When I came to do my Master’s at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, I didn’t know anything about apartment situations in Florida. Where to stay, what the leasing options were, how to share apartments with fellow students- I had lots of questions with little answers.
The University of Florida is highly ranked University in the nation. It’s one of the most beautiful, too. Every year many students around the globe come here to get their higher degrees.
But if you are looking for a reasonable apartment to stay here, there are many considerations you should think about.
In this article, I will talk in detail about the considerations, pricing, things you need to know about the best possible options to stay in Gainesville as a student.
What to keep in mind when looking for a student apartment in Gainesville, FL:
There are certain things you absolutely need to remember when you look for a student apartment. For example, I took sublease from a student in Stoneridge apartments in GNV, but didn’t know the lease there is combined with other students! Meaning, if there are 3 students, and you take over lease from one of them, then you take responsibility of all the three students’ costing. Meaning, if one of them leaves, then the other two has to cover his rent or find a new roommate! This is for many of the apartments here. But if you choose to sign a lease that will only belong to you and also want to stay in a shared apartment, Stoneridge is not for you!
Similarly, you will need to examine the insect situation. Some apartments are very prone to cockroaches and similar types of insects and the maintenance don’t put pesticides very often.
Pricing, maintenance, common spaces, staff behaviors, communication to the University are some of the points you need to think before you choose one apartment. I’ll talk about these for each apartment here.
Sharing a room vs having a 1×1:
Most students who come here usually stay in a shared apartment. The main reason is cost obviously, but when you stay in a collective environment, you get tighter security. The reason is, because of influx of huge Indian and Chinese students, they stay together and form beautiful communities. If you need any kind of help, it’s easy to get because many previously has faced same kinds of problem already.
Caution: Look for the leasing terms carefully
Leasing terms are very crucial for the tenants, especially here. In one leasing term at Stoneridge, they told us that we shouldn’t make any noise and could evict us if they even found a simple scratch on the wall. You should carefully review the lease terms and conditions irrespective of which apartment you choose.
In a hurry? These are our two best picks….
- Best for shared apartment but individual lease: BLVD Apartments in Gainesville(Formerly Niche), 4000 SW 37th BLVD, FL 32608. Best pricing, amazing community, individual leases for rooms, and nice stuff. With main road.
- Best for groups of 3-4 friends: Lexington Crossing. If you are looking for a beautiful, cheap and silent place a bit off the road, this is for you. Cheap rates, quick maintenance, good bus connectivity to the University, good community of students. 3700 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608
Best student apartments to rent in Gainesville, FL
Because of the proximity to the University of Florida, there are plenty of student apartments in the central streets of the City(such as 37th, 34th, and 27th St, etc). I’ll go through some notable ones. Let’s begin.
BLVD Gainesville(Formerly Niche)
This apartment has separate lease for each room of the apartment. It means you have to worry only about the lease of your room. This is rare for student apartments. In limited price, this will offer you resort style swimming pool(the swimming pool is really good, you can lay down on the chairs anytime you want), high end gym facilities, spacious common space, playground etc. Also, the package arriving facility is state of the art. It has excellent Indian student community. 15 minutes in the bus no 12 from UF to reach the apartment. Walmart, target, Publix all big chains are in walking distance. Staffs are also very friendly and communicative. If you have budget around $450-500 monthly for a room and want to stay close to the University and markets, you can choose it closing your eyes.
Where: 4000 SW 37th BLVD, FL-32608
Lease: Separate lease for each room in a shared apartment
Price range: $550 for Master bed+bath in 4×3, $630 for Master bed and bath in 3×2
Amenities: Fully furnished apartment, swimming pool, high-quality gym, high-end common space
Close proximity to both markets and the University. Quick maintenance and helpful stuff.
StoneRidge Apartments in Gainesville
If you are a group of friends looking for a place to stay close to the University of Florida, close to the main 34th St, and looking for a combined lease, then this may be a good one for you. This apartment has a combined lease-meaning there is only one lease for a group of tenants. If someone leaves at any point of time of the lease, he/she has to find a new person to cover for the rent. Otherwise, the remaining two tenants have to pay for the leaving person. It does not have modern swimming pools like BLVD apts. There is a pond but it’s not well maintained. The gym facilities are also not up-to-date. Another problem with this apartment is that individual rooms don’t have door locks.
If you’re a private person and don’t like parties, the door may be an issue for you. Sometimes, the behavior of the staff are annoying. They tell that they are doing something(such as a lease transfer), but it takes 3-4 weeks to do that. You’ve to continuously push them. Inside the kitchen, there are roach problems also(in recent time they are trying to solve this).
Where: 3800 SW 34th Street, FL-32608
Lease: Combined lease for 3 tenants
Price range: $1565 for 3 persons(3×3) , $522 for each
Amenities: Spacious rooms, beautiful spaces among buildings, good package facility
Cons: Apartments are not furnished, no swimming pool, gym not updated, slow maintenance, bug problem, no door lock for individual rooms.
