Thefts / Property Damage


All property claims should be reported to the Office of Insurance within 48 hours. If a lost or stolen computer, laptop, smart phone or other portable device might have contained sensitive information, including but not limited to social security numbers, credit card numbers, driver license numbers, please email infoprotect@mit.edu immediately and notify the Property and Insurance offices whenever MIT property is stolen. Please note the personal property of MIT faculty, staff and students is not insured by MIT. In order to seek reimbursement for damaged or stolen MIT equipment, the following information must be submitted to the Office of Insurance:

Theft/Vandalism

  • Copy of the police report;
  • MIT property tag number;
  • Copies of the original purchase orders and or invoices, reflecting the stolen equipment and its specifications;
  • Copies of the replacement purchase order(s), reflecting the account to be credited for reimbursement.

Property Damage

  • Cover letter from the Department notifying the Office of Insurance of the details of the incident;
  • Copies of the original purchase orders/invoice, reflecting the date of purchase, price and specifications of the damaged equipment;
  • MIT property tag number; and,
  • Copies of the repair bills or replacement purchase orders/invoices.

Additional Information

1. There is a $1,000 departmental deductible per occurrence for all thefts or acts of vandalism, unless an MIT Police-approved double-lock system is in place to safeguard the equipment. The following presently qualify as double-lock systems: a) laptops locked within cabinet or desk drawer or within a locked, alarmed office when not in use; b) desktop computers installed or stored behind two locked doors or within a locked, alarmed office. While departments may choose to use cable locking devices, there currently are not theft-deterrent products that are MIT Police-approved. New products are periodically reviewed by MIT police. All Departments, Labs and Centers are responsible for safeguarding MIT owned equipment:

  • Recommendations may be made to increase security. Any security improvements are made solely at the department’s expense;
  • Failure to take any reasonable precautions to mitigate the recurrence of property damage or theft (i.e., same location, same type of occurrence) may result in additional cost sharing (above the deductible) by the department for repairs or replacement of damaged or stolen property;
  • Non-owned equipment in MIT’s care, custody and control must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis;
  • Portable electronic devices, including but not limited to, cell phones and PDAs are not insurable equipment.

2. Portable electronic equipment to include (but not limited to) cameras, camcorders, laptops, projectors, tablets or portable recorders, must be kept within a locked cabinet or desk and within a locked office or within a locked, alarmed office when not in use, to have first dollar ($0 deductible) coverage. Refer to the IS website for more information.

3. Reimbursement for stolen equipment, or equipment damaged beyond repair is based on replacement value. If the department opts to upgrade its equipment following any such loss, reimbursement will still be based on a comparable replacement (less any applicable deductible) for the damaged or stolen equipment. If the department does not plan to replace the stolen or damaged equipment, reimbursement will be based on the actual cash value prior to the loss. Any property damage of $500 or less, or that involves portable electronic devices (cellular phones, pagers, IPADs, etc.) is the responsibility of the department.