GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Hundreds of students in Gainesville are living out of suitcases after being told the apartment complex they were supposed to move into is not ready to be occupied.
The students were supposed to move into the luxury apartment complex, called UFORA, on Aug. 5. However, a month before move-in day, UFORA future residents were told that their units weren’t ready because of “contractor delays.”
“It’s been a mess. That’s safe to say,” said Christina Hamilton, who moved from North Carolina to Florida to study psychology at the University of Florida.
When Hamilton was looking for a place to live, she and her twin sister settled on UFORA, an apartment complex near campus and Sorority Row that brands itself as luxury.
The eight-story building houses 232 units with 663 bedrooms.
“I don’t have a car here, so I needed a place that was accessible with all my classes and everything,” said Hamilton.
News4JAX visited the apartment complex Thursday and noticed plenty of construction crews working on the property that was scheduled to be finished more than a month ago.
“It’s hard living out of a suitcase, like almost an entire semester,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said this situation has been affecting her school life.
“It’s been really hard to study,” Hamilton said. “You don’t have all of your stuff with you so you’re constantly going back and searching through your bags and things.”
Residents were given two options. The first one gives the affected residents a $600 weekly payment to arrange their own accommodation, with rent and other fees waived until units are ready for move-in. That’s what Hamilton is currently doing.
The second option is to continue paying rent and stay in a hotel with a $30 daily allowance. But, because the delays have extended into football season, some students were kicked out during last week’s Tennessee home game.
Stan Pietruska’s daughter took the second option and is staying at the Hyatt Place.
“There’s a game against Vanderbilt on I believe, the 7th of October, which will be the next possible weekend that we may have problems with housing,” Pietruska said.
Christina Hamilton’s mom said communication is a significant issue for parents as well.
“I would warn future parents that when you can’t count on the ownership to remain ethical, I would warn about signing leases with them in the future,” Cindy Hamilton said.
UFORA residents are still bound by their lease agreements. But management promises units will be ready for move on Sept. 30. If they’re not ready by Oct. 5, then students can get out of their leases.
News4JAX tried to get answers from UFORA’s management and its parent company but we haven’t heard back.