I often wonder about all the apartment buildings on Chester Ave. between around 41st and 46th or 48th, mostly around the east end of that stretch. Anybody have experience with any of them?

Most of those are Section 8 or extremely affordable studio units. In fact, that area of UC, particularly between 41st and 43rd, has one of the highest Section 8 concentrations in the city. I've never been in the buildings, but judging from my old market-rate unit right next door (and owned by the same property manager), they must be sh|tholes.

API, the for-profit arm of Drexel University does a good job maintaining their properties. By far the best landlord on the Drexel campus surrounding area.

Never rent from New Age Realty, or anyone associated with NWJ Management. Horror stories in dealing with them.

Most of the buildings that I have lived in, or have had friends live in had mice. Heck, in my CC apt I killed about 5-6 mice per week. And so did the guy above me.

The problem with New Age besides that they are an inept management company, is that they are not the owners of the property. Powelton Properties is also pretty garbage. They do not fix anything at all or make a poor attempt at it.

I used to live in one of the apartments on the 3300 block of Powelton Ave (The large twin brownstones - 3301-3313). New Age was responsible for showing and renting those places, but once I signed the lease, I dealt with Philadelphia Managament Co. as the landlord. I didn't really have a problem with them (the apartment really didn't have any ammenities to break. It was pretty basic). The building was secure and I felt safe there. Never had a problem with rodents or pests. This was almost 10 years ago, and I paid $350/month for rent so I couldn't compain.

The only gripe I had, was that those buildings are on the National Register of Historic places, and the owners didn't seem to do much to keep the exteriors in top condition.

Gah...New Age Realty is soooooooo horrible. I'm glad others here agree. Sadly, there are so few available apartments available for students in Powelton Village that they are able to charge insane prices for their poorly maintained homes. There is one New Age property on my block, and the house is practically rotting away. The worst is when the maintenance people come to mow the grass, they actually mow around fallen branches and glass bottles...instead of picking them up!

API is better, but you're better off renting from a homeowner in the neighborhood. They usually post listings on Craigslist, or with the Penn Off Campus Housing list. Try here: http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/offcampusliving/

__________________
- George -

http://www.barackobama.com

my husband and i rented from UCH (university city housing) for two years on 40th and baltimore. the apartment was fine, old but reasonably well-kept. and they came a-runnin whenever we complained of mice. however, they gauged us with rent each year, which is why we eventually left. its a crime that these rental companies in UC can charge so much, because they know that some parent is willing to pay it for their kid.

I currently rent from UCH and neither I nor the woman who lived in this apartment before me had any problems with pests/plumbing/leaks/etc. There are few signs of wear inside the apartment, mostly too much re-painting, but it's very liveable. The hallways are clean and well lit. I pay $535 for my extremely spacious studio, gas/water/heat included. If you're interested, I can pass on more specific info about my building. Just pop me a message.

Thanks to all who have given me advice on where to look for apartments in Univ City. I have been doing a lot of research and this site has helped a great deal. I've looked at some places owned by Campus Apts, but they were kind of crappy for their price. I also looked at The Courts Apts, but they wanted $1200 for a 1 bedroom for a non-student. Next week I'm going to be looking at a place at 41st and Spruce, but I still want to look around at more places. For the person who's in a UCH apt, I'd appreciate any info that you could give about your building. Hopefully I'll be out of my place by mid Sept-early Oct.