Do you get what you pay for with student housing?

Mold issue present at Adams Pointe. Photo courtesy Eryn Thompson

Moving off campus after freshman year seems like a big deal for students. Your first real apartment, no shared rooms, a nice kitchen area. Apartments give students a chance at adulting for possibly the first time.

Having an apartment gives students the opportunity to have a nice living space where they can be a student and also have a sense of privacy.

For students living in the Tallahassee area, their apartment can either be a gift from God or a nightmare from hell.

The rent prices in Tallahassee are cheap compared to many other cities in Florida. But with cheap rents, are students getting all they pay for?

According to RentCafe.com, the average rent price in Orlando, is about $1,700 for 963 square feet. In Tallahassee you can pay $1,300 and get 1043 square feet.

The average student housing rent can range from $400-$1,000 depending on the complex location and room layout.

On the webpage for Seminole Grand apartment complex, it offer two, three and four-bedroom apartments. They have 1,157 units available for students. Rent prices differ by layout but what’s included in the rent price? Is it a safe community?

On Sept. 16, a man was found dead after an early morning shooting in the Seminole Grand complex.

How can students focus on being students if they have to worry about gun violence where they live? Are there more than “just students” living in these complexes?

For FAMU alumna Zia Williams, living in student housing has been a stressful experience.

Williams, who stays in The Pointe at Adams Place, aka Adams Pointe, has had to deal with a multitude of issues since 2019. Adams Pointe is about five minutes away from FAMU’s campus on the south side of Tallahassee.

Williams’ rent was $430, which did not include utilities, cable or internet.

Earlier this year Adams Pointe went through a short period of time where there was no property manager or leasing agents working in the office. During this time residents’ internet services were cut off, trash pickup was not available, and neither were mail services.

Williams is also dealing with mold issues in her apartment. To make things even worse, maintenance has been slow to resolve issues which makes living there challenging.

After paying $430 at the beginning of each month, Williams does not believe she is getting her money’s worth.

There are more students like Williams who also have to deal with incompetent apartment complexes.

Darwin Phillips, an agribusiness student who stays near campus, lives in a complex run by Off Campus Housing.

OCH has a 2.8 star rating on Google review. A review on Google calls for “NEW MANAGEMENT PLEASE PLEASE,” from a former resident.

Phillips pays $550 which includes furniture and that’s pretty much it. Utilities, cable and internet are separate. The complex doesn’t have a pool, gym or basketball courts like some other complexes offer.

“I don’t really think I’m getting my money’s worth,” Phillips said. ”Things in the unit are broken and they don’t fix it.”

It is unfortunate that some students have to worry about their safety in their complexes but for others their living arrangements aren’t that bad.

Christian Wise, who lives at the Venetian, says that he “definitely is getting what he pays for.”

The Venetian, is a pet friendly student living complex about five minutes from Florida A&M’s campus. It is located near Ocala Road northeast of campus. Amenities offered at the Venetian include a pool, basketball courts, 24 hour fitness center, a TV lounge and a community room.

Wise pays $530 for rent each month and is satisfied with that price. Included in the rent are utilities, furniture and a washer and dryer unit.

After a few calls to complexes across the city, information regarding rental pricing and how rent was based was unattainable. Complexes promised to return calls but they did not.