Taylor Bell

If you are looking into this complex to live, read below for an in depth, honest review of my time at Park Towne. Upon arriving, my door battery was dead and I couldn't enter my unit and had to call the emergency maintenance to fix it. The closet door had a large hole where the handle should have been. My washing machine was completely broken. I waited 3 weeks for a new washing machine. Overall living: Pros: I lived in the south tower which had the leasing office, gym, package room, pool, and Old Nelson market which was incredibly convenient. The pool is in my opinion one of the best in the city; with so many sun bathing chairs and tables. Old Nelson was great, being able to get basic ingredients or made-to-order food on site. I also had a parking spot in a garage which was necessary. I had to pay $300/month for this spot which is pricey but comparable. I had a great view of center city from my unit, even though I was only on the fifth floor. I loved the location. I ran on the Schuylkill river trail frequently, always felt safe, and Whole Foods is about a 5min walk. Cons: You had to pay $75 annually just to use the package room and the system was very disorganized. (To compare, my current apartment has a similar and more streamline package room and I don't pay any fee). I often would go to get a package because I got an alert, but the package wouldn't be in a locker. One time, I went into the "large package" room to look for my package, and due to a glitch, I got locked in that room. I was literally locked inside a tiny room. Luckily I had my phone and it had service, and I was able to call the front desk and they were able to come get me out. I constantly had issues with my AC and my electric/utility bill that were never resolved despite spending a lot of time looking into this. My unit got a ton of natural light to where I only needed to turn on my heat maybe 5-7 times total. My electric bill was on average $110-150 per month each month, getting as high as $155. I am a conservative energy user, and considering the fact that I rarely used the heat or AC, I have no idea how I accrued such a high bill. I lived in a 1BR unit by myself. I am convinced there was something wrong with either my meter or the building in general. I currently live in a new construction building in Philly in a unit about 200 sq ft larger and now live with my partner, and our bill is average $70-80 per month, which actually makes sense. This was so frustrating. Move-out: I came back after moving out to be present for the inspection which was optional. I caused no damage apart from standard wear and tear. I expected nearly all of my security deposit back, minus the utility bill for the last 2 months and the ridiculous $150 cleaning fee that they force you to pay even though I cleaned the apartment myself. I later found out that out of my $1000 security deposit, I got $32 back. I was furious, and called the number attached to the email. The woman on the phone from a third party told me that I can view the damage on my portal. I screenshot what was on my portal and attached it here. The images shown are so tiny, you can't see what the unit looks like, let alone any damage, and there was no way to zoom in on the images. The email claimed that because of the "damage" they needed to repaint the entire apartment, which is a claim that is so out of line and false, I'd consider it fraudulent. Based on the stickiness of the walls when I moved in, they clearly repaint every surface between each tenant turn over. This is their way of not having to pay for that. Overall, the cost of living here did not match my experience at all. For reference, my base rent for a 700 something sq ft 1B1B unit was around $2,300, however what I actually paid each month with parking plus electric and utilities was average $2,800-$2,900 each month. For that amount, I expected an infinitely better experience. I had spoken to a few other residents during and after my time there and they had very similar experiences.