Types Of Student Housing

Where you live during college can impact your life in several ways. Whether or not you can get sufficient rest at night, find convenient places to study, and arrive to class on-time on a regular basis can all depend on your housing situation. But if you’ve ever looked for a place to live near The University of North Texas (UNT), you know that many types of student housing exist. And figuring out which one to choose is a quandary of no minor consequence.

With this housing guide from The Retreat at Denton, a UNT off campus housing community, you can examine the pros and cons of each type of student housing in Denton, TX, to determine which one is the best for you. If you have additional questions, please contact us.


On Campus Housing

Most UNT students who live on campus reside in dorms (short for “dormitories”), which are located inside residence halls owned by the university. The layout of dorms vary, but a typical dorm has an open floor plan (similar to a studio apartment) with two beds or more.

Because dorms have sinks only, students use community bathrooms and kitchens and usually take their meals in cafeterias. Residence halls also enact codes of conduct enforced by residents’ assistants (RAs), who supervise the students directly.

Students who reside in dorms can easily walk to class, but they don’t have the same ease of access to Denton’s restaurants, shops, and entertainment as do residents of off campus housing near UNT.

Apartments In Denton, TX

Apartments are self-contained housing units located inside buildings or complexes that are owned by landlords and usually maintained by property managers. Unlike dorms, most apartments contain at least one bathroom and kitchen. Meanwhile, the floor plans of apartments can vary from studios (with no bedrooms) to multiple-bedroom units. But regardless of the number of bedrooms in a unit, its residents all sign one housing contract and share responsibility for installment payments.

Most apartments feature the basic appliances, such as refrigerators, ovens, and dishwashers, while fewer units have washers and dryers. It’s also more common for apartments to be unfurnished, which leaves the residents to provide the furniture and arrange for the utilities, cable, and Internet.

Houses For Rent

Renting a house in Denton, TX, is similar to renting an apartment where tenants all sign the same housing contract and pay installment payments together. Most rental homes are likewise unfurnished or semi-furnished, so it’s the renters who generally handle the utilities and other services.
Some houses for rent are managed by corporate property managers, while most are run by private landlords. The amount of responsibility a landlord takes for maintenance and other tenant-needs varies from one landlord to the next.

Houses tend to provide renters with more square footage than apartments, and many homes also feature outdoor areas, such as patios or yards. While there are plenty of student apartments near UNT, it’s hit or miss whether a rental house is located in a neighborhood near campus. As a result, many students who rent houses have farther commutes to the university.

Condos & Townhouses

With regard to condos, the inhabitants own the interior portions of their units, while the exterior maintenance and landscaping duties fall to homeowners associations (HOAs). HOAs, therefore, charge a fee to owners to cover the cost of upkeep. While a condo owner may cover that cost for tenants, other owners may not, which means you could pay an additional monthly or yearly fee.

Townhome residents, by contrast, own the entirety of their units and manage both the interior and exterior areas, although property managers may take care of the communal areas. When renting from a townhome owner, a tenant may be responsible for yard work and exterior upkeep, such as cleaning the gutters. These responsibilities can change from one property to the next since they are individually owned, so it’s best to discuss these ahead of time and get all responsibilities in writing.

Both condos and townhouses are often oriented toward luxury, and their affiliated communities tend to feature more amenities than do residence halls, apartment complexes, or houses. The amenities may come with added responsibilities and stipulations, though, such as being closed during certain hours or days of the week.

Luxury Student Housing

Imagine a type of student housing that incorporates the best attributes of dorms, apartments, houses, and condos and townhouses; that’s a luxury student housing community.
In luxury off campus UNT apartments, students live alongside peers like they do in residence halls. The residents also choose from multiple floor plans as they do in apartment hunting. But luxury apartments also come fully furnished with everything from furniture and laundry units to cable and Internet. And instead of signing one housing contract, students in a luxury apartment sign individual housing contracts, or “by the bed,” so roommates don’t share financial risk.

The architecture of luxury housing varies, but some of the most coveted styles are modern cottages that provide comparable amounts of square footage to houses and also have patios or similar outdoor areas. And like the residents of condos and townhouses, students in luxury housing communities enjoy access to amazing amenities such as pools, coffee bars, and fitness centers.

Rent Student Apartments Near UNT

The Retreat at Denton offers the perfect community for UNT students who select luxury housing communities as their preferred student housing. In our community in Denton, TX, residents experience the perks of lavish living in a student-focused environment. Our cottage-style housing comes furnished with appliances, furniture, and Internet. We feature community amenities ranging from an exclusive clubhouse and private study rooms to a resort-style pool and an extensive fitness center. Our community’s location near both UNT and downtown Denton provides residents with opportunities to enrich their lives with both on and off campus activities. To schedule a tour of The Retreat at Denton, contact us today!

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