Tenants Say Harvard Rents Illegally to Businesses, Cover-Up Denied at Recent Fact-Finding Hearing

Tenants at a Harvard-owned building in Harvard Square are complaining about recently announced plans to improve the building.

Also at issue at the property is whether any wrongdoing took place when Harvard Real Estate rented two apartments to commercial clients despite rent control restrictions on the use of the property.

Tenants claim that Harvard Real Estate knowingly rented residential units to commercial clients despite a city rule which forbids rent-controlled units from being leased for non-residential purposes without a special permit.

Two Harvard Square stores, Ferranti-Dege camera store and J. August clothiers, currently rent apartments at the Massachusetts Avenue property.

A special fact-finding hearing was held last week to investigate tenant complaints and look into whether Harvard Real Estate tried to hide the non-residential clients.

The nameplate directory at the base of the building recently had the label for apartment 209 changed from "Ferranti-Dege" to "A. C. Ferranti," the name of the store's owner. Also, "J. August" was changed to "D. Baron," according to residents.

A Harvard representative claimed that the directory was out-dated and that the superintendant was supposed to have changed it.

"They flatly denied lying, they claimed the names on the board have always been like they are," said one tenant who did not attend the hearing.

A report on the case will be issued for a hearing before the Cambridge Rent Control Board in eight weeks.

Tenants also have complaints about their landlord's plans for improving the property. Capital improvements allow property owners to raise their controlled rents.

Harvard Real Estate has recently announced that it plans to replace the current elevator in the building with a newer one. However, some tenants say that there is no need for a new elevator and that it is merely a way to raise rents in the building.

"We know that it will be exceedingly expensive," said a tenant who asked to remain anonymous. "We don't want a new elevator and we don't want a rent increase."

Another tenant, who also asked to have name withheld, said that she did not think that the elevator was entirely safe, especially with the extra strain that the commercial renters caused.