Pearl Properties

My experience is rather unique. I was invited to an open house at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2014. I originally had other arrangments for where I was going to stay, but I was not comfortable there. I quickly needed to find a place for a few days and I happened upon the Lathem Hotel. Luckily, when I called they had a vacancy. The staff was wonderful. Fast forward a year later, I was accepted to the school and needed to come and visit my advisor. I called on the wonderful location I had such a great experience at before--The Latham. During my stay, I was informed that the hotel was going to be closing and I was one of the last guests they would have there. I was so sad to think it would be 'gone'. Fast forward again, as I was searching for an apartment in what would be my new city, The Latham was turned into studio and one-bedroom apartments. It was destiny for me to be living here! I called and shared my story with people at Pearl Properties and now I am thrilled to call The Latham home! I decided to take a corner apartment which was the right decision. I have an amazing view, tons of sunlight, cozy surroundings, and even a view of the sunset on the city.

My studio is fairly small in square space but has a big walk-in closet, which was the main reason why I chose my unit over others that were larger in square feet but had less storage space. It's comfortable for 1 person (I've accommodated up to 3 guests), has a great view (can see a bit of Rittenhouse Park) with lots of sunlight. For the location you won't find a place with rent this cheap to live by yourself. Management is great, they have been very responsive when/if issues arise (so has maintenance), and host social events which helps foster a good community.

I have had a great experience living at The Latham. It’s an easy commute to Penn and there is always someone in the building heading that way so I’ve become friends with quite a few of the other residents. The apartments are brand new and laid out really efficiently. I have a nice amount of storage space and lots of windows and natural light. The Capital One Café on the ground floor has become a really great place to study and meet up with friends. Overall, I’m really happy with my choice of apartments.

I highly recommend living in this building. The management company has really built a community among the residents, through the use of our shared community space and gym and through the frequent social events (that have free food and drinks). Additionally, the construction of the Capital One cafe is amazing and the staff there are so friendly. I'm until closing on most evenings.

My experience at the Latham has been nothing but wonderful. The people at Pearl Properties are always there to help me if I have an issue - not that I've had many at all! Everything is brand new and nice, which is so hard to find in the city. All of the doormen are extremely nice and always willing to chat or help me out if I need it. I can't imagine living anywhere else in Philly!

We were the first tenants in our unit and it is beautiful! Very nicely done with great high end finishes. The kitchen is very large with lots of storage. The corner of 17th and Chestnut is a great location, very close to many bars and restaurants, however, there is also a lot of traffic on that corner and it can be very loud from cars honking. Our bedroom does not have any windows so the noise is not a problem in our bedroom. Additionally, the common area is gorgeous but the process to reserve and use it decreases our likeliness us to utilize it as much as we would like.

Part of our criteria for choosing an apartment in Philadelphia was a new building with full amenities, gas stove (not electric), plenty of space/storage, good location, and a front desk attendant for packages. I couldn't be more satisfied with all of the above. If anything breaks or goes wrong, Pearl Properties is VERY responsive and will be there within 24 hours. The building was remodeled in 2015 so we are the second people to live in it. The closet is enormous, and we have a bunch of storage. Not to mention, there's a nice wine rack above the fridge for storage! The gym isn't HUGE, but it's very nice and clean and has pretty much everything you need. There is also a very large studio area where there are bikes for spinning and an open space for any other activities. The common area is beautiful and clean with various spaces for different activities. Theres a large kitchen area with a pool table and couches that you can rent out, or there's a movie room that you don't need to reserve. I looked at many different apartments with similar amenities in the area and 1700 was definitely the best bang for our buck. We are also in a great location, we sold our car before moving to Philadelphia and I have never felt like I need a car. We can walk to trader joes or uber anywhere we need to go. Target is 2 blocks away, there are CVSs and Rite Aids all around and plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance as well! You can walk to the train station or take a 5 minute cab ride.

Although the building was newly renovated, there were just too many issues: electricity out for several times, elevator not in service sometimes, the mice problem, false fire alarm, etc. The walls were thin, so you could hear the crowd on the Walnut Street. What's worse, there was one unfriendly neighbor who made a knocking noise in the early morning at 6 am... I think the management really needed to be improved. Regardless of all the problems, the doormen were pretty friendly.

Pros: Attentive management company, very nice common areas (though shared with separate building across the street), nice apartments, accept packages and dry cleaning on our behalf, close to 21 and 42 buses, close to restaurants and bars

Cons: Lots of street noise, unclear use policies for common space, two separate buildings share access to common space (mine and the building across the street), slightly difficult for people to find due to misleading name

Since I've moved in, first few months I couldn't sleep because of construction on the 3rd floor (woke up almost every night to loud drilling noises, elevator has been in a terrible state, there has been a blackout for about 8 hours, I've been locked out of my apt because the door lock wasn't of quality (it had to be changed), there's been mice infestation (I slept one night with a mouse running around my apt. I called Maintenance and they had me wait till the next day before someone was sent), doorman is not allowed to accept large packages for you or have you drop off stuff to be picked up, apartments are tiny for the price you pay.....need I say more? I will not recommend this place to anyone. Only good thins is the friendly staff.

The room is small but the rent is quite affordable at $1,195, one of the lowest rates that you can get in Rittenhouse square. However, the building has still been under renovation and, hence, it may be inconvenient from time to time. In addition, maintenance services are not that responsive to certain issues such as broken internet connection or even electricity (for 1-2 days without electricity for the entire building). However, since it is owned by one of the largest property managers in Philly, I hope things are going to be better soon.

Mice and ants in building(I heard ordinary ants and termites, that live in damp wood, are on many of the floors).
Internet is very slow and in some parts of your room you will loose wifi.
All units are very very small. It's more like a dorm than a house. Note that just looking at the square feet can be deceiving. Other apartments with similar square feet seem to be more spacious.
False fire alarms go off often. Once a month on average for the entire building and more often by each floor.
Building in front is quite close (unit facing west) and so you can see what they are doing and vice versa.
Building does not seem to be very energy efficient. The unit is warm while the heater is on but drops a degree approx every 2 mins (A/C or heater not included in rent).
No amenities. We share the lounge and gym that are in Chestnut 1700.
The doormen are very kind and Pearl Management is responsive but non of the problems have actually been resolved.

This building also became an apartment starting summer 2016 so many things were not in place. Hopefully it'll improve over the next few months.

What we've experienced so far:
- Very unstable internet
- Low quality keys unable to enter your own apartment
- Black out
- Mice
- Noisy air conditioner
- False fire alarms! (5 times between late July to early December)
- the amenities are not in this building, they're in 1700 Chestnut which is inconvenient for us, and there's no social opportunity because of this
- Elevators look awful
- Maintenance people could come into your apartment without prior notice

The few good things are:
- location: a block away from Rittenhouse Square and it's on Walnut street, no other place could beat this
- front desk people are very nice

Great ammenity space. Many Wharton students live here. Centrally located in Rittenhouse neighborhood. Very Responsive management. Property well-maintained.

A friend recommended the building to us. Pearl Properties (the management) is VERY responsive. Taking out the trash/recycling is very easy, and the common space is great. Many students live here but not too many (it doesn't feel like a dorm), Our unit has a dishwasher, washer/dryer, gas stove and wine rack. Bedroom fits a king-size bed easily. The closet is huge. The bathroom has his and hers sinks. Air conditioning and heater work great and our utilities bill isn't very high each month. Hard wood floors. The location of the building is very centrally located- we are able to walk to anything we need. Overall, great value for money. The building has a gym with some cardio equipment, weight machines, and dumbbells up to 75 lbs.