University Commons — Local services in Gainesville

As of today, I have officially moved out of my four bedroom, two bathroom apartment at University Commons. I lived here for two years with three other friends of mine, and our experience here was… rough, to say the least. Let me start off by saying some good things about the place. The location was wonderful, community events were lovely and entertaining, giveaways and other events were fun, and the property manager and her team were kind and helpful people whenever we had issues. However, we had a lot of issues. Our unit was not in good shape. We did our best to take care of it, but problems arose again and again. Both bathrooms had ceilings leak due to our unfortunate upstairs neighbors misusing their own bathroom (it was a privately owned unit, because apparently that happens here, so the property manager couldn’t really make them stop). This caused mold growth and even holes to break open multiple times which resulted in very long repairs and rough living conditions. We even had a ceiling leak in our kitchen. Another thing we noticed about our unit in particular is the fact that we did not have as nice of a unit as some of our other friends who lived in another building. Our counters were old, chipped, burnt, and stained in different spots. Furthermore, there were so many things that were simply painted over! For example, a sticker on my bedroom door with the letter A on it insinuating that I was bedroom A that was painted over! One of our bathroom sinks were completely painted over! Towel racks, and other bars in the bathroom… painted over! It was so bad that the floors had paint spots on them that never came out. Our windows were leaky in bad storms, my bedroom door kept catching my bedroom rug and pulling it up, the laundry list goes on. Some shady people living there too, like my unfortunate upstairs neighbors, and some other older crowds of people who are definitely not students. I can’t speak for the entire complex, but our unit was definitely an unfortunate one… but like I said, the property manager and her team did help us get repairs whenever issues arose and were quick with it, even compensating us for our troubles. I greatly appreciate them and do feel bad to write about the negativity I felt for the apartment, because if it were service alone, 5 stars! The team is great! Sadly, though, the repairs and great responses and help weren’t enough because most of the issues persisted despite the repairs. We eventually just gave up on trying to get them taken care of… I guess at the end of the day you get what you pay for. But again, the people were great and so was the location. All I hope is that they handle renovations better going forward, and that hopefully it was just a case of an unlucky unit and not everyone had similar issues.

Oh also don’t expect much of the amenities. Super small gym with gear stolen from it, and the pool gets...

I signed a year lease, 2019 to 2020, during college. For the price of rent ($475 a month when I signed, now $500) the apartment was reasonable and good, compared to other places with rent hundreds of dollars more a month.

The Good: There is two bus stops super close to the complex that come all the time and the bus ride into campus is quick, about 8/10 minutes. There is TONS of parking with no decal or assigned parking. This was super helpful when I had friends over, since they could park anywhere and not worry about towing or being in another persons spot. The apartment is spacious enough for 4 people, with two people sharing each bathroom. My room and closet were not huge but honestly bigger than expected/ needed. If something broke, it would be fixed (not always quickly) but still fixed without having to pay a fee or anything. I would say this place is great if you have 3 other friends with you, you can make it cozy, cute, and a happy home with some time and effort.

The Bad: A common theme runs through these reviews and it is that the management team is sub-par and simply unhelpful. Calling the office (multiple times) gets nothing done and it is only when you actually go the office to "pester" them in person do they actually take the time to help you. I recently called to ask a question about my final payment in rent and move out procedures and was meet by a receptionist (?) who told me that I would be called back shortly by the property manager. They never called me back and I figured it out myself. Another common theme in the apartments is washers breaking and flooding the apartment. About a month into our lease the washer broke and flooded the entire living room. It took days for it to be cleaned up and dried. This was inconvenient and not a normal thing that should occur. Additionally, our toilet broke (wouldn't flush properly) and it was "fixed" several times but broken again a few flushes later. It took WAY too long for management to answer our maintenance request to get us a new toilet installed. The pool is nice but had a lot of bugs and leaves in it. The gym is dirty, messy, and has broken equipment.

Overall: I hope this was helpful. I remember when I signed my lease and then read the reviews, I was super scared and nervous. I was mad I didn't check the reviews before hand. But I definitely do not regret living here, it was a great first apartment. I wish some things went differently. I don't know if I would recommend this place to others but I will say that for the price I got what I paid for. I can't say I was "duped" or "cheated." I definitely would have considered staying another year simply because of how cheap it is and how it is mostly an okay place to live as a college student, (compared to being in a dorm, or super expensive...

I have recently read the reviews here, and found a lot of negativity about a place I love, so I thought I would weigh in on the matter. In February, 2017, I found myself divorced, forty something, and flung into a world I knew very little about. For an entire year I struggled just to survive, bouncing from hotel to hotel, unable to save money from my job, and scared to death that I might not make it. Winter of 2018 had spring hard on North Florida, with temps dipping for many nightss down in the 20s. By then, hotels had become too expensive, and I found myself in a real bad spot. It was during this time I found an ad a gentleman had placed looking for someone to take over a lease, and my journey at the Commons began. The complex was like a godsend, and saved me from icy winter alone and without a place to call my own. I had come from a large home that I owned with my wife and kids, so the roommate thing was an initial shock. But I made it work. Sometimes in life you have to just accept that things are not always going to be perfect. You have to put in your own effort, and work with those around you until it's as close to perfect as you can get it. There were times I had to deal with the office... Things like that happen, no matter where you rent. But each and every time, I left satisfied. Happy to be living there. Jessica is one of my favorite people. She is a ray of pure sunshine, and that's the truth. No matter how screwed up things are, I know she will make it right. Her smile, and the charm she radiates from it every single day, make everything around her better, and you can't help but smile too before you leave that office. That leaves Kelly. To anyone that has spoken about her negatively here, I say to you, that you don't know her like I do. Kelly has a HUGE, beautiful heart, and has done so much for me and others. How dare anyone say otherwise. I have seen that woman almost lose her job because she tried to help people in the complex, that repayed her by taking advantage of her kindness. So please stop. If it wasn't for Kelly, for that kind heart of hers, Id have moved on. But I signed another lease. I signed because maintenance always helps when I ask. I signed because Kelly has always solved every dilemma we ran into. And I signed because, well, Jessica always seems to make me smile. Thank...