20 & Grand Apartments

I have lived in several apartments and this by far is my favorite. I feel apart of a community/​family and not just as a resident. The manager knows me by name and asks me how I am doing and how school is going. She checks in on me to make sure everything in my apartment is working smoothly. If I do have a maintenance request it is done within a day. I love how close it is to school, which saves me so much money. As there are mostly students here, it is very quiet and the neighbors respect each other. I am sad this is my senior year but if I choose to stay in TN, I will stay living in Twenty and Grand.

The best thing about this apartment complex is it’s convenient location, for which you will pay higher rent. We lived there a year and endured a leaky kitchen faucet, broken disposal, washer and dryer. The windows did not seal which let in many bugs. When we moved out we left the apartment spotless but did not receive our full security deposit. We called for months afterwards about this security deposit, but our calls were not returned.

I lived in this building for two years. Without a doubt, this is the worst apartment complex I have ever lived in, and that’s saying a lot. First and foremost, there is a massive construction project right next to the building that will be on-​going for a number of years. The only justification for living here is if you are a Vanderbilt student and are completely incapable of transporting your body more than a block.
The walls are thin, so enjoy listening to trivia night, concerts, construction, or whatever else happens within a half mile radius of this building (this includes the gunshots from a murder committed a block away in February of 2015). The windows are single pane and either do not seal completely when closed or are wedged shut. This makes maintaining a consistent temperature in the apartment next to impossible. The air conditioning unit sounds like a plane taking off at distance.
I’ve watched this place fall apart over the course of two years, and it wasn’t nice to begin with. None of this is the maintenance guys fault. Management historically disregarded maintenance requests. Every time I’ve asked maintenance directly to fix something, they’ve done it quickly and well. 20 & Grand went through around a half dozen or so managers/​interns in the two years I lived there.
The website is misleading at best. Most of the «amenities» listed are either vague or inaccurate. I don’t see it on the website anymore, but their sign advertises European-​style kitchens. If I were European, I would take this as a personal slur against my continent. The kitchens are tiny, the cabinetry is pressboard covered in vinyl, and the appliances are garbage. The bathrooms are similarly sized and equipped. The building is rarely secure. I’ve seen homeless people hang out in the lobby and wander the halls on more than one occasion.
Tl; dr: Don’t live here. It’s expensive, dirty, and lacks any redeeming amenities outside of the Keurig in the lobby. I actually saw a homeless man eating a can of cold beans in the lobby one night and felt sorry he picked 20 & Grand.

To preface this, I have lived in some pretty noisy, grungy apartments, so I have pretty thick skin when it comes to apartments. That being said, I would NOT recommend living here, and I advise people to look elsewhere, or attempt some major negotiation for cheaper rent.
The unit and location are good. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small but decent kitchen, laundry in our unit, about $ 1800 per month. There is a small gym downstairs. Although everything is somewhat run-​down, the building itself is livable. Our appliances are in decent shape, and maintenance staff is friendly and thoughtful. Regarding the other reviews, on weekdays there is a Keurig in the lobby, and the building security is much better now. I haven’t noticed the trash smell.
****PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING***
I would NOT recommend living here for these reasons:
Construction — There is a HUGE construction project next door. About 2 – 4 times a week, the construction workers do an explosive blast at around 6 AM. It is IMPOSSIBLE to sleep through, and never fails to make me cringe. 6 days a week, drilling begins IMMEDIATELY at 6:15AM. This construction will continue for a few more years, and because it’s such a huge project, it’s going to continue to be just as noisy. The drilling vibrates the entire apartment complex, so earplugs don’t help, and without fail, it wakes me up every morning if the blast doesn’t. It’s not a pleasant way to wake up, and it’s not fun to come home to it after a long day of work and classes.

Mouse problem — In September we had a major mouse infestation on the first floor. My roommate and I trapped 19 mice over a span of a few weeks. Gross. We ended up throwing a lot of them out ourselves because we were catching them so often. Management was a little slow at first, but eventually hired an exterminator and we have not seen a mouse since. Our rent was reduced for just that month. We thought things would get better but then the construction started.
We have had other issues, including not getting a garage opener (which lead to my car getting towed), a weird smell in our doorway, and the manager being somewhat rash and unprofessional in communicating with residents. We are definitely not getting what we’re paying for. Living here has been stressful and expensive, and we will be moving out when our lease is over.

I lived at twenty and grand the summer before and during my last year at Vanderbilt. I would not recommend living here to anyone, unless it is a Vanderbilt student who has previously lived in university housing and whose parents will be paying the rent.
The building frequently smelled of trash, there were break-​ins (because the management left the front doors open overnight), the management was unprofessional, and the apartments were run down. It is a fine first apartment, but for the price and promises («luxury living»), it does not measure up. I have heard there is new management, but the previous management was untrustworthy and frequently posted unprofessional, misspelled signs in the elevators. For example, someone hit a car in the parking lot, asked management for a pen to leave a note, and management admitted they took the note off the car before the person returned.
The front parking lot is a joke– a one way parking lot with only one entrance/​exit and only has 3 guest spaces, which can only be used for guests outside of office hours.
The cookies and coffee are a nice touch, but do very little to make up for the negative aspects of the building. Additionally, the apartments do have washing machines and dryers included.
Luckily, there are more apartments popping up in the area in a similar/​even lower price point.

Rundown, but this is where a lot of Vanderbilt students choose to live (because of the location.) I wouldn’t move here solely for the reason that its overrun by students.

There are way better places in Nashville (try near Belmont. 8^th avenue south to 18^th avenue south, or historic Whitland). No amenities other than coffee. The gym rarely had water and only had three run down machines. The hallways always smelled like garbage. the place is not updated. If you do live there, live on the Wendy’s side as it isn’t as loud. The noise at the Boundry restaurant is quite bad, even on the 9^th floor. I was out after a year. You are going to pay top dollar for a noisy, smelly place.. . with no amenities though the location is good.

I lived in these apartments my senior year, and was generally pleased with the accommodations. My only complaint was the high price of rent, but that is pretty standard in apartment complexes adjacent to Vanderbilt. Every morning there is fresh, free coffee, tea, and cookies in the lobby for the residents. The workout room is small, but has full cable. The people who worked front desk and maintenance while I was there were super friendly, and most maintenance issues were resolved by the next day.
We lived in the mid-​range 2 bedroom model, and it was plenty spacious. Once of the best features is the view. You can see the pointed windows from the street. When you walk into that space in the apartment you have a great view (from our side of the building at least) of downtown on the left, and that cute little Church off Grand on your right. Unfortunately, the Adelicia apartments now block much of the view of downtown.
One of the worst features is the tiny, cramped kitchen. Apparently «European-​style cabinetry» means «Irrationally small, useless drawers.»
If you absolutely must be within 2 blocks of campus, I recommend applying at 20 & Grand, but otherwise you should go somewhere with more reasonable rent rates.