Pearl Properties

Great experience!

I moved in soon after the building just opened. Everything was brand new and high quality. Study space, gym, and balcony are all quite nice. Also, property management is great. They are very responsive.

Great location, great property management team. A little bit loud with street noise.

Love the location, amenities, unit, responsive maintenance and front desk!

I love my building for the following reasons: 1. Tons of Wharton students, 2. Good location 3. Great lounge space and gym 4. Incredible security (although sometimes annoying for guests who have to sign in every time - but that’s kinda the point). 5. Modern/new appliances and general apt vibe

Con: street noise even on the top floor. I can block it out in my bedroom since it has no windows, but it gets quite loud in my living room. You get used to it, but not great for studios and/or light sleepers.

The apartment itself is great, very spacious with lots of storage space. We actually have a 1 bedroom + den which is perfect for studying. People in the building and management are very nice. You can't hear any of the other tenants, but there is a lot of street noise. We're on the top floor and still have problems at times.

OK Apartment: Good facilities but overpriced for what you get

Latham is a good choice if you do not require big space to host friends.
Good:
Value of money
New renovations
Safe

Bad:
Have to share gyms and common spaces with another building across the street
Internet is slow after midnight
Temperature of shower water fluctuates in winter

Pros:
- One of the most affordable studios that I've found. If you sign a 2-year lease, they'll lock in the price
- Includes WiFi, access to amenities (one less bill to worry about)
- Quiet (not a party building which is good for me since I like having my space to myself after hours)
- Newly renovated (building is old but each suite has been upgraded)
- 24/7 concierge with package lockers for deliveries

Cons:
- VERY tiny floorplans (mine is ~300 sqft); definitely only livable for one individual (can't host at all)
- Shared amenities space with a different building so you still have to put on a jacket in the winter to go to the gym, etc.
- Minimal storage (I have a tiny closet and if you have a lot of stuff, this layout likely won't work for you)

- Very nice staff at the front desk, for the most part
- Laundry on every floor, not kept the cleanest
- Lots of WiFi issues, never received a rent credit, even though it's included
- ALWAYS finding excuses to enter your apartment in the middle of the day (ex: "checking for clogged drains"), found this very intrusive
- Drafty, terrible AC during the summer (loud and old, didn't run well)
- Loud, can hear the girl next to me singing at the top of her lungs almost every night, and the guy on the opposite side clear his throat / hack up a lung every morning.
- Cheap materials but newly renovated, doesn't feel like a million people lived in your unit beforehand
- Lots of different layouts for studios

Pros: affordable, management is super responsive, able to access the gym at 1700 Walnut
Cons: there is a ton of street noise but that's to be expected given the location.

I like the building and the apartment (I am first tenant!). I had some issues with the Tenant Relations Manager from Pearl Properties. That person wasn't helpful when I mostly needed. I asked to leave a key on the front desk because I was back in my country for holidays and guess what? The Tenant Relations Manager said they couldn't help. They didn't held the keys for me at the front desk in order for less than I week to handle it over to a friend of mine that was staying over. I would deeply encourage Pearl Properties to help that person develop and be more helpful to tenants. Other than that, I am very satisfied, but would think twice before renting here exclusively because of the customer experience I had with tenant relations.

Pros: Very high ceilings, large living room, great kitchen, close to Center City bars and restaurants, not too far from 15th St trolley station, cheaper than most other housing options, can buzz people up.

Cons: noisy outside Thu-Sat, sound insulation between bedrooms and living room is not great.

Close to the trolley and bus lines, this modern apartment building is cheap, well located and in amazing condition.
The property manager is accessible and answers fast to any questions I have. They provide decent support and are always in the building doing maintenance, cleaning and keeping the place in order.
Amazon lockers were installed recently, making safe to receive valuable orders by mail.
The gym, although small, has all I need and is in good condition.

The downsides of this building are: Location - at the corner of 16th and Chestnut there is always people walking by or playing instruments on the street (only during day times), which is annoying.
Kitchen - small in most apartments. The counter top does not leave much space for cooking or holding stuff.

I've been very happy in 801 walnut. The building is updated with nice fixtures and appliances, beautiful tall ceilings and gorgeous, large windows. It's in a great area with tons of good lunch places and bars, and it's only a block from Washington Square park. Pearl Properties is a great management company that is responsive to any repairs, usually getting it done within the day. However, because Pearl owns so many buildings in Philadelphia, it is a pricier building, and they did raise our rent significantly each year. In addition, when I adopted a cat, they demanded I pay a large "non-refundable fee" in addition to a pet rent. We fought the fee, but I still find the pet rent a bit tacky.