Lexington Crossing Gainesville
If you are looking for an apartment slightly away from the main roads(like 34th or 37th), in a countryside environment that provides good value for your money, Lexington Crossing is a good fit for you. It possesses highly rated reviews from its previous tenants. Modern resort-style swimming pools, 2 fitness centers, a playground, and an exclusive bus to the campus are the best features. However, some tenants complain that the kitchen space for 3×3 or 4×4 is small compared to other apartments. The markets like Walmart, Target, and Deshi Bazaar are close. Maintenance is quick and responsive. The Internet is sometimes slow. As it’s cheaper than other options, it provides good value for your money.
Where: 3700 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608
Lease: Combined lease for 3-4 tenants
Price: $615+ per room for 4×4, $665+ per room for 3×3
Amenities: Fully furnished apartments, good neighborhood, resort-style swimming pools, 2 fitness centers, a playground, quick maintenance, and an exclusive bus to the campus
Cons: Internet is slow, vendors don’t respond quickly, and kitchen is too small for 3-4 persons
Cabana Beach Apartments
If you want to stay a bit away from the University environment but close to the markets like Walmart, Target, then you can choose Cabana Beach apartments. The problem with this apartment is that the maintenance is not quick and helpful, and the office staff are not welcome at all after you sign the lease. Another complaint is that the insulation between the apartments is not strong enough. Even at 3 AM, you can hear sounds from around the room, from every direction. Insects, especially roaches, are a big problem.
The neighborhood is not the safest. In terms of amenities, they provide a good swimming pool, gym, and basketball court, but considering every other aspect, I won’t put this as a top suggestion of mine. If you have a very low budget, you can consider this, but keep in mind the above consequences.
Where: 1601 SW 51st Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32607
Lease: Individual and combined lease for 3-4 tenants, both available
Price: $535 per room in 4×4, $569 per room in 4×4(Premium)
Amenities: A good swimming pool, 24-hour fitness center, basketball court
Cons: Insulation between rooms is not good, there are some roach problems, office staff are not very friendly, maintenance is not quick, and the neighborhood is not the safest at all.
University Commons Gainesville
This apartment is just beside the UF campus- some say it’s inside the lap of the UF. Being just with Archer Road, it is one of the best-placed apartments in Gainesville. It has an individual lease option and a roommate matching program that gives you a chance to select a suitable apartment-mate. The premise is extremely beautiful with natural light and green trees all around. Apartments are fully furnished. Like other good apartments, it has a swimming pool(and they keep it open for most of the time) and a high-end fitness center.
For a low budget, for single students, this is an ideal option. The rooms are insect-free, too. The only complain is that the maintenance is slightly slow to respond at times(sometimes they are fast of course). The people at the reception are very friendly. From previous tenants, it has considerably good reviews. If you are on a budget and looking for a place to study near campus, this is a very good option for you.
Where: 2601 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville, FL 32608
Lease: Individual lease, roommate matching available
Price: $549 per room in 4×2, $699 per room in 2×1
Amenities/Positives: Fully furnished apartments, very close to the campus, reasonably cheap, beautiful location, spacious common space, supportive staff, swimming pool, 24-hour fitness center, excellent for single students. Has a wonderful student community, too.
Cons: Rooms in the 4×2 apartments are somewhat smaller than average size. Most of the rooms in 2×1 and 4×2 share bathrooms, and maintenance is sometimes slow to respond.
West20/On20 Apartments Gainesville
Only 0.19 miles away from the UF campus, West20 apartments balance students’ affordability with luxury. Rent is reasonable considering the location, and the apartment provides all modern amenities like a swimming pool and gym. Grocery stores like India Bazaar, Deshi Bazaar, and Walmart are all close to the apartment. The neighborhood is scenic and safe.
However, the Internet is sometimes slow, and the support staff are not very helpful at times. Also, the maintenance request takes a long time to be solved. The insulation between the rooms is also not strong.
Where: 3527 SW 20th Ave Gainesville, FL 32607
Leasing: Individual(per person per room) lease available
Price: $650 per room in 4×4, $675 per room in 3×3
Amenities/Positives: Apartments are fully furnished, affordable for students, close to campus(direct bus route) and necessary stores, clubhouse, swimming pool, and fitness center. The neighborhood is safe with CCTV monitoring.
Cons: Maintenance is not quick to solve important issues, and the Internet is sometimes very slow.
Hideaway Gainesville
If you prefer to stay far from campus for some reason, this is a good option. This is the farthest student apartment from the UF campus. The advantage of it is that it’s an ideal place for bookworms-if you love to study in a silent environment far from the crowd, this may be good for you.
The price starts from $540 in a 4×4, which is affordable for single students. Apartments are furnished, which means you get a table, chair, and a queen bed with your move-in package. An in-unit laundry and dryer are also available. However, many previous tenants complained about unstable WiFi internet connection and mismanagement of requests to the leasing office.
Where: 2800 SW Williston Rd, Gainesville, FL 32608
Leasing options: Individual leasing and roommate matching available
Price: $540 for a room in 4×4, $609 for a room in 3×3
Amenities/Positives: Silent, far from campus, direct bus route to the campus is available, fully furnished apartment, affordable for single students
Cons: WiFi instability issue, sometimes leasing office is slow to respond, noise problem around the apartment
These are all you need to know about student apartments in Gainesville, Florida. Although your living experience will depend on apartment facilities, good roommates are also very important. If any apartment offers a roommates matching program, try to use that carefully to get some good roommates whose habits match with yours. That will ease your life a lot.
