Temple Crossing — Attraction in Philadelphia

AVOID! New management RUINED this once great apartment building!

If you sort the reviews by newest, you will notice a preponderance of one-to-two-star reviews compared to a litany of four-to-five-star reviews. This is not a coincidence. Like many other reviews have stated, the building’s new management is beyond incompetent and has single-handedly ruined one of the better (if not, best) off-campus apartment buildings at Temple.

I signed my lease agreement with the previous property managers, Orens Brothers, and was informed by the then-property manager that tenants rarely exceeded the $20 electrical utility credit set in the lease agreement. The same property manager also told me renters insurance was optional, which the lease agreement corroborated.

In late-July 2022, I received an email that the building had been purchased by a new property. Immediately, I was informed that renters insurance was (somehow) now required. I called Trish, the then-property manager, and was informed they could unilaterally require renters insurance without amending the lease agreement. They threatened to withhold my keys from me otherwise.

I wish that alone was the worst I had to deal with when it came to the new management. It gets worse.

As soon as I moved in, the air conditioning unit was not working. Because Philadelphia in late-August is typically above 90º, I called the emergency maintenance line. The literature management provided upon move-in stated the apartment reaching temperatures above 80º constituted an emergency, but management failed to repair system for a month and said it was NOT an emergency; fans were finally provided upon my insistence. Only when I threatened to withhold rent was the air conditioner finally repaired.

The worst part of this entire experience was the electrical utility billing. Like other reviewers have mentioned, I was billed for excessive amounts of money. The bill was always 2+ months late, and never available as a physical copy. Ty, one of the property managers during my lease (there were three), said neither a physical nor electronic bill of my apartment’s electrical usage could not be provided. In my opinion, the amount per each electrical bill was based on an arbitrary figure. For example, my apartment was billed for $120 in September even though our air conditioner was broken for the better half of the month. For November, me and my two roommates were billed over $300! Even though we were gone for an entire week and we seldom used any electricity! I know energy costs are spiking, but even during “these times” I have never had an electrical bill exceed $120 regardless of season. The worst part? Management had the nerve to bill me after the lease agreement expired. I told them my lease agreement expired, but they told me they could bill me anyway. They deducted it from my security deposit. I concur with another review that management used this as a not-so-clever way to extract more money from their tenants.

Other reviews have noted these complaints as well, so I will be succinct and confirm what I can: the laundry card machine often malfunctioned and could not accept credit cards; the gym was closed from early-November 2022 to around March or April 2023 (the new equipment is worse); television cable service was suddenly removed without warning nor compensation; the new internet service installed to replace Comcast/Xfinity is not as good, but not terrible either.

Here’s the real kicker: after a literal mass shooting on the same block, management pledged to hire security to monitor the perimeter of the building at night. What did they do? They laid off some of their student workers who managed the front desk and did not hire the security detail. How altruistic.

If you are management and you have made it to the end of this, all I can say is your company is doing a...

Not the best hospitality here. Yesterday, I got some coffee spilled on my hands in the first floor lobby. I went and spoke to the receptionist and I asked her if there was a bathroom on the first floor. She asked me if I was a resident or just an Airbnb guest? I asked what more rights do Airbnb hosts have and the receptionist quizzically asked me, "What was your question?"

I then said, "I already stated what my question was..is there a restroom on this floor."

She then went on to say that the reason why she asked if I was an Airbnb Guest or Resident is because all those parties have their own bathroom (funny earlier it seemed like from her questioning that residents maybe had more rights/access to things).

I then asked her do you not remember me from yesterday? I was the person who spoke to you regarding the luggage.

The receptionist then stated, "I guess I forgot you."

Astonishing.

I easily spoke to this receptionist on and off for 20 minutes about my luggage arriving; when it might arrive; that I would try to be in the area in the next few minutes and might not be immediately be here upon driver's arrival, maybe that I would be a short walk away from the residence; that if the driver called me how I would immediately return to Temple Crossing, asking the receptionist where some local food trucks would be, giving her a phone call later, the receptionist at different points asking me if the driver had the visitor pass code for the door; her giving me the phone number for reception; me calling that number while still in the lobby; it not working; then her dialing my number from said reception phone, etc.

After paying $952 in airbnb fees, speaking for 20 minutes to this person (receptionist), having the host have copies of my ID, and then for a person to not have a clue as to whether or not I was a guest at this facility was apalling.

The receptionist's name was...

I am writing as a parent of a Temple student who lived here all four years of his school experience. In being from out of state, we were initially panicked when we found out dorms were full, and there were no options for on campus housing. In our research, we heard about Diamond Green apartments, and checked it out. Long story short - the staff here, particularly Brenda, have been fantastic. To be clear, this is like an upgraded dorm situation. The rooms are a bit on the small side, with two bathrooms for four residents. There is a common living area with a kitchenette, and an outside patio. But it includes all utilities, all appliances, and wifi. It turned out to be less expensive than the dorms, and from what we've heard, much better. It's furnished with better furnishings than in a dorm. There is onsite laundry, a place to lock up bikes, and a fitness area. They have an attendant who monitors those entering and leaving, Mail and packages are signed in by the attendant as well. We've also been able to easily find street parking during visits, and it's a five minute walk to campus. Any issues with the apartment were addressed by maintenance in a timely manner. (When their refrigerator died they had a brand new one in place within 3 days.) Over the years, my son experienced a couple bumps in the road with roommate situations, and Brenda and her staff were there to help my son through those. After four years of being in the same apartment, (!) he is now readying to move onto his next journey. If you find yourself in a similar situation as ours, please don't hesitate to check out Diamond Green. It's been a great first apartment for our Boyer School of Music grad, and is a great choice for a busy Temple student who wants a safe, easy to manage and decent living situation. We are grateful to have found...