Frequently Asked Questions

You can start a chat or submit a contact form on our website. Or you can contact us at USF@collegetowncommunities.com (mailto:usf@collegetowncommunities.com)or (813)-443-0944.(tel:+1-813-4430944)

Any student will be accommodated at College Town @ USF. If you already have other students that you know you would like to live with, you will be placed with them, within the same apartment. If you are looking by yourself, you will be put on our “Roommate Needed List” and matched with other single tenants of the same gender using our Roommate Matching System. The roommate matching questionnaire is part of your initial application that you fill out prior to signing a lease to live at College Town @ USF. We use your answers to this questionnaire and compare them with other residents’ answers and match everyone accordingly.

Yes, all units are completely furnished. We provide the following: Leather couches, coffee table, end tables, entertainment stand with 55" flat screen smart TV, bar stools that match the number of residents in the unit (2 or 3). The bedrooms have a mattress, bedframe, dresser (4 or 5 drawers--new ones have 4), desk and chair. Different floorplans have different furniture packages.

All kitchens are supplied with a Full Sized Refrigerator, a Range/Stove, Ventilation Hood, Microwave, Dishwasher, and Garbage disposal.

All utilities are included with the exception of cable. Contact the leasing office (javascript:void(0))for details about setting up cable.

Contact our Leasing Office (javascript:void(0))for details.

No, we do not charge a security deposit!

Rent is to be paid by the 1st of every month of your contract. Arrangements can be made to pay a full semester in advance or a full year in advance if that is desired by the tenant. You can even submit a rent payment through your Resident Portal.(javascript:void(0))

Rent payments can be made by check, money order, wire transfer, credit or debit cards (No cash will be accepted) in the Leasing Office or online through your Resident Portal (javascript:void(0))account. Most debit cards have a daily limit for charges, so check with your bank to be sure you have the ability to make large payments before attempting payment. Convenience fees will apply to any online payment and vary depending on your payment method. College Town Communities splits these fees with you and pays half, so the fee you pay is actually half of the entire fee. Checks are the cheapest way to pay!

Onsite parking is available for tenants at no additional charge. Every tenant must obtain a Parking Permit Sticker from the Leasing Office in order to be permitted to park in the onsite parking lot. Any vehicle parked in the College Town @ USF parking lot without a parking sticker will be towed upon discovery. These actions are taken to preserve safe and well-lit parking for our residents who are paying for this amenity.

We are a student housing facility located in Tampa, Florida. Because of our close proximity to University of South Florida's Tampa campus (we even have a Bullrunner stop right outside), many of our residents are USF students. But we do also have residents who attend Hillsborough Community College, or take advantage of us being a 25 minute drive to University of Tampa. Contact (javascript:void(0))our leasing office to see if College Town @ USF is within a reasonable commute to your college or university!

Any tenant is allowed to have a guest visit or spend the night at any time without the need to register or sign them in. However, a guest is not allowed to stay for more the 3 days at a time. Roommate consideration must be taken into account with all visitors. Guests must be accompanied by the tenant whom they are visiting at all times when inside the apartment. If the guest has a vehicle they do need to be checked in, and visitors must have a guest pass.

We are a gated community that has 24/monitored access. We also offer 24/7 emergency maintenance, and all of our units are securely maintained by a key fob system. Contact our leasing office (javascript:void(0))for details.

Yes, all tenants have their own private bedroom.

Yes, all tenants have their own private bathroom.

Each resident will have their own lease per bedroom.

College Town @USF is less than a half mile away from University of South Florida's Tampa Campus. While its easy to walk to, there is also a BullRunner bus stop right outside.

College Town @ USF is (with some restrictions) an animal-friendly facility. Anyone requesting to have a pet must submit their request to the Leasing Office, and complete all necessary paperwork, including signing the Pet Addendum and Roommate Authorization Form. Residents with an approved pet must pay a refundable $250 security deposit and $30 pet fee per month. Following guidelines pursuant to the Federal Fair Housing Act and your state’s Human Relation Commission, College Town Communities is committed to making reasonable accommodations to allow a Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal (ESA) to live with a resident in the Leased Premises. Applicants and current residents requesting such accommodations must contact the Leasing Office prior to bringing the Service Animal or ESA on property, complete all necessary paperwork required by your state’s Human Relations Commission, and be granted written permission by Landlord in order to do so. More information regarding your rights and responsibilities to allow a Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal to live with you in the Leased Premises can be found here.(https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/HUDAsstAnimalNC1-28-2020.pdf)

Colege Town @ USF has a washer and dryer available in every unit.

