New graduate students or staff members at the University of Pennsylvania and other colleges in Philadelphia often face a housing predicament. It may be inconvenient or impossible for them to come to town to look for and settle on an apartment in the Spring and early Summer, when rental activity is strong in University City. And, if they show up at the end of August to start school, they've got to be extraordinarily lucky or they'll be stuck with a meager selection of apartments that nobody else wanted, for instance because of condition, location, housing provider's reputation, or price.

KRF does not recommend renting apartments sight unseen. But, doing so is usually a better alternative than starting a search at the last minute. (For September occupancy, any time after the July 4th weekend is late, any time after August 1 is really pushing the envelope. Likewise, December is late for January rentals.)

When this is the course of action you take, here are some recommendations:

• If you have friends who are already here, ask them for help. If they're happy with their housing providers, they will probably be able to select an apartment for you and make all the necessary arrangements, including getting a "hold" for a few days while a lease gets sent out then returned with a deposit. Most local housing providers will send leases in pdf format. A few will accept deposits by means of credit or debit cards but most will ask for a check or money order by mail — sometimes by overnight delivery.
• If you don't know anyone who is already here, the people with whom you are in contact at your new department will probably be happy to make recommendations. You may not want them to "do the deal" for you, as you might in the event they knew you personally and had an idea of your needs and wants. However, they can probably steer you to a housing provider with a good reputation, who has units available of the type and in the price range you prefer. They should also be able to tell you what to expect in terms of location, conveniences, and general character of the accommodations.
• This being the age of digital photography, you can ask a potential housing provider to email you some pictures of any units you're considering. The photos will be better than nothing, but — if you're expecting a presentation that looks like it was prepared for a spread in Architectural Digest, you're going to be disappointed. Not only will the shots be non-professionally taken, they'll often show unmade beds, kitchens with dishes and whatnot stacked in the sink, and other signs of whatever habits the present residents have that may not be the same as the fantasy you have about your own housekeeping habits.
• Understand that off-campus housing in University City can be envisioned as:
  • primarily undergraduate students vs primarily graduate students and non-students;
  • buildings originally constructed as apartment houses vs those originally intended as single-family homes and converted to apartments.
  There are all kinds of trade-offs in the above, and the following will give you points not only to consider a priori but also questions you might ask if you're gathering information to make your decision without actually seeing the apartment.
  1. Properties closest to the Penn, Drexel, and USP campuses tend to be occupied by undergraduates — making them noisier, more expensive, and often less well-maintained and serviced than average. Properties an additional block or two from the campuses are more apt to have graduate students and non-students — they'll be less expensive, and they're often quieter; these properties are also more likely to be suitable for families with children.
     Note: Federal fair housing laws prohibit discrimination against families with children. However, you should give some thought to the impact of your neighbors' lifestyles on your own little darlings, or the effect of other people's noisy little monsters on your needs for quiet places to study or sleep.

     KRF has an "occupancy load" policy that tries to achieve a balance in such matters without violating the letter or the spirit of fair housing laws. Either way, this is a point you can and should discuss with any potential housing provider.

