Most reputable property managers in Philadelphia?

February 13, 2008 8:51 AM

Most reputable property managers in Philadelphia?

I've been renting from PMG for the past two years and have recently been pushed past the boiling point with their incompetence. They haven't adequately addressed my building's rodent infestation, the physical decay of the building and the unit I live in itself, or the garbage that tends to collect directly under my window. Water began leaking through my ceiling two weeks ago and they only just sent out a repair crew late on Friday afternoon who worked for a couple hours and then left without turning the building's heat back on. There was no heat in the building over the weekend and on Sunday temperatures were in the teens. While I had relatives nearby I could stay with, a lot of the building's tenants didn't. When the repair crew returned on Monday to finish the job they entered my apartment without notice or permission, basically tore the place apart and then left it in shambles. This morning property manager basically told me, tough shit.

I am familiar with the city's tenant union, the Department of Licenses and Inspection and have been through the housing court system as an advocate for clients as a social worker. I'm not looking for advice on redress. I'm looking forward now to when I'll hopefully be able to leave soon (I'm month to month) and want recommendations regarding other property managers who don't routinely conduct this kind of business. While negative reviews of infamous operations like Green Street abound, I'm having trouble finding positive experiences to base my next decision on.

posted by The Straightener to home & garden (8 comments total)

I had a very good experience with George Gay real estate. This
is all I could find about them online. Of course, YMMV.
posted by overhauser at 9:06 AM on February 13, 2008

We have a tenant union? I'd love to know about that...

But, to your question, I don't have any positive experiences. Two negatives though: Philadelphia Management and Chancellor Properties.

PM basically caters to college students, doesn't take upkeep and maintenance very seriously, and doesn't care when the heat and the hot water are out and it's 20° outside. Alas, we're stuck with them because we don't have money to move.

I was with CP for two years. Maintenance and pest control were the two big issues for me, and many other people in the building I lived in.

We lived in the Sterling for one year and then left because it was WAY too pricey. However, the management company for that building (which I'm blanking on) was really good. We didn't have any maintenance or pest issues, things were repaired ASAP, etc. Of course, we were literally paying for that type of service.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 9:24 AM on February 13, 2008

Thanks, Sarah.

We have a tenant union? I'd love to know about that...

TURN
posted by The Straightener at 9:47 AM on February 13, 2008

You may have heard of 1260 Housing, they develop, own, and manage housing in Philly. Most of the work they do is in the realm of special needs and low-income housing, particularly for mental health consumers and the homeless (which is, as I recall, your field). But, they also have market rate units in thier portfolio.

Full disclosure, this group is a client of mine, but they are good people and every property that I have seen is very well maintained.

You might also want to see what Pennrose has in thier portfolio. I have not dealt with them, but they seem to have a pretty good rep.
posted by qldaddy at 10:01 AM on February 13, 2008

I recommend Historic Landmarks For Living . They could not have been more accomodating and helpful with any issue I had. And I lived at two of their properties: The Touraine and The Metropolitan.
posted by Jay Reimenschneider at 12:59 PM on February 13, 2008

I work in homeless services so I've worked with 1260 Housing before, it's a great agency but not really what I'm thinking about for myself.

And I wish I could afford Historic Landmarks at the moment, but that's a bit out of my price range.

Keep 'em coming, thanks!
posted by The Straightener at 1:50 PM on February 13, 2008

Thanks for the link to the union. I had no idea.

One more piece of advice that I've yet to follow: forgo an agency and go for a private landlord. Just some dude who owns a few buildings. Apparently, they generally care more about the property since it's theirs.

This is at least what all of my friends have always told me to do because they've always had success with it. YMMV as always though.

What part of the city are you looking to move to? I know that there are some neighborhood-specific companies out there...
posted by misanthropicsarah at 5:40 PM on February 13, 2008

Every year Penn used to post the results of their Landlord Survey, which was a pretty comprehensive assessment of dozens of area property managers as rated by hundreds of students and university staff members. It looks like the 2007 survey results haven't been published yet, so I've just e-mailed them to find out when the data will be available.
posted by miagaille at 5:55 PM on February 13, 2008