It is very common to see all-inclusive type rent rates in a college town. Student housing is known for these kinds of deals to make it easy for the students and parents when paying the rent. Finding all-inclusive communities with all utilities includedis easy with Swamp Rentals! Simply choose all of your desired utilities you'd like included under the "Cable and Utilities" section of the search page. Once you've chosen your desired utilities you may further filter through the communities based on neighborhoods, pet policies, and even furnishing.
Additionally, when an apartment rental says, "electricity is included," this means that the bill is split between you and other roommates equally. In some apartments, there is something called a "joint lease" or one lease shared by all roommates. In this case, roommates will be responsible for dividing rent as they see fit, pay their share within the due date and electricity and utility bills will need to be split separately when they are not included in the monthly rent.
What is an electricity "cap"?
As a matter of fact, apartments with utilities included in Gainesville offer different types of electricity deals. In some areas, there is a cap. A cap is when the electricity in included up to a certain budgeted amount. For example, if an apartment near UF says they have a $40 cap that means once you exceed $40 in usage per person, the roommates are now responsible for paying for the remaining balance of the electricity bill. Moreover, some communities may offer uncapped or unlimited utilities, where you will not be limited to a monthly utility budget. This scenario is rare these days, and many student apartments only offer unlimited utilities included as periodic promotions. In apartments with unlimited included utilities, landlords remind tenants to be mindful of the privilege and to still utilize environmentally friendly practices like turning the A/C up when going out of town and being sure to turn off lights when no one is home.
Finally, always ask what is included in the apartment rent each month. In some areas, electricity is included with a cap but other services have to be paid separately depending on usage like water, sewer, trash removal or gas. In other apartments, these services will be excluded from the monthly rent and have no cap. This means you will pay the utility company directly based on your usage each month. In any case, you may want to search for an all-inclusive Gainesville apartment if you hope to have furniture, roommate matching, and other perks included with your monthly rent.
Curious about what else to expect when living in Gainesville? Check out our UF Cost of Living Guide that covers everything from utilities to entertainment!