INDIVIDUAL HOUSING CONTRACTS

Individual housing contracts are contracts when you pay for your own bedroom. Under this housing contract, you are only responsible for your own room, bathroom and common areas. If any damage occurs in this area, you may be financially obligated to pay, while you are not accountable for any damages done in your roommates’ rooms. Also, with an individual housing contract, you are only required to ensure your installment payments get paid monthly and it will not matter if your roommates paid or not.

There are disadvantages to this form of housing contracts. Because you are not liable under an individual housing contract, your landlord will have to assume this financial responsibility. Therefore, they will then raise your monthly installment payments to offset the cost. When a tenant refuses to pay, only that individual will be evicted. Following eviction, the landlord holds the right to place any new renter in their place.

The Standard at Gainesville, luxury apartments in Gainesville, offers a roommate matching option to ensure you will live with students who you will most likely get along with.

JOINT HOUSING CONTRACTS

Some UF apartments offer joint housing contracts which are also known as “by the apartment” contracts. They describe a contract in which every individual within an apartment is responsible for the total cost of the unit. This includes installment payments, utilities and upkeep. If any roommate is unable to pay for their portion of the installment payments or decides to move out unexpectedly without paying, the remaining roommates will be legally responsible for paying the difference. The same is true for utilities, which will also mean that if your roommates use more energy than you do, you will be responsible for covering it anyway. If any accidents occur in any of the rooms, whether it is your room, a roommate’s or a common area, all of you will need to finance the repairs.

However, because this is a much safer option for landlords, your installment payments will be significantly cheaper than equivalent units. You will also be guaranteed to get the roommates you want without the risk of living with strangers.

RENTING IN GAINESVILLE, FL

If decide to sign a joint housing contract, you will have one flat monthly rate to pay for your UF housing. It will be the responsibility of you and your roommates to figure out how the money will be divided. This is an easy task if your rooms all are the same size and each of you have the same amenities. However, it can become more difficult if two of you share a room, or one person has a bigger closet. An installment payment calculator may be a helpful resource to determine a fair and objective price for each person to pair.

Due to the large number of students, the University of Florida is not able to provide housing for everyone. Therefore, they do offer resources to help students find the right apartments in Gainesville for them. UF offers a thorough Gator Guide that helps students determine what form of housing they are looking for, what factors to consider when living off campus and fun things to do within Gainesville. Further, they have an Off Campus Housing Service to match you with the right apartment for your preferences.