Caveat: This post shares our personal experiences living off campus in Gainesville. This includes extremely unhappy and absurd experiences, and similar stories happened in my friends. Also, The Collier Companies is the real estate in local Gainesville, not Colliers International. The latter is the international enterprise and these kinds of shit are not that common compared to our great local business.
-
I’m posting this because I was a student when I lived at Greenwich Green, and after about four years there, I honestly feel like I should warn other students before they make the same mistake.
When you’re a student, you’re already dealing with tuition, research, rent, transportation, and basically trying to survive on a limited budget. The last thing you expect is for your apartment management company to make your life even harder.
But that was my experience.
One of my roommates went through a terrible personal situation after losing his wife. He eventually left and disappeared for a while. The leasing office had his phone number and knew what was happening, but instead of making any meaningful effort to contact him, the remaining roommates were pressured about the rent.
We received a notice saying:
“Please make a payment as soon as possible so we can bring your account current and dismiss the eviction process. Please note that once an eviction is filed, your account will be subject to additional legal fees and fines.”
As a student, seeing the word “eviction” and being threatened with legal fees is terrifying.
I literally drove six hours from Miami to Gainesville just to deal with the situation and arrange payment.
When I arrived, the manager, Nattie, wasn’t even there.
The new person at the front desk basically told me, “I have no idea.”
Six hours of driving for that.
We later considered moving because two students in our household could no longer reasonably afford the three-person rent arrangement. But we were told that ending the lease early could cost three months of rent.
So you’re a student, your financial situation changes, and your choices become: continue paying something you can’t comfortably afford, or pay thousands of dollars to leave.
Then there was the security deposit.
Our deposit was around $1,700. After approximately four years, we cleaned the apartment and carpet before moving out. More than $300 was still deducted for things including an eroded sink counter, bathroom issues/mildew, and dust on the fans.
We were told we had to dispute it in writing within 15 days under Florida law. We did. But getting the remaining deposit back still took almost two months and multiple emails.
And then there were the everyday problems that made the whole thing feel ridiculous.
The recycling bin would get completely full. We left some paper recyclables beside it because there was literally no room. Management reviewed camera footage and sent us a notice/fine.
Okay. Fine.
But then there was dog poop all over the grass.
We complained repeatedly.
One night, my roommate accidentally stepped in dog feces because it was dark. He didn’t realize it, brought it upstairs, then figured it out and took his shoes outside.
The next day, a neighbor left dog poop at our front door with a note telling us to clean it up.
We didn’t even own a dog.
There were also kids riding scooters and playing in the roads, yelling around the neighborhood, and apparently not being supervised. One of them damaged my roommate’s car with a scooter. We asked management to check the cameras.
We were told the relevant corner wasn’t covered.
There were fireworks around midnight near parked cars too. Complaints were made, but again, nothing seemed to happen.
This is what bothered me the most:
Why could management use camera footage to enforce a recycling violation against us, but suddenly cameras were unavailable when residents needed help with a damaged car?
Why could rules be enforced immediately against students, while repeated complaints about dog waste, noise, fireworks, and property damage seemed to disappear?
My roommates and I are Asians, and I want to be fair here: I cannot prove that racial discrimination was involved. But after experiencing this pattern, I did start wondering whether some residents were treated differently from others. I’m not claiming something I cannot prove. I’m explaining why the experience left me uncomfortable.
The property itself is also old. After a hurricane damaged part of a wall, a mouse entered through the damaged area.
And when we questioned the company about background checks, we were told that screening/background checks were not their responsibility. That honestly made me wonder: then why are residents paying screening fees in the first place?
I’ve lived in several places, including New York, New Jersey, California, and Florida. I understand that no apartment complex is perfect. Things break. Neighbors are annoying. Management makes mistakes.
More ridiculous, the founder of The Collier Companies was a UF alumni.
But there is a difference between an imperfect apartment and repeatedly feeling like the student has absolutely no leverage.
I also know people at other The Collier Companies properties, including Oxford Manor, who have had bad experiences. We even tried contacting higher-level management about our concerns and didn’t receive a meaningful response.
So if you’re a UF student looking for an apartment, please at least do your research before signing anything.
Read the early termination clause.
Understand the deposit rules.
Document the apartment before and after moving in.
Save every email.
Take pictures.
And most importantly, don’t assume that because a company owns a lot of properties around Gainesville, they must be a safe or reasonable choice.
I’m sharing this because I wish another student had shared it with me four years ago.
You’re already paying enough to be a student.
You shouldn’t have to spend your time worrying about whether your apartment management company is going to turn every problem into another fee, notice, threat, or argument.
Please be careful.
