Contents
Rentals
WHOI Community Housing Page
A public website containing rentals in the Woods Hole/Falmouth area. Community members can submit advertisements. No rental agencies.
Craigslist
Cape Cod craigslist includes many commercial and private listings.
WHOI Housing Office
The WHOI Housing office is responsible for rental properties owned by WHOI. During the summer, all units are reserved for students participating in formal programs run by the Academic Programs office. At other times of the year they may be available to other guests of the institution.
Examples of rentals used by Joint Program students
In winter 2013, Emily Moberg composed a document containing information contributed by JP students about the houses/apartments they stay in. It includes cost, size and how they found the place.
Realtors
Josh Burton (Village Properties)
Josh is a real estate agent with Village Properties and a Senior Research Assistant in G&G. He will donate 5% of his commission (after closing) earned on all WHOI referrals. Please pass the word around so Josh can pay it forward!
Contact: (508) 566-6405 or JBurton@VillagePropertiesRe.com
Other Realtors
Please fill out the Contact/Submit form if you have suggestions of realtors/agencies you think should be featured on the WHOIKI.
Utilities
Electricity
Eversource (formerly NSTAR) is the electricity supplier for the Cape. Prices are expensive – around $0.21/kwh as of 2014.
Energy Efficiency programs:
Cape Light Compact will do free energy efficiency audits and provide free CFLs to replace incandescent bulbs, and lower flow shower and faucet heads. They will also upgrade insulation – at no charge for tenants and heavily discounted rates for owners. The program is in high demand – but worth the wait! Call (800) 797-6699 to schedule your free home energy assessment today! Also, rebates are available through when you purchase some Energy-Star appliances.
http://www.capelightcompact.org/ee/res/hea/
Natural Gas
Provided by National Grid.
Heating Oil
There are many providers available for heating oil, ranging from contracts that include automatic delivery and annual tune-ups, to will call/cash on delivery orders. See cash on delivery prices at: http://www.newenglandoil.com/massachusetts/zone7.asp?x=0 .
Cape Cod Biofuels
Cape Cod Biofuels provides a mix containing 20% used cooking oil that burns identically to conventional heating oil. They sell cooking oil to local restaurants and then take the used oil back for reuse as biofuel. Prices are on par with or cheaper than conventional oil.
Internet
Comcast is the most common (we avoid saying most popular!) supplier of residential high-speed internet in Falmouth. Buy your own modem to avoid monthly equipment rental fees. Verizon is also available, but the connection speeds are generally much lower (no FIOS on the Cape).
Home repairs
Please fill out the Contact/Submit form if you have suggestions of companies/tradespeople you’d recommend to be featured on the WHOIKI.
Rental information specifically for JP students
Cambridge
MIT Off-Campus Housing Information : http://housing.mit.edu/off_campus/off_campus_housing
JP Apartment at Sid-Pac
Website: http://mit.whoi.edu/housing
WHOI based students who need to work at MIT have the option to use an apartment in the Sidney-Pacific graduate dorm at MIT. This setup is possible largely due to the hard work of Paola Rizzoli and former student reps. If used and taken care of, the apartment can be a great resource for JP students. As the student reps, we have been charged with drafting housing policies, implementing a reservations system, organizing furniture, etc. Please remember that we are not WHOI Housing, nor are we MIT Housing. Feel free to send us comments or suggestions for improvement.
Who can use the apartment?
The apartment is for Joint Program students who don’t reside near MIT. Nobody else is permitted to stay in the apartment – no spouses, friends, family members, pets, imaginary friends, or guests of any kind.
How do I arrange use of the apartment?
Before your first stay, fill out the Licensing Agreement, and complete the Notification Form every time thereafter. Please make an effort to fill out the Notification Form and request a key at least several days before your planned stay. Last minute trips happen, but you risk not having enough time to coordinate a key transfer. At WHOI, a key to the apartment can be borrowed from a student rep. If all of these keys are out, there is a backup key held by APO, with Lea Fraser. At MIT, contact Ronni Schwartz or use the key kept at the front desk in SidPac (open between the hours of 7:30am and midnight). Unfortunately, the front desk key does not come with a building access card due to security reasons, so you may want to plan accordingly. Keys should not leave the MIT-WHOI area- if you are using the apartment before a flight, please use the front desk key, or contact Jay Brett or another student rep to ensure the key is picked up from the apartment. Please return keys promptly after your stay.
Bunk Assignments
The apartment has two bedrooms, each with 2 twin beds. First come, first serve, but please be mindful of others using the apartment. It is difficult to anticipate who will show up, but please be proactive and willing to switch rooms such that one room is designated for each sex. Before going to bed, use the door signs to indicate how many people are in the room to lessen the chances of someone arriving late and disturbing your sleep.
Laundry
You are encouraged to bring your own sheets/sleeping bag and towel for your stay, but there will be 2 bedding sets (sheets, pillow cases, and blankets) and 2 towels available for the apartment. If you’ve used the JP linens, throw used items in the hamper. If no clean sheets are available, there is laundry detergent in the apartment. SidPac has a laundry room on the first floor, down the hall from the elevators (Room 190). Laundry can be paid for with cash or with a TechCash card. Obviously, it’s not always practical to wash one set of sheets after one use, so please consider leaving some change for whoever does the next load of laundry if you’ve used the JP common bedding.
Personal Belongings
You may or may not want to leave personal items in the apartment (sheets, towel, shampoo, etc.). If you do leave something for future use, it must be clearly labeled with your name. This includes your toiletries; the small army of travel sized shampoo/lotion/toothpaste can get out of hand quickly. There will be masking tape and a Sharpie in the apartment for you to use accordingly. Get a bag, throw your junk in it, and clearly label the bag if you want it to stay in the apartment. Things accumulate over the years and will be thrown out if they do not have an owner who is currently in the Joint Program.
Cooking and Cleaning
The apartment has 1 bathroom and a full kitchen.
Cooking: As someone who is staying in the apartment, you are welcome to cook to your heart’s desire for yourself or others staying in the apartment; you may not cook dinner and have outside people over for a dinner party. A refrigerator is provided for your use while you are there. Do not leave any food in the fridge when you are done with your stay. If anything perishable has been left behind unlabeled in the fridge and nobody else is staying in the apartment, feel free to throw it away. Dry goods are fine if there is space in the cabinets, but please make sure they are well sealed.
Cleaning: We do not have a cleaning service for the apartment. With so many people using the apartment, the fouling potential is high. We need your help. The basic rule here is to clean up after yourself. There will be cleaning supplies in the apartment. If you cook, do your dishes and put things away. If the bathroom needs cleaning, clean it. If the floors need vacuuming, there is a vacuum in the apartment. You as an individual do not need to scrub the entire apartment each time you stay there, but if everyone cleans up after themselves and does a tiny bit extra, the apartment will stay reasonably clean.
Trash
Trash must be removed from the apartment before you leave. Just tie up the bag and place it outside the apartment, in the hallway. Put in a new trashcan liner. There are also designated recycling bins in the common areas down the hall. Do not leave any trash inside the apartment after your stay
Bikes
Bikes are not to be brought inside the apartment. We are provided lockable storage in the basement of the apartment. This is where bikes must be kept.
Parking
No parking is available at the apartment building. There is public parking on Memorial Drive, or a temporary MIT parking pass can be acquired from Ronni Schwartz or APO.
Feedback
After each stay, if there are cleanliness issues, broken furniture, or supplies lacking, and you were not able to take care of it, please let us know so these problems don’t grow out of control. The apartment is a great resource and probably only needs minimal upkeep if everyone uses it responsibly.
