Luna on Pine — Local services in Philadelphia

Let me put it this way, my move to Luna on Pine has been an absolute disaster since the day I signed the lease.

If you expect any degree of privacy, don’t. If building management or maintenance wants to enter your unit, they are free to barge in without giving (any) advance notice, so good luck if you’re sleeping without clothing on. They do give a courtesy knock but that’s like applying lubricant to an otherwise non-consensual encounter.

If you expect any amenities at all, don’t. The building has been housing people for almost 4 months and the elevators still don’t work. The gym, movie rooms, the rooftop “lounges” (they’re not what you expect), and study lounges are all not done. Rodents have been found in the basement from all of the construction, so be wary of where else they may be hiding. It should go without saying that once you let your friendly neighborhood Mickey Mouse in, he and his children (and their children after) will never leave. Equinox management has a history of rodent issues- just ask anyone who lives at their other building, The Hub on Chestnut.

If you expect any degree of silence, don’t. Construction begins at 5 AM so if you’re a student with an exam the next day and you want to get some rest, you’re better off sleeping in the library. This shouldn’t be a long-term problem but just be warned that this is their standard when it comes to consideration for their residents of whom are majority students. I know that the construction needs to be done, but it should have been done before the semester began (that was also their advertised move-in date). There is absolutely no excuse for this except for poor planning, incompetent execution, and abysmal management. Speaking of silence, the building is surrounded by Greek life so expect loud, obnoxious undergraduate parties every weekend.

If you expect to be able to control your air conditioning and heating, don’t. Air conditioning and heating are centrally controlled so while you can control how hot you want the heat or how cold you want the air conditioning, whether you have air conditioning or heating in your apartment is entirely up to management. Once they flip the central switch, it’s either air conditioning or heat. This is particularly troublesome during shoulder seasons (fall and spring) where people feel comfortable at different temperatures.

The kitchen ventilation vents air right back into your room and not outside. Your entire unit will smell like what you just made for dinner. Sure you could open the windows to cool off the apartment and air out the smell, just don’t cook on the weekends when the frat houses are partying unless you also don’t want to sleep.

The kitchen would appear to be fully equipped but it's terrible. The refrigerator is a compact model so don’t expect to fit a Brita dispenser inside. The stove is a very small 2 burner electrical unit so you can only use one pot or pan at a time. The microwave and oven are combined which means it doesn’t toast or broil, and it doesn’t bake as well as conventional ovens. The sink is very small so doing dishes means getting soapy, greasy water everywhere. Washing any normal-sized pots, pans, and dinnerware means also wiping down half of the kitchen counter (and the floor) afterwards.

The bathroom has a sliding door and only one towel rack for a bath towel. You’ll have to drill into the walls to hang a hand towel, but face the consequences of losing some or all of your deposit when you move out.

There are scratches and cracks in the paint everywhere in what is supposed to be a BRAND NEW building.

Luna on Pine was supposed to be an amazing apartment complex. To be fair, it does look luxurious from the outside and according to whatever Photoshopped renderings are on the website. But the truth is that Luns on Pine is an IKEA catalog brought to life. It might look sleek, but it’s falling apart before it’s even complete. Steer clear....

It has been a year since the first wave of (massively delayed) move-ins. The building is still not finished. Here are the most atrocious issues:

Dozens of units were leased out to someone who runs an AirBnB out of the building. There are questionable figures moving in and out constantly and nobody knows who they are or if they even live in the building. The website laughably claims: "Luna is an apartment building located near UPenn and designed to inspire those within it. Imagine late-night study sessions that lead to groundbreaking discoveries, rooftop stargazing that ignites innovation, and next door neighbors who challenge your way of thinking." The only thing groundbreaking about Luna On Pine is the actual ground that is literally breaking because this building is falling apart. It's hard to stargaze when the terrace isn't done. How do you get to know neighbors who change once every 2 weeks because they're short-term AirBnBers?

The promised amenities have yet to be delivered, such as the rooftop/terrace and tenant storage facility which are both still in shambles. There are no expected completion dates because the incompetent contractors who built the place were paid and moved onto the next project.

There are pets on floors that there shouldn't be pets. If you have allergies, good luck. Dogs, cats, rats, roaches, you name it, Luna has it. Tenants let their pets roam unleashed, which is fine at the dog park but not in a residential complex. What if people are allergic, afraid, or just don't like certain animals?

The noise in this building is unbearable. This really blows if you're a student, which most people are. The building is right next to a bunch of fraternity houses so expect no sleep at least once a week due to excessive music and screaming from sloppy undergraduates. The fire alarm on the first floor goes off twice a day (once at 1am) and management refuses to acknowledge the issue. The worst offender of loud noises are the people who are either AirBnBers or just locals who sneak into the building to party and trash the common areas.

Management literally does not care. They don't even try to hide it anymore. They'll just look you in the eyes and lie to you about everything just to get you out of the office so they can go back to twiddling their thumbs. They don't do anything about the excessive barking from units that shouldn't have been allowed to have pets to begin with. They don't care that half of the amenities are unfinished. They don't care that there are shady people coming in and out of the building. They literally don't care. They'll put on a good show during an apartment tour. I've seen them do a few and I've never seen anyone in that office be so polite and helpful. But we warned that once you sign that lease, all of that changes and you'll eventually see how almost comically incompetent Equinox...

I live in a studio apartment here for my senior year at Penn. I really like it; it has everything I need!

About the unit: I like the room interior. When I was looking for off-campus housing, honestly the other rental options were ugly and outdated, but the Luna looks good! This could change year to year, but I have a built-in wardrobe for clothes storage, in-unit washer/dryer. The kitchen looks good & modern. Cabinetry is navy, counters are white, and the appliances are updated. The bathroom has a standing shower and a decent amount of built in storage in the cabinet. About the building: Everyone who lives here is relatively quiet, which is nice. A lot of grad and Penn med/ dental students. My unit backs up to the rowing houses on Baltimore, so it's occasionally loud if they're throwing. It's an easy 10 minute walk to Huntsman. To the edge of campus, it's a street over, so literally as close as you're going to get for off-campus. It's also a street over from the 40th St trolley station.The building feels safe. The lobby needs a door code; there's a package room; room doors have electronic codes. Amenities: I'm really happy with the Luna for my last year at Penn. There are 2 rooftop patios. One has a grill, dining table, and a couch, so easy for hosting. Each floor has a different common space: one big table, a tv/couch lounging area, tables, etc. Also the basement has a lot. There's a media room, game room, bike room, and gym. I only really use the gym, but again, everything looks nice. It makes you want to hang out/host things. The gym has all the essential machines you'd need, a small dance studio, and feels well-kept. The lobby feels homey and is kept clean. There's also a leasing office in the lobby. Other: Property management is usually on-site working out of the office like 3 days a week. Everyone's nice! It's important to note that management changed over recently. I was surprised by the other existing reviews on the Luna. So I'd say definitely schedule a tour and see it for yourself if you want a close, pretty place to live. Also, they organize little events like pumpkin painting and contests, which is such a nice added thing. It is something I liked about living in dorms, so it's really sweet that a business does extra things to make the experience more than...