UGA Student Apartments
Most students look for housing a long time in advance of the academic year. Students start locking down and securing housing as early as November for the following fall semester. Your first decision is to decide whether you want to be walking distance to campus and downtown, outside of the downtown area like North Athens, or further from campus like Epps Bridge. The further the apartment community is from campus, the lower the monthly costs, so it is important to take this into consideration before beginning the hunt. The earlier you lock in your lease the lower the prices will be. The longer the wait before signing a lease, the higher the monthly rent is and the less options and spots available. At many locations near downtown Athens, the apartments and townhomes with more bedrooms fill up quickly, as early as December. So if you and your friends are searching for 3 bedroom apartments, you should start the search as early as possible. To be safe and secure in living for the next year, you should start looking for an apartment 9 to 10 months in advance and have signed by March at the very latest.
The majority of leases in Athens are for a full year. Move-in days start in early August, around the first to the third of the month and require move out on July 31st. For some students, they are coming in halfway through the academic year, so obviously, they cannot sign a twelve month lease. Some select places offer six-month leases, but these are very few and hard to come by. In this situation, your best bet would be to sublease.
Subleasing in Apartments near UGA
You need to check if the property you want to live in allows subletting in the lease agreements before agreeing to anything. Subleasing happens a lot in Athens, so it is not an uncommon occurrence. 4 bedroom apartments and up tend to have at least one person leave, so it is pretty normal. If you choose to sublease your room to someone, it means you are still liable for rent, utilities and damages that your subleaser will pay to you.
Furnished vs Unfurnished
Some apartments near UGA come furnished, making it easier to move in. This usually means your bedroom will come with a mattress, desk, and chair along with a dresser. Your apartment will include living room furniture, and some apartment communities will give a free tv as well. At a lot of apartment communities you’ll have an option for furnished or unfurnished. If you choose to include a furniture package, the fee is around 150-300 a month extra on top of the base rent. It is up to you if you want to pay the fee and enjoy the convenience or bring everything on your own and save money.
Renewals for Student Apartments near UGA
After you settle into your new apartment you may finally feel adjusted to your new home. It may seem like you have only been in your apartment for a short time, but you need to ask yourself some important questions. Have I been happy here? Do I like where my place is located? Do I generally see myself living here next year? If your answer to these questions is yes, it would be a good decision to renew your lease, as soon as the housing community sends out renewal offers. Usually, these renewal letters will be sent out as early as October. The first offer is always the best deal, and there will usually be a deadline to sign before the offer becomes more expensive. Usually by the end of each month, a new offer letter will be released. If you are very happy with the place, it would be wise to sign the first offer. If you are still unsure, do not worry there is still time. The apartment community will still allow renewal up into January or February, however the price will have climbed quite a bit by this point. Apartments in downtown like the Mark or the Standard spots will fill up quickly, so you have to be faster on renewing your lease in locations like these. If you are reaching the last three months before the end of your lease, it is more than likely too late to re-sign, but if it has taken you this long to consider resigning, it might be safe to say you could be happier somewhere else.
« Return to UGA Student Guide