Housing in Jacksonville

When to start looking

You can look for a place to live as soon as you know you’re moving to Jacksonville. Last year, 75% of our corps secured their housing at least three weeks before registration, with a smaller group who found their place immediately before the start date.

Deciding where to live

We gathered some advice from our current 2019-2020 corps, and here is what they advise as you begin the process of looking for housing in Jacksonville:

• Look to commute no longer than 30 minutes
• Find a house or apartment as close to the schools as possible! Your gas tank will thank you, plus getting to sleep in that much longer in the morning will be a plus.
• Carpool if you can
• Look for a place to live as soon as you know you’re moving to Jacksonville
• If you’re looking to use public transit to get to your school, double check your estimates commute before looking at a place.

The most popular neighborhoods that last year’s corps lived in are:

• Arlington
• West Side
• Springfield
• Northside
• Riverside & Southside
• Murray Hill & The Beaches

Take a look at this map to see a general idea of the neighborhoods we recommend for finding housing and check out where we serve to find how close you’ll be to our partner schools:

• Susie E. Tolbert
• North Shore
• George Washington Carver
• Andrew Robinson
• St. Clair Evans
• Carter G. Woodson
• Highlands​
• Matthew Gilbert
• Jean Ribault
• William M. Raines

Finding roommates

Roommate searching can be hard and time consuming. If you’re struggling to find roommates, your Service Year Adviser may know others who are looking.– don’t be afraid to reach out!

If you’re new to finding roommates, it’s important to start the relationship with clear expectations. This list of questions can be used as a resource of things to ask before making anything official.

We gathered some advice from our 2019-2020 corps, and here is what they advised:

• Try to room with other AmeriCorps members – connect in the Facebook group!
• Meet your roommates first (virtually or in person)
• Make sure you put everyone’s name on the lease
• Set clear boundaries and expectations from the beginning of your lease
• Build a bond with your roommate(s) and respect one another

Budgeting for housing

Members find housing through online posting sites, word of mouth and sometimes on the City Year Facebook group (current members advertising their apartments). Postings should outline who to contact to learn more about the property, costs and lease terms.

When renting an apartment, ask about the following fees as they frequently apply. It is important to budget for the fees, especially since your first paycheck (and relocation reimbursement if you moved 50 or more miles for service) will come two to three weeks after you start service.

• Broker’s fee – typically one month’s rent or a percentage or the annual lease
• Security deposit – typically one month’s rent, returned at the end of the lease if the property’s condition is maintained.
• First month’s rent – typically due upon signing of the lease agreement
• Last month’s rent – may be requested upon signing of the lease agreement

Some utilities are included in the price of rent, so be sure to ask your landlord. When viewing apartments, most landlords or current tenants will gladly tell you the average price of utilities, so don’t be afraid to ask.

In 2019, most members paid between $300 – $450 in rent per month. (A lot of this depends on how many roommates you have as well.)