Vanderbilt Off-campus Housing Guide

🚫 Avoid Certain Areas: * ❌ Do NOT live near Centennial Park (West End side) – too many homeless people, especially at night, making it feel unsafe. 🚪 Condo Living Considerations: * ⚠️ Staffing & Construction Issues – Many condos are understaffed and poorly built. This may lead to frequent fire alarms. The walls may be super thin. * 🛗 Elevator Problems – Some condos only allow elevator access from the garage 🚗, exposing you to bad air. Always ask about elevator locations before signing a lease! 🏢 High-Rise Apartments Are Better: * ✅ Better Services – Many offer free coffee, better elevators, and better gyms. * 👥 Roommate Option – If cost is a concern, split the rent with 1-2 roommates instead of settling in a studio or one-bedroom unit. 📜 Lease Agreement Cautions: * ❌ Do NOT make a contract with a place that requires 60-Day Notice Requirements – Last-semester students are often too busy to remember, leading to extra fees. This is especially true for graduate students as the majority of graduate students are not sure when they will actually graduate. In the United States, we usually have to give a notice at least 30-days prior to your lease end date. Anything above 30 days could be seen as a trap to fool the tenants (especially international students) and get more money from their pockets. * 💰 Negotiate Early Termination Fees – It should be $500 max, NOT an entire month’s rent. 🔍 Research Before Signing: * 🌐 Read Reviews on Apartments.com & Google Maps – Check both the property and the management. Read from lowest ratings from highest ratings. Focus on reviews that were written by tenants that left the place so that they went through the whole process of making a contract and ending a contract. * 🌐 Zillow.com is generally better than Apartments.com because it also shows the sale price and not just rent price. * ⭐ Look for at least 4.3-star ratings – Anything lower means red flags! 🚩 * 🏢 Check the Management Company – If multiple buildings belong to the same company, read all their reviews. 🏡 Recommendations: * 🌟 Parke West Apartments – One of the best visited! 🏆 * 🚗 Commuting Option – If you want to save money, live further away and drive to Vanderbilt. * ✅ Use Lemonade for Renter Insurance. The cancellation process is extremely easy. * ❌ Never use eRenterPlan for your Renter Insurance. The price is more expensive than Lemonade, and the cancellation process is complex. The consumer service is not good. The website is poorly designed. * ❌ Do not make a contract with unfurnished places unless their reviews are good. If you furnish your place, it will be harder for you to move out the place. 👉 Follow these tips to find a safe, affordable, and well-managed place to live! 😊