We are pleased to announce that we are offering a “Lease Guaranty Program” for Brigham and Women’s Hospital Research Fellows. 

Through the Lease Guaranty Program, BWH will guaranty payment to a landlord under specified circumstances. The Lease Guaranty program does not provide cash or money in any form. The benefit of this program is that instead of a trainee providing an advanced payment, a landlord will accept the Lease Guaranty document and its conditions. In return, a Research Fellow agrees to reimburse BWH for any payment BWH is required to make under the Guaranty.

The Guaranty has been accepted in the past by these properties listed in the Boston area. We are optimistic that the terms of this Guaranty will be acceptable to many other landlords as well.

Eligible Research Fellows may offer the Guaranty to any landlord they wish. If a landlord accepts the terms, a landlord is eligible to participate.

DISCLAIMER: The list of landlords simply represents organizations that have participated in the Lease Guaranty program. Any reference obtained from this list about a specific product or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by BWH.

Lease Guaranty Eligibility

Research Fellows in all Brigham and Women’s Hospital research programs are eligible for this program.

1. 1. To be eligible, the Research Fellow must be appointed by the hospital as a “Research Fellow”.
      
      
   2. The Lease Guaranty document becomes null and void if a Research Fellow is no longer appointed at Brigham and Women’s.
      
      
   3. The term of the Lease Guaranty is for one year with annual renewal rights. The Lease Guaranty document needs to be re-executed every year that a Research Fellow wishes to participate in the program. If the Lease Guaranty document is not renewed with BWH and a Landlord annually, the Guaranty no longer is valid.
      
      

Specific questions regarding the program can be directed to:
BWH Professional Staff Benefits Office
Email: BWHProfStaffBene@partners.org
Tel. 857-307-7077

Lease Guaranty Process and Forms

Process:

1. 1. The Research Fellow (an Applicant) ensures they are eligible for the program.
   2. The Research Fellow obtains information and required forms from their Program Director, the BWH Office for Research Careers Website, the Professional Staff Benefits Office or the Landlord.
   3. A Landlord ensures that the dates on the lease are within a year and the address matches on all the forms. A Landlord signs the Guaranty.
   4. An applicant or a landlord submits all the required signed and dated documents (4 total) in a single email to the BWHProfStaffBene@partners.org inbox.
   5. After all of the information identified above is provided and is verified by the Professional Staff Benefits Office, the submitted Guaranty will be signed and forwarded to the landlord via email.

Required Forms:

• • Your issued Program Offer Letter

• • A completed and signed Indemnity Authorization Form

• • A signed copy of Partners Lease Guaranty Procedure accepting the terms and conditions of the program.

• • A completed Guaranty form with the landlord’s signature, name, address, e-mail and telephone number.

BWH Lease Guaranty Terms and Conditions

1. 1. The Guaranty is capped at $7,000.  Higher levels may be approved on a case-by-case basis.
   2. BWH Professional Staff Benefits Office cannot enter into negotiations with individual landlords. The Guaranty must be acceptable “as is” to the landlord. Still, applicants are asked to notify the Professional Staff Benefits Office with objections they may encounter from landlords. These objections can then be considered when the program is re-assessed and possibly revised in the future, though they cannot be resolved in individual cases.
   3. BWH is making a guaranty to cover certain potential costs that the Tenant would otherwise be obligated to pay. The guaranty does not relieve the Tenant from any lease obligation. The Tenant will reimburse BWH for any payments made by BWH to the Landlord on the Tenant’s behalf.
   4. Tenant/Landlord issues are to be resolved by the Research Fellow and the Landlord. BWH will not become involved in negotiations with the Tenant and the Landlord.  In general, payments to a Landlord will be made on demand (without any evaluation as to the validity of the claim) since the guaranty serves in lieu of funds that would otherwise be held by the Landlord. 
      Payments made by BWH under the guaranty will be deducted from the Research Fellow’s paycheck.
   5. The term of the Lease Guaranty is for one year with annual renewal rights. The Lease Guaranty document needs to be re-executed every year that the Research Fellow wishes to participate in the program. If the Lease Guaranty document is not renewed with BWH and the Landlord annually, the Guaranty no longer is valid.
   6. The Lease Guaranty document becomes null and void if a Research Fellow is no longer appointed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and/or no longer has the “Research Fellow” title.
   7. If dates and/or cost of rent were changed since the Lease Guaranty documents had been signed, a landlord must notify the BWH Professional Staff Benefits Office via email: BWHProfStaffBene@partners.org.

Participating Landlords

List of landlords who currently participate in the lease guaranty program. This list is neither exhaustive nor restrictive; any landlord who agrees to the terms and conditions may participate in the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

I am a non-employee Research Fellow at BWH. Am I eligible?

Yes.

I am a non-employee Research Fellow at a different MGB affiliate. Am I eligible?

No. Contact your institution to see if they participate in a lease guaranty program.

I am a Clinical Research Fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, North Shore Medical Center. Am I eligible?

Yes, the GME has their own program for the Lease Guaranty. Please go to https://www.partners.org/Graduate-Medical-Education/Default.aspx 

I am a full-time Research Fellow at MGH, McLean, MEE, Spaulding, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, North Shore Medical Center and/or other affiliates. Am I eligible?

No. Contact your institution to see if they participate in a lease guaranty program.

I am a full-time/part-time Research Fellow at Brigham and Women’s. Am I eligible?

Yes.

Premises Field

The “Premises” field on all documents must include the full address including its zip code and city/town.

Brokers’ Fees

The Lease Guaranty Program does not cover brokers’ fees. In some instances (for example, off-season) the brokers’ fees or a part of them may be covered by your landlord. There is no requirement that your landlord will chose to offer to share the cost. Please make sure you negotiate or inquire about the brokers’ fees prior to choosing an apartment. The list of participating landlords was developed for the participants to avoid additional fees beyond the brokers’ fees.

Sharing the Lease

If two or more tenants are eligible for the program, the program requires only one name of a responsible Resident/Fellow on the document.  The Lease Guaranty cap is calculated per apartment; therefore, the cap will be $7,000 even if two eligible participants share the apartment.

Dates on the Lease

Please note, the Lease Guaranty is only valid for 1 year with the limited liability of $7,000.

Each lease must have its start date and the end date within a year.

For example,

• • The lease starts on 03/19/2020 and ends on 03/18/2021; or

• • the lease starts on 03/19/2020 and will end any time before 03/18/2021.

Kindly input the date in the following sentence in the required paperwork: “EXECUTED as a sealed instrument by the parties hereto as their duly authorized acts by their duly authorized representatives as of this ______th day of ________, 20xx.

You must resubmit paperwork for each lease even if it is a renewal, i.e. completed Indemnity, Guaranty and Procedure form.

Corrections and Changes:

A landlord must notify all the parties of any changes including the lease start and end dates and the monthly rent.  Date and initial the change.  The modified documents must be emailed to the BWHProfStaffBene@partners.org inbox.

Clarification on Cash:

The Lease Guaranty program does not provide cash or money in any form.  The benefit of this program is that a landlord collects no advance payment from a trainee of any kind and accepts the Lease Guaranty document and its conditions instead.

All disputes are resolved through the BWH Lease office which guarantees payment to the landlord. As a rule, the landlord has his own contract/lease with an applicant in addition to the Lease Guaranty program.