Housing: Off Campus
Things to Consider When Looking For Off-Campus Housing
- Application Deposits - Your application should state if a deposit is refundable.
- Cost - Ask for utility costs, pest control, and other fees when determining total cost of the dwelling.
- Location - Think transportation convenience and safety. Is there good lighting? Are there sidewalks? Is class in walking or biking distance?
- Maintenance and Repairs - Is the dwelling in Gainesville City or in Alachua County? Gainesville Codes Enforcement protects tenants by enforcing housing codes and will order landlords to make repairs on request. Alachua County Codes Enforcement generally doesn’t inspect occupied rental properties.
- Models
- Always insist on seeing the actual apartment, occupied or not.
- Check for new paint, clean looking and smelling rugs, and wall holes.
- Appliances should be functional and clean.
- Make sure electrical outlets and fans are functional and not loose; loose electrical outlets are fire hazards.
- Water outlets should not leak, water should not be too hot or too cold, drains should not stop up, and toilets should flush properly.
- Each window should have at least two types of lock.
- Main doors should have deadbolts and peep holes.
- Check air conditioning and bills and learn efficient A/C use.
- Security
- Is the complex or apartment security approved to meet local standards to deter forced entry? (See if the property is a part of the Voluntary Residential Inspection Program.)
- Corridors and walkways should be adequately lit.
- Crime reports from Gainesville or Alachua County police should be reviewed for the apartment and area.
- Fire extinguishers should be charged and accessible.
- Fire alarms should be installed and tested.
- Electrical outlets, switches, fans and appliances should be checked for secure wiring and proper operation
Before You Sign A Lease...
Do...
- Read and understand the lease.
- Prepare to pay full not just your part of the rent.
- Get a copy of lease rules and regulations.
- Repairs and improvements must be written into the lease and signed by the landlord.
- Keep lease copy.
- Insist on seeing the actual dwelling.
- Clear permission for pets.
- Clear maintenance responsibility when renting a house or duplex.
Don’t...
- Sign a lease unless prepared to pay all months.
- Sign a lease unless all roommates are prepared to pay all months.
- Have a parent sign the lease agreeing to pay rent.
- Sign a lease that automatically renews.
- Allow a clause giving unlimited access to the premises without notice or consent.
- Sign based on a model apartment.
- Sign before visiting the neighborhood at various times of the day to observe activity.
- Sign before all negotiations are placed in the lease and signed by the landlord.
A lease is a contract — check the terms of the contract. If you don’t like the terms, don’t sign. There are many other rental units and complexes that may have better deals.
Important points to consider...
- You can’t just walk out on a lease in exchange for forfeiting your security deposit.
- Gainesville’s current rental market means you will likely be sued unless acceptable replace ment tenants fill the remainder of your lease.
- Security deposits, court costs, landlord and personal attorney fees, and rent for the remaining months of your lease may be forfeited if you lose in court for breaking your lease.
- Check your lease first for guidelines on terminating a lease early. Don’t sign the lease if the guidelines for terminating seem inappropriate or inflexible to your needs.
- Usually a landlord cannot unreasonably withhold consent to an assignment or sublease.
- A reasonable sublet fee may be charged even when acceptable replacement tenants are provided. This fee should be outlined in your lease. If the fee does not seem reasonable, don’t sign.
- You normally will be liable for rent not paid by your replacements.
- If you are being released, get it in writing!
- No more than three unrelated individuals may live in a single family house.