Welcome to Family Housing

Family Housing Application Form
Family Housing Manual

Campus Links
Office of Family Resources
Center for Early Childhood Education and Care

Dear Prospective Applicant,

The following information will give you an overview of important information regarding the policies and resources of Family Housing at UMass Amherst. Our primary goal is to provide comfortable, attractive, safe, well-maintained, and affordable apartments to students and staff members affiliated with the University.

Family Housing offers offer one-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom apartments, which are all located in North Village. Family Housing also has 12 one-bedroom apartments modified for the physically disabled. In accordance with the Massachusetts State Sanitary Code, the total number of people residing in a North Village apartment may not exceed three for a one-bedroom apartment and four for a two-bedroom apartment.

To be eligible to live in Family Housing, you must be married, in a domestic partnership (which has been registered with the Dean of Students Office), or have legal custody of a dependent child/children prior to being offered an apartment. To be on the waiting list, you must be officially enrolled as a full-time student working towards a degree. A copy from the Dean of Students Office of your Statement of Domestic Partnership or a copy of your marriage certificate and/or birth certificate(s) of your child/children must be on file with your application at the Family Housing Office. Applicants with children will be required to provide Family Housing with a copy of their children’s original birth certificate upon applying for housing. It is unlawful for Family Housing to make copies of birth certificates. For this reason, applicants must provide the copies themselves. If you are offered and accept an apartment, you will need to bring in the original birth certificate(s) so we can verify the documents on file. If you are a newly accepted UMass Amherst student, please send a copy of your acceptance letter.

The following items are important to know before filling out an application. All apartments in Family Housing include basic utilities (including heat and electricity) and HSCN-Cable TV. To park near your apartment, a permit must be obtained for an additional fee from Parking Services. Parking is not included with your rent and is an additional fee. For North Village, the U.S. Postal Service will charge a non-refundable $25.00 to secure a key to the Apartment P.O. Box. Laundry facilities are located on the premises for your convenience. Pets are prohibited in the apartments. Washing machines, clothes dryers and dishwashers are not allowed. Subletting is not permitted.

A University owned telecommunications system serves all University of Massachusetts' housing units. The University provides local telephone service and voice mail, high-speed internet (DSL) and cable TV to all tenants. For reasons of public safety, University telephone service is required of all units. The charge for the entire telecommunications service is $30 per month. You are responsible for furnishing your apartment with a touch-tone telephone set (telephone and line cord). Your apartment telephone service includes such features as local service, voice mail, call waiting, call transfer, conference calling and call diversion. There is no charge to activate your telephone service. Detailed information about how to use the telephone system and its more advanced features can be found at www.oit.umass.edu/guides/students.html.

Throughout the year, Family Housing offers apartments to eligible students and staff based on their priority on the waiting list. Please be aware that the demand for Family Housing apartments far exceeds the number of apartments available; therefore, it is important that you decide quickly. An offer of an apartment is made through email. Once you have an offer, you are given 48 hours in which to decide whether to accept. Payment will commence on the day of acceptance, if the unit is ready for occupancy.

It is important to understand that due to our extensive waiting list it may not be possible to offer you housing for the time period you have indicated. The waiting list is made current by emailing waiting list applicants asking if they still seek an on-campus family housing option and wish to remain on the list. If we do not get an email response by the requested date, the waiting applicant is dropped from the list. Therefore it is extremely critical to tell the Family Housing Office of ANY email address change that has been made since you have applied to Family Housing. After you apply, it is your responsibility to make sure to notify us of the email address change as soon as it is made so we can assure that you remain on the waiting list.

The University reserves the right to deny housing in any residence hall or apartment unit to any individual who has been convicted of a felony involving bodily harm to persons, damage to property, or the sale or distribution of illegal drugs. The Dean of Students, who will make the final decision, will review specific cases on a case by case basis.

For a listing of other apartment complexes in the local area, visit the University of Massachusetts Amherst Off Campus Housing website: www.umoch.org/areaAPTComplexes.php

General Assistance for Off Campus Housing
Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm
235 Whitmore Administration Building
Tel: 413-577-2187
Email: OCH@gw.housing.umass.edu

For family support services on campus and throughout the greater Amherst area, please visit The Office of Family Resources website at www.umass.edu/ofr

For information about the Center for Early Childhood Education and Care and other child care programs visit www.umass.edu/ofr/education.php

Additional Questions?
Call Family Housing at (413) 545-3115 or email family.housing@housing.umass.edu.