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Rental rates for on-campus residences will increase by $65 per semester this fall.

Sharon Blansett, spokeswoman for UF's department of housing and residence education, said increasing material costs for on-campus building renovations required a raise in rent.

The rate increase will take effect July 1, and Blansett said rental rates would increase by $65 in August. She said she's not sure how much rental rates would increase between July and August, but it would be less than $65.

Blansett said if the maximum number of students occupied on-campus residences - about 7,000 - the rent hike would bring in about an extra $500,000.

From there, the rate can either remain the same or go up the following academic year.

"In the 24 years I've worked here, I can't think of a time rental rates went down from what they were the year before," she said.

Still, this year's 3.4 percent increase is less than last year's 6 percent hike, she added.

Blansett said she wasn't sure how this raise compared to rate changes for off-campus residencies, but the economy indicates it's a fair increase.

"It doesn't seem like any of our costs are going down, and I don't mean just the university," she said. "Not anybody's cost of living is going down."

She added that the department worked out the details with student officials in the Inter-Residence Hall Association, so it was not a surprise.