All leases start on August 17, 2026.

We offer BOTH school-year leases and full-year leases! All leases begin on August 17, 2026. School-year leases run through May 28, 2027, and full-year leases run through July 23, 2027.

Background checks are performed on every student who wants to live at College Town @ USF. A credit check is performed separately on the parental guarantor for each College Town tenant.

No, there is no fee to apply to live at College Town @ USF. There is, however, a $299 Administrative/Facilities Fee once you have decided to complete a lease to live at College Town @ USF. The Administrative/Facilities Fee is a nonrefundable annual fee due at lease signing for all applicants and renewals. The fee covers the online application process, renewal lease generation, resident and guarantor screening, on-site security, annual lock programming, 24-7 access to the online Resident Portal, security camera and entrance gate monitoring and maintenance, after-hour call center services, and maintenance of all amenity spaces.

The Administrative/Facilities Fee is a nonrefundable annual fee due at lease signing for all applicants and renewals. The fee covers the online application process, renewal lease generation, resident and guarantor screening, on-site security, annual lock programming, 24-7 access to the online Resident Portal, security camera and entrance gate monitoring and maintenance, after-hour call center services, and maintenance of all amenity spaces.

Assuming you are of the legal age, you may consume alcohol in your apartment. No alcohol is permitted in the outdoor areas and we ask you to respect all community guidelines.

No. The apartments are already painted. You may decorate your apartments with posters, tapestries, Christmas lights, etc. Please use thumb tacks or nails when hanging things on the walls. Do not use Tape, Glue, Gummy poster hangers, 3M double sided sticky pads, etc. Do not use wall decals, as they will delaminate the face of the drywall. Any unnecessary damage to the apartment walls could lead to you having to pay for repairs.

College Town @ USF provides a full size bed frame and full size mattress. You will need to bring a mattress pad, sheets, blankets, comforters, pillows and bed spread. Every unit will include mini blinds on each window and you may add window treatments if you desire, but the blinds must stay in place.

This property is primarily rented to University of South Florida students. We work closely with the University of South Florida but are a privately owned company.

Yes. You may use financial aid proceeds or any other 3rd party payment process to pay for your Rent at any of our facilities. Typically financial aid proceeds are dispersed directly to the student who in turn can then use those proceeds to pay for housing.

Make checks payable to College Town @ USF.

There is a BullRunner stop located in front of the property, so you can avoid the parking fees on campus. Pro Tip: Add the USF app on your smart phone so you can see the bus schedule.

Early move-ins are subject to current availability and management approval. If you wish to move-in earlier than the lease start date of your signed lease agreement, please contact our leasing office.(javascript:void(0))

Rent Reporting is an optional credit reporting and financial tool provided by Homebody Insurance Agency, LLC and its affiliate, Simplified Business Group, LLS, also known as Rent Dynamics. For a monthly fee of $8.95, Rent Reporting reports your rent and utility payments (if utilities are not included in your rent) to one or more consumer reporting agencies, such as Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Each rent and utility payment made on time helps build your credit over time, payment by payment, month by month, year by year… even if it’s your guarantor making the payment OR you receive financial aid! Imagine what four years of paying rent on time can do for your credit score!

Your credit score is a number that tells lenders if you usually pay your bills on time, are able to keep your credit card balances low, and are able to manage different types of credit. So when you make on-time payments, your credit score may improve or remain the same if it’s already high. However, as someone who rents an apartment, you’re not building your credit history by paying rent on time. Why not? Because rent isn’t considered debt, and paying off debt is typically what builds credit. Rent Reporting is a tool you can use to your advantage because each on-time payment is reported to the very credit bureaus that report these scores to car dealers, mortgage lenders, a future landlord, etc.

The Rent Reporting Addendum is included in your Lease Agreement. However, you may cancel at any time after signing by using the Homebody app, sending a written notice of termination to Homebody at 4205 Chapel Ridge Road, Lehi, Utah 84043, ATTN: Rent Reporting Service Charge, or by emailing rentreporting@homebody.com.(mailto:rentreporting@homebody.com) To avoid being charged for the next month, cancellations must be received at least ten (10) days before the end of the current month. Note: If your lease is joint and several (i.e., shared with roommates), each resident must cancel individually to opt out of the program.

More information can be found online at https://www.homebody.com/products/rent-reporting. In addition to learning about Rent Reporting here, we encourage you to click on the various tools on the Homebody website to learn more about money management. What’s the highest credit score possible? How can I improve my credit score? What credit score do I have to have to buy a car? Or even a house? It’s never too soon to begin thinking about what your financial future holds!