Franklin Commons Apartment Homes — Attraction in Bensalem Township

Worst apartment living experience of my life and I lived in North Philly for four years. I just moved out in February after being there for two years. We have experienced nothing but issues. At first, they were great, helpful, and reliable. Then after about 3 months we noticed things getting worse because of the "new management."

First: The apartments are overpriced for a one bedroom apartment with appliances from the 70's that barely work, cheap blinds, and cheap flooring. Our stove top had a film or a paint on it that was slowly chipping off into our food as we used the gas range. We put in MULTIPLE requests to have it fixed while we lived there, and were told there was nothing they could do about it. We were then charged for a new stove top out of our security deposit, despite multiple attempts at having it replaced (it wasn't even our fault that paint was chipping off.) One of the requests, they told us how to clean the black stains that were forming with a stove top cleaner, which we purchased and didn't work. We were told that we "made it worse" as we were getting our security deposit back. It was apparently $175 to have it replaced and they have "replacements" stored in the warehouse, however when we asked for a replacement they couldn't do it.

Second: During the summer months, our AC unit never worked. We were told that because we are on the second floor, we have could only increase the AC setting by one degree at a time. My pets and I went FOUR days without AC, and my dog was becoming severely overheated. My apartment was right across from the office, but somehow it took 4 days to attend to my AC. The AC had multiple refrigerant leaks while we lived there, and was very obviously not serviced correctly ( I previously worked for an HVAC company and asked them about it.)

Third: We experienced an issue of a man claiming to be from the maintenance team slipping a paper into our mail slot and our dog "biting his hand" through the mail slot. Not only was my fiance home and sitting in the living room, during the time of the supposed incident that never happened (don't you think he would've heard something?), but we were then told that our dog "could get taken away" because they reported it to the hospital, who then reported it again to the health department. After testing whether or not an adult dogs mouth could manage to bite a FULL GROWN man's hand through a mail slot, we confirmed that it wasn't possible. Even my hand (I'm a small female) couldn't fit through our mail slot. Once again we were being scammed by the complex and almost had our dog taken away. We came to find out that this was around the time maintenance guys were being laid off due to the management change (clearly this Jerry dude was trying to get workers comp) by framing our dog who literally never hurt anyone. Our dog would often rip the mail from the slot after the mail man dropped it off, as most dogs do, but the mailman never reported him....convenient?

Fourth: The communication between office staff and residents is basically non-existent. Every time I would call with an issue or complaint, I was told I would hear back from someone. A week later, still nobody got back to me. We were told two weeks ago some woman named Angela would get back to us about scamming us for a new stove top. Here we are and I still haven't heard anything. This place is full of people who clearly don't know how to communicate and don't care about their residents. Don't let them fool you, they literally do not care about their residents.

In conclusion, avoid this place if you can. It was not worth the ridiculous rent, utility, and additional fees that they charge. They are liars, scammers, and overall bad people who don't care about their residents or the apartments that they live in. We were exposed to gas from pilot lights constantly going out, probably lead paint chipping off into our food, the possibility of heat stroke, and many more dangerous things that were NEVER taken seriously by staff. Moving out was the best decision...

UPDATE 06/28/2025: I moved out of my apartment here and confirmed with staff that I would be receiving my deposit back. My family was moved overseas on military orders, but I was assured the refund would not be an issue as they would be able to mail the check to our PO Box on the military installation - which I provided them. Going on 9 months since I moved out and have yet to get a move out summary or reimbursement. I’ve called the office multiple times, emailed the manager & assistant manager, and even filled out a contact request on the property management company’s website. I’ve yet to receive the refund or a response from anyone who can help me. The most I’ve gotten is the front desk person assuring me I will receive an email back. I can’t even say it’s bad customer service - there is none.

Overall, Franklin Commons is a slightly lower than average place to live, considering the pricing. 950 sq ft costs you about $1,600. Walls are thin. Paint job in the apartment is as sloppy as it comes. When you submit maintenance requests, it takes 3-15 days for them to show up. The handle on the gym door has been broken for 8 months. The handle to the pool room is also missing. They don’t mow frequently enough - the grass is consistently overgrown. Parking is awful - for some reason they don’t offer assigned parking. They focus on advertising over maintaining amenities for residents - perfect example, they make sure to fix the giant sign advertising the apartment complex that hangs on the exterior of the tennis court when it falls every other week, but they leave the actual net in the tennis court laying on the ground so residents can’t use the court correctly. They only “up-keep” the dog park once a year. Recently they decided they’re going to institute a $250 fine if you refuse to sign a new contract to get a small trash bin. They want the trash bins so it’s easier to fine residents for not complying with trash regulations. However when the sloppy trash guys break them, we’ll be charged $30 for each replacement. That’s if they ever even take your trash - I’ve watched them grab 3 bags out of a row of 20 and leave more times than I can count. They force you to pay for trash collection every month, too, even though you usually end up having to walk it to the compactor yourself. Looking forward to moving out personally, but I do hope management will work harder one day to organize their list of priorities and actually care for...

What a NIGHTMARE!!!!!! We were put in an apt that had previous flooding and therefore water damage and extensive mold overgrowth, which was NOT disclosed to us. Then not long after I had signed my lease when I addressed the musty odors coming from the master bedroom in 2529 Oriole Dr. The leasing manager just swept things under the carpet!!! Months passed and my fiancé’s health declined - all symptoms related to mold toxicity which we later discovered!!! But before we knew what the cause was, I had taken him to the doctor numerous times and he got several labs taken!!! He also saw a specialist & had more labs done!!! Even his service dog had symptoms of mold toxicity as well!!!! The fact of the matter is Franklin Commons KNEW about the flooding and subsequent water damage & mold overgrowth!!! They should’ve NEVER put us in that mold infested apt!!!!! Or ANYONE ELSE for that matter!!!!! Now, my fiancé who is not yet 39, has the body of a 90 year old man!!!!! All because of Franklin Common’s NEGLIGENCE & GREED!!!!!!!!! They STOLE HIS YOUTH!!!!!

DONT BECOME A VICTIM EITHER!!!!!!!

STAY FAR AWAY FROM FRANKLIN COMMONS!!!!!!

They DONT CARE ABOUT THEIR RESIDENTS - or they Only favor certain people!!!!

& If you complain, they CANCEL YOUR WORK ORDERS for maintenance issues - out of retaliation and spite!!!!!

Not to mention, when the flash flooding from 7/12/21 happened, it took them a week and a half to actually do something to address the issue despite our numerous complaints!!!! Ironically, though, what they did do was try to cover up the things that we were complaining about: the mold overgrowth and water damage by placing an industrial blower underneath our carpet (again, a week and a half later) instead of just replacing the carpets!!! Then a couple days after that they put industrial dehumidifiers in the apt to try to get rid of the foul musty stench that punches you in the face every time you open up the front door!!!!! What are they trying to do here???? I Don’t know WHY they Don’t just replace the carpets???? What they’re doing is a WASTE!!!!! & INEFFECTIVE!!!!!

Oh, & then they try and charge us for the utilities when we haven’t been there - it was Soooo UNBEARABLE we HAD TO MOVE OUT!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!! THE GALL!!!!!!

Again, STAY AWAY from Franklin Commons!!!! They’re Grimy!!! They’re Greasy!!!! They Don’t Care about you!!!!! All they want is...