  2. Also on the topic of children, if you have school-age kids, you should be aware that there's a "Penn-Alexander School Catchment Area." This is a zone in which renters as well as owner-occupants can send their children to the highly-acclaimed Penn-Alexander School. The school is a joint project of the University of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia which generally provides students with more attention, a more supportive learning environment, fewer disciplinary problems, and other benefits not generally available in the other neighborhood schools. You will probably pay more for housing in the catchment area but people with school-age children generally believe it's a worthwhile expense.
  3. Potential tenants with young children as well as expectant parents are sometimes concerned about the presence of lead paint in apartments. With few exceptions, all units you're likely to consider in University City or Center City will have been built long enough ago that they were originally and subsequently decorated with lead-based paint. The law allows you to have tests conducted and to void a lease if lead paint is detected. However, as a general rule, you can simply assume that lead paint is present. In most cases, in responsibly-maintained buildings, paint will not be peeling and the lead will be sealed under enough layers of latex paint as not to present a hazard. Ultimately, people who are worried about lead paint should look for accommodations in one of the newer high-rise buildings either in University City or in Center City, or in a relatively-new suburban development. This will be especially true if you're renting sight-unseen without a friend who you can ask to check on the condition of the apartment before you sign a lease.
  4. Buildings originally constructed as apartment houses typically have conventional apartment layouts and features such as entrance-to-apartment intercoms and entrance door releases, Dumpsters for trash, and high levels of sound- and cooking-odor-proofing up-and-down as well as side to side. The negatives are that you'll have more neighbors and the prices are typically higher than average.
  5. Buildings originally constructed as single-family homes, which have been converted to apartments, sometimes have odd floor plans, narrow stairways and halls, and less soundproofing between units. Provisions for trash vary, with barrels of some kind usually provided and located in side alleyways, when these exist, or sometimes near the entranceway (all KRF buildings have barrels in side alleys – click here for additional information about our trash management). These units often retain many of the original features of the building, including old woodwork and tile, and exude a charm the more conventional properties don't offer. Kitchens and bathrooms vary considerably, everything from tubs and appliances you thought your grandmother threw away before you were born to the most modern equipment on the market. Apartments in these buildings are typically priced below average, although conversions which retain much of the appeal of a bygone day yet offer all the latest amenities may be expensive.
  6. All apartment buildings in Philadelphia with more than two units are required by law to have fail-safe smoke detection systems in "common areas" as well as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors inside every unit within a certain proximity to the entrance to every bedroom. Verify that such equipment is installed in any building you are considering by asking whether the property is in compliance with the 1997 Philadelphia Fire Code.
  7. In any urban area, safety against intruders is also an issue. The type of building is less of a factor than the provisions made for this purpose. Ground floor apartments usually have window bars, as do units on upper stories if they are accessible via porch roofs, balconies, and so forth. You should ask whether, in fact, these are provided in any apartment you are considering; if they are not, you should ask whether the owner or manager will have them installed at no cost to you before or when you take possession. In bedrooms with barred windows, the Fire Code requires that at least one be a "swing-out" type for emergency evacuation. The entrance door to the building, and the door to your apartment should also have deadbolts ... again, something you can verify before making a decision.

Here's the bottom line. If you have to rent accommodations sight unseen, are unfamiliar with the "look" of an older urban neighborhood, and have misgivings about buildings not originally intended for multifamily occupancy, you might be well advised to opt for a more standard apartment. You'll almost certainly be paying more than you might otherwise, and you probably won't love your apartment, but you aren't likely to hate it either. It's the safe choice when you have no real basis for a decision, akin to buying a brand name rather than something that costs less and may be better ... but you're wary of taking a chance.

Note that apartments in University City are in a "seller's market." The demand exceeds the supply – all the more so when the price is reasonable, the accommodations in good condition, and the housing provider attentive to the needs of tenants. You'll therefore generally be required to sign a lease either for a year or to terminate on the next May 31 and won't be able to negotiate anything with a shorter term. You will probably also be required to pay a security deposit equal to one month's rent, and to prepay the rent for your final month of occupancy.

Most housing providers will agree to a non-penalty contract termination under extraordinary circumstances, or if you find a suitable party to rent in your place (subletting is not a good option for you, the new tenant, or the housing provider). However, if you rent an apartment sight unseen and simply don't like it, either because it just doesn't feel comfortable or it's really at the low end of the spectrum, you may be faced with the prospect of living there as an unhappy camper or of losing your deposit money.

One other thing. Some housing providers have leases that end on the 25th of the last month, rather than on the last day. This is a clue that the target market is the undergraduate student body, who follow the chief lemming out of town in early May. Unless you're planning to leave Philadelphia mid-month, you are unwise to sign a lease with this seemingly innocuous detail; it will cause you a huge problem if you want to move to another local unit when the zero hour arrives and you have no place to stay for a week because the new apartment won't be vacant until the first of the next month. Last updated 16.8.2009