Safe Apartments in Tampa (Brandon: apartment complex, rentals, how much)

[packgirls]

I have been looking for awhile now for a SAFE complex to rent a 3 bedroom apartment or townhome. I am a single mother of 3 children and my budget is $950 max a month. Every place I find has really bad reviews. Any suggestions.....

[greasycheeseburgers]

I'm not familiar with Tampa, I might be working there so I look at this board.
If I was you I would look at www.greatschools.net to find out where the good schools are, they have all public and private schools listed and you can look at them by test scores, teacher ratio, student and ethnicity. Once I found out what schools I wanted to be by I would look at www.hotpads.com it allows you to look at rentals on a map, which is great when you are looking for a certain area.

[tilli]

Every apartment complex in Tampa has really bad reviews, because people that are happy generally don't go out of their way to rave on the net, while unhappy people want to shout to anyone who will listen. Lots of these reviews seem to have been written by people who are just not cut out to live in an apartment.

As for your specific question, I think you are being unrealistic. You can get a nice 3 bedroom in a relatively safe spot, but I really doubt you can find it at $950/mo. You could find a nice 2 bedroom for that price, though. To find a three bedroom at that price you will probably have to compromise on location or amenities. It seems like current market price is running about $1 per sq foot at the big complexes. Best of luck.

[greasycheeseburgers]

oh and I'd check www.apartmentratings.com

[Keeper]

Post the name of the complex here.. it is possible that you will get some info, if not you have nothing to lose.

I agree you don't see many 'good' reviews, most ppl who are happy don't think about writing a review only those that feel they have been mistreated.

[imguytpa]

West Park Village is a great spot, not sure what the rent is. A budget of $950 sounds more like a nice 1 or 2 bedroom in a good area to me.

[individual]

I lived alone at the Lucerne apartments in Brandon last year and felt very safe. The apartments are large and have good storage. I am not sure how much a 3 bedroom would be. I would suggest getting a third floor apartment for increased security.