Across 17 freshman dormitories and 13 upperclassmen residential buildings, Harvard undergraduates have the privilege of guaranteed housing during their four years on campus. However, graduate students, faculty, and University affiliates struggle to find housing as Harvard’s property acquisitions distort the Cambridge and Allston markets.
Harvard University Housing owns approximately 2,900 apartments and 100 buildings, serving as the landlord for over 5,400 tenants. Such residential accommodations are available to all full-time Harvard graduate students, faculty, and other University affiliates. To HUH, there is a central goal to this mass possession. “Finding housing and moving can be a huge challenge. Harvard University Housing is here to help with exceptional housing services for buying, selling, or renting in Cambridge and across Greater Boston,” HUH explains.
Their mission to offer affordable residential accommodations conveniently located near campus is seemingly perfect in areas where real estate prices are incredibly steep and land is difficult to come by. However, as a nonprofit owning such a considerable portion of land across Cambridge and Allston, HUH detracts from city resources, particularly through its tax exemption. Moreover, HUH unfairly dictates property costs for community businesses, gives the University immense power over its tenants, and shapes a system where only some individuals benefit from their services.
As a resident of 5 Copperwaite St., Economics Ph.D candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Jeffrey Yang was lucky to secure a unit in such a coveted building. “These kinds of units are in relatively high demand amongst the grad students, so not everyone is able to get them,” Yang reflected in an interview with the Independent. “There’s a bunch of people in my department who live in this same unit, so I think we’re all kind of relatively fortunate.”
Most students are not so fortunate. Student displacement at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed HUH’s tumultuous landlord practices. Between March 10 and 22, 2020, all students living in Harvard Law School housing were instructed to vacate immediately. For the international and low-income student population who needed residential options during this time, such a notice left them stranded.
“That put a lot of students into panic, anxiety, emotional distress,” HLS student Felipe Hernandez said in a 2020 interview with the Harvard Crimson. “Students couldn’t sleep overnight, couldn’t eat. People broke down crying because they thought that they had to move out as early as Friday.”
While most landlords must give their tenants 30-day notice before revoking housing, Harvard tailored its contracts to resemble licensing rather than rental agreements, meaning these “evictions” were fully within the University’s jurisdiction. Furthermore, since HUH controls most of the properties in the area, there are few alternatives for individuals hoping to find increasingly stable options.
These issues affect more than just University affiliates.
As a nonprofit, HUH is exempt from paying taxes on its holdings, meaning its extensive properties do not contribute to Cambridge and Allston’s taxable real estate profits. Some argue that, although the city cannot levy taxes on buildings used for educational purposes, Harvard’s expansive portfolio now extends far beyond its academic mission. Critics have contended that not only has the University shifted their goals from institutional advancement to real estate investments, but its acquisitions are now also driving up real estate prices and rents in the area.
In 1997, The Daily Pennsylvanian revealed Harvard’s eight-year effort to spend $88 million obtaining 52.6 acres of land in Allston. While these land gains are advantageous for the University, they have adverse effects on neighboring communities who struggle to find affordable housing in a now depleted market. When questioned about their motives at the time, then-Vice President of Harvard Administration Sally Zeckauser had clear reasons for the purchase. “It is essential, with an educational institution, to ensure that there are enough physical resources to sustain future academic programs,” Zeckhauser explained. Thus, in her eyes, these holdings were “an investment in the future of both Harvard and Allston.”
These problems persist. In an interview with The Boston Globe in 2021, Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon commented that Allston is at risk of becoming “a playground for folks who are mostly white people who have a lot of money,” with Harvard already owning close to one-third of the city.
“I haven’t seen this level of frustration in the neighborhood in over 10 years,” Breadon continued. “[Harvard is] doing this one project at a time … [It] really is a war of attrition.”
However, recent developments may offer a solution to this real estate market crisis influenced by HUH.
On Feb. 10, the Cambridge City Council reformed existing zoning mandates and legalized the construction of four-story buildings, with an additional two-story bonus for qualifying units. This ruling represents a significant shift in the city’s limited affordable residential accommodations, with this change projected to add 3,590 homes. Eight out of nine councilors were in support of this amendment.
“You know, we are going through a housing crisis. It’s the No. 1 issue from everyone from the governor to the former Vice President Harris, former President Obama, to all of our senators. A huge part of that is building housing and actually allowing for that in a way that really means something and will lead to change,” Councilor Burhan Azeem said in an interview with Cambridge Day.
Community members compounded the councilor’s sentiment. “With housing scarce and costs exploding, it’s clear that real action is needed to allow more housing to be built here in Cambridge,” local resident Ty Wilson added.
While these comments suggest the reform will have rapid benefits for general Cambridge residents, Harvard affiliates will have to see how this dramatic change in housing volume affects their relationship with HUH. It is unclear whether HUH plans on acquiring up-and-coming buildings or if they will leave new construction open to the public market. However, most graduate students, faculty, and other University affiliates are likely waiting, hoping this amendment will open the door for more sustainable residential options.
Sara Kumar ’27 (sjkumar@college.harvard.edu) is the News Editor of the Independent.