Penn Commons LLC — Local services in Pittsburgh

All You Need to Know Lobby The nicest thing in the building you'll see other than the gym and the directors office The fire alarm/emergency system wasn't working for who knows how long but I was present when it was being worked on and the techs said it wasn't even working so that's really safe

Security Guards 3 out of 5 are really nice. There's one that has been creeping some of the women out. He likes to check your PURSE and LAUNDRY. If he is making you feel uncomfortable then you have every right to not let him check your things

The Halls Sometimes reek of cats and garbage Look creepy and sketchy Floors are dirty No decorations in the halls. You can only decorate your door.

The Rooms Walls are gloomy blue/grey color No bathroom. Bathroom is all the way at the end of the hall. So when you have to pee at 3am. . yup. . take a stroll of bright lights to the end of the hall then if your bathroom is closed for some reason then you have to hike to another floor. A/C is a joke. You can't control anything. FOR THE ENTIRE BUILDING the heat or A/C is either off or on so if you're hot and the heat is on then you'll be hot. Somehow every room feels different. Some rooms will feel like a sauna with the heat on and others will feel like the arctic with the heat on and vice versa with the A/C on Small fridge in which 4 people are expected to store all their food in Sinks are super small so placing about 2 dishes in will drive you up a wall because you can barely use the sink Cabinet space is limited Window rooms are a scam. I had a window room and I was staring at a building filled with office people so I could never really tell what the weather was and I never pulled my blinds up because if employees weren't there then janitors were there. You can also still see through the blinds which is sickening because all this time I've been thinking no one could see me with my blinds down. There are some window rooms that are facing the streets and not a building but good luck trying to get those rooms. Table benches are uncomfortable to actually sit at for long periods to eat or do homework Beds are horrible. Countless days I have woken up feeling like I was tackled by a football player.

The Bathrooms Look creepy and sketchy too Get used to seeing hair and balls of hair everywhere, even cat hair in the showers No shower is great. All the temporals on the showers are wrong. Most showers are small so making a 360 degree turn is not easy without having to skim the shower certain. There's nowhere to sit your stuff in the shower and sometimes there's a bench to sit your stuff outside the shower instead of on the floor. Shower stalls has huge gaps and you can see into every shower especially if you are actually in the stall

Laundry Room Some of the driers sound like they are going to explode. Extremely loud We are told to call the equipment company when there's a problem with the machines. That's not our jobs!!! Washing seems convenient but it actually gets really annoying Sometimes people steal your clothes or take you clothes out before you can make it down there to get them

Tip Ask the students what THEY think of Penn Commons, not the person giving you the tour. They are going to make it sound good because that is their job. Their job is to sell rooms. If you decide you want to lease then DO NOT lease for your entire schooling, instead do maybe 6 months and see if you like it because you don't want to be stuck there forever You don't get your pet deposit back Cannot have alcoholic drinks and weapons even if you're of age and obviously you cannot have drugs They go through the trash to see if you have has drug, alcoholic drink, etc Bring a lamp. The lights are insanely bright and glare on every book and packet They fix things by putting "Out of Order"on them so plan on it not being fixed. I've been here 1.5 years and there are still the same things broken...

Only 2 wwwks and i honestly don't mind it at all. Its a little depressing having no window in the shared room, but hey, gotta give a little with limited budget. Feel gloomy about the wall color? Decorate your wall with simple room lights or posters or art. Its certainly a little tricky with a roommate you share a bedroom with, but not that bad. This is a cut so the view wont always be to taste, but it's the effort that counts. I put a bright rug into the room and it looks so much better with some personal colors added. Benches are fine, not super comfy, but most of us arent here forever anyways. Too hard, buy some cushions or blankets to make better seatings. Kitchen space is fine if you store dried stuff under the beds or on top of cabinets. Work out this stuff with roomates. Make friends and you will find tips and tricks to surviving a simple dorm. Nothing fancy, just convenient enough to get by in. Gym is great, laundry is decent plus a nice common area where they sometimes offer free meals. Great walking distance. Don't know weather? Check the internet... less is more, showers aren't terrible, not great either, but we know that water costs a lot, so consider it charity that you aren't charged extra for long bathers. Cat smell in the hall? There are lots of veterinary and pet loving residents here, so yeah it will smell like a cat quite often.....lots of cats means cat smells will linger but they do clean regularly. I...

Stayed there for one year. I would say it is a very good choice. The management is very friendly and thinks for the tenants. They organize many activities and gatherings to make the life colorful, like living in a university dormitory with classmates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the needs for printing lecture notes due to closure of schools, they even set up some printers in the common area for free.

The only thing you need to consider is that there's no bathroom inside your suite. Instead, there is a large bathroom (with more than sufficient thrones to sit at) on each floor. However, I regard this a good thing: you and your roommates don't need to bother cleaning each other's physiological waste. Rather, you always find a clean toilet maintained by the company. The shower room is narrow but it's tolerable.

I don't find any other concerns. I don't see problems like broken facilities as reported by other people before. The location is very good, with a lot of choices of restaurants in the Cultural District. Post office and FedEx office nearby. Lots of banks beside PNC headquarters. Almost every bus route passes nearby. Utilities and WiFi are included in the rent. I...