The Standard at Philadelphia — Local services in Philadelphia

I lived here for less than a year while attending Drexel University. Initially, the price was crazy but I had no choice as nothing else was working out. I was paying a crazy amount considering I had 4 other roommates who were living in the same space. I got the second to smallest room and it was still a lot of money for not that much space. The amount of money these people got for that small apartment space is insane. Price should go down as there are 5 people living there. Anyway, I understand that it is a major city so I looked past that (I shouldn't have)

Moving on, living there came with a lot of obstacles. I lived on the 7th floor so move in was horrible. Can not imagine for the people who lived further up. The resident to elevator ratio is dumb. One set of elevators came from the back entrance and one from the front. The wait time for elevators was insane and sometimes they were not even working. Occasionally, the alarms in our apartment would go off for no reason. Annoying and caused us to have to leave the comfort of what we are paying 1200/month for to do work?

OUR AIR CONDITIONERS did not work for 2-3 months in the beginning of our lease. It was hot as it was not fully fall weather yet, and this was honestly just a health hazard

There were always problems in the apartment causing us to call maintenance. Maintenance people were nice, wish they worked for a better company though. Though they were nice, they did not really do what they were paid for. We asked maintenance to paint our walls but they denied it and then charged each of us 100+ for small rips on the wall !!!!!!which we were told we wouldn’t be charged for by the front desk lady!!!!! 0 consistent communication about anything.

Packages! Do not try to order anything to this place. It will get lost. The whole system is so disorganized and they try to manage it with some app, I lost so many packages because they were not in the package room. Your packages also sit out in the open in the lobby for a crazy amount of time before they are organized. Any one can take them at that point, so I am not surprised if that is what happened.

Rent time came and went every month. Was charged extra for electricity and stuff according to my unit every month, too. The funny thing is I was not even living in there after December, so why am I getting an electricity charge every month in addition to the rent I was not able to get out of when I haven't been there for months. I don't know where that number was coming from and they seem to think money grows on trees.

I say this because move out came! I moved out a month early to avoid the rush and because I have not even been in the state of Pennsylvania for months.

A few days ago I received a move-out bill. 334 dollars. For a few scratches in paint and stains on the oven and counter that were already there? They put pictures in the bill as evidence but half of the pics were of the same light switch with different levels of damage? They took a picture of a piece of tape I left on the wall (very low quality tape, I could have taken it off with my eyes closed) and charged me 10 dollars to take it off???? I bought a whole stand for my TV because I wanted to avoid damaging anything. I was so cautious with everything and still was charged an obscene amount. My roommate had her tv MOUNTED into the WALL and still was charged 100+ less than I was. How does this make sense?

When they send you the bill, they give you the option to dispute. Do not even try because if you try, they just tell you to look at the pointless pictures with varying costs attached to them and that they are not changing anything. Overall, I wish that I did not live here. A small apartment housing 5 people should not cost over 1200 dollars PER PERSON. This is an astronomical scam.

Attached are pictures of my move-out bill. I do not know where 150 came from compared to the 30 dollar one. Half of the pics are of the same area and I can't even see it unless I am about to headbutt the wall. I have more to say but I can not....

WARNING: If you’re an international student or someone who values your money, BE CAREFUL of this place. They handle tenants’ security deposits with a shocking level of carelessness, effectively holding your money hostage for MONTHS.

When I moved in, I thought I found the perfect place. The amenities were excellent, and the maintenance team was top-notch, lovely people who were so kind and helpful. I even left a glowing 5-star review when I moved out with a true feeling that my experience living there was perfect. But then, the nightmare began.

Per Pennsylvania law (Landlord and Tenant Act, Section 250.512), landlords are required to refund security deposits within 30 days of move-out. The Standard’s approach? Send a check on Day 30 and call it a day, disregarding that the tenant might not receive it until much later. They explicitly said to me on a phone call: "It's a long process, it takes us 30 days just to process the refunds and send the check".

As an international student, I provided a forwarding address and waited in the U.S. for 40 days after my move-out, confident I’d receive my deposit. But the check wasn’t issued until almost 50 days after I left.

The process that followed was a masterclass in mismanagement. The property manager was almost impossible to reach—every inquiry was met with excuses: she was in a meeting, at a conference, or simply unavailable. Weeks would pass between responses. After rejecting the idea of refunding the deposit to the original payment method (my father’s credit card), The Standard mailed me a check that my local bank couldn’t accept.

What followed was months of back-and-forth. I called and emailed countless times, only to be repeatedly told that the property manager would need to handle it. Each step—placing a stop on the check, agreeing on a wire transfer, and finally processing it—took weeks. And, of course, they charged me a $50 fee for the wire transfer. I finally received my deposit in December, a full four months after moving out in August.

I also requested compensation for the frustration and inconvenience caused by this situation, but their response was dismissive. They first ignored my email, and then the property manager rejected my request and claims and said I was “more than welcome” to pursue legal action.

This is not just my experience—look at the other reviews down here, and you’ll see a pattern. More similar reviews with lots of endorsements. They delay refunds with little regard for the inconvenience they cause.

EDIT, AFTER THE RESPONSE OF THE PROPERTY BELLOW:

I wish you had replied to me as quickly and efficiently as you know to respond to a bad for business public criticism.

Your response is a textbook example of empty corporate jargon that does nothing to address the systemic incompetence I experienced. If you truly “understand the importance of timely security deposit returns,” why does your process involve months of silence, unreturned calls, and endless excuses? Stop pretending to care with hollow platitudes and start treating tenants with the respect they deserve by fixing your abysmal refund process—until then, no amount of PR spin will salvage...

DEEPLY DISAPPOINTING and UTTERLY UNPROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE. (First time writing negative reviews)

This building falsely advertises itself as “PET-FRIENDLY.” We briefly brought a friend’s dog into the building for no more than 20 minutes—no overnight stay, no disturbance—yet were slapped with an outrageous $500 fine. Shockingly, the management initially billed this $500 fine to each of my three roommates as well, totaling an absurd $2,000 in fines for a single, harmless visit. Did they even think TWICE before arbitrarily issuing $2,000 in fines without any real basis or prior notice? This is CONCERNING.

After persistent efforts on our part, they eventually revoked the fines for my roommates—but the entire process was handled with EXTREME UNPROFESSIONALISM. After persistent pushback, they eventually revoked the fines for my roommates—but they still insist on charging the $500 fine to us, despite having NO reasonable justification.

Throughout the ordeal, “DEVIN” and the management team were ARROGANT, DISMISSIVE, AND OUTRIGHT DISRESPECTFUL. When we asked to escalate the matter to tenant support, they mocked us, making degrading comments suggesting that as international students, we “DON’T KNOW HOW TO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS.” Their justification relied on VAGUE, NON-EXISTENT “COMMUNITY LAWS” that they failed to provide details when asked. We politely and repeatedly requested a clear breakdown or citation justifying the $500 fine, yet they consistently failed to provide any legitimate explanation. Instead, they resorted to offering a so-called “discount” during negotiations instead of providing for the breakdowns and the basis. The entire process was SLOPPY, EVASIVE, AND EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL.

This behavior is EXPLOITATIVE, DISCRIMINATORY, AND COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. We will be WARNING all incoming students—ESPECIALLY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS—through WeChat groups and other channels to steer clear of this place. We strongly advise anyone considering this apartment to look elsewhere.

We provide all the related materials in the photos.

Update: Still haven't resolved yet. Will file complaints on BBB, Fairness Housing Committee, State Attorney...