible for ensuring that all authorized occupants of their unit are aware of and will abide by all MIT policies, particularly housing and building-specific policies and all safety and security procedures, including evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.
- Keys and access cards are intended solely for use by the licensed resident and their authorized occupants. Authorized occupants are also prohibited from giving their keys to anyone else.
An “authorized occupant” is defined as the spouse, domestic partner, dependent child, or legal dependent of a MIT-licensed resident. For the purposes of this policy, Heads of House are deemed to be MIT-licensed residents. Authorized occupants:
- Must be registered with Housing & Residential Services
- May not live in on-campus housing without the MIT-licensed resident
- May not exceed the maximum occupancy of the resident’s room/unit