Alvin M Levin & Son Inc

I have been living in rental properties for the better part of the last decade, and this is certainly the worst management company I have ever rented from. However, I would say that if you stumble upon a place they rent that you absolutely love, it would still be reasonable to rent from them. Just understand the shortcomings of the management company ahead of time, some of which I’ve outlined below.
The property I rented was reasonably priced and well maintained. When I called overnight with a critical maintenance issue (water pouring out from the ceiling of the closet onto my clothes that I later learned was from the air conditioner), somebody came to fix it the next day. I only met Mr. Levin once. He seemed quite reasonable in my brief interaction with him.
However, JR is the main go-​to guy who manages the property. At first, he comes across as a very sweet older man. However, he is not very direct, and because of this I found him very hard to deal with. He is also difficult to get a hold of if an issue arises. In fact, none of my emails (during the entirety of the year I lived there) were ever returned. He also rarely was in the office when I called, and messages left with the staff were rarely returned.
I had several upsetting interactions with JR. At the end of my lease, I wanted to get the contact information of the person moving in to see if they wanted to buy any of my belongings (we were moving far away). I called the office many times asking for JR to call me back. Finally, I got JR on the phone (after multiple messages that were not returned) and he said that the reason he hadn’t called me back is that the tenant moving in wasn’t interested in buying my things. But I found this hard to believe because I never told JR the reason for my call. I did finally get in contact with the incoming tenant and she was in fact interested in buying some of my belongings.
JR always spoke in a pleasant tone, but I actually found him to be very inflexible and confrontational. He would attack me, while simultaneously trying to be my friend. Towards the end of my lease I said I would return the keys the last day of the lease, but JR said that as soon as the place was found to be empty they reserved the right to start painting and essentially strong-​armed me into giving my keys a week early. This was frustrating because I wanted to allow a friend to crash the last few days of my lease. It seemed unfair that he demanded that I turn in my keys for a place that I was still paying for.
The hallway was kept reasonably clean throughout my time in the apartment, but I was a bit weirded out that an exterminator would come into my apartment every two or so weeks to spray chemicals along the walls of my apartment. I often work night shifts and sleep during the day, and there were several afternoons when I awoke to find an exterminator in my bedroom.
Other annoyances: when we moved in we agreed to assume the prior tenants lease (no cleaning of the apartment between tenants) for a «special price». However, when we moved out the tenant who moved in payed the same amount as us. So no special price, just a dirtier apartment. It sounds like everyone who speaks to JR gets a «special price» — the woman who moved in did, too. Also, we did not get our full security deposit back, even though we left the place much cleaner than when we moved in. $ 130 were deducted from our security deposit for a dirty refrigerator, stovetop, and bathtub. I pointed out by email that the apartment was much cleaner when we moved out than when we moved in, but (no surprise) my email was never answered.

I don’t even know why they are here on Unilocal.They don’t manage properties other than their own properties, when I called, the lady who answered the phone said they are not hiring, but I’m looking for a property management company to hire…

Alvin Levin & Son has been a great landlord. My building is always kept in very good condition. The floors and walls are cleaned frequently and all public spaces are kept nice and orderly, including the laundry room and basement areas. The company renovated the public spaces of the building this year and were always prompt in keeping residents informed of ongoing changes/​issues. Rents are reasonable and fair. Any issues I had (leaks, clogs, etc) have been addressed quickly and professionally. I have had many landlords and these folks are definitely one of the best. JR, who manages much of the day to day, is fantastic.

I was surprised to run across these negative reviews when I was looking up Alvin Levin’s address to send them my rent check, and I felt like I had to put a word in.
I’ve been renting a center city apartment from them since August. It’s not a luxury apartment by any means, but the apartment is sunny, comfortable, and well-​located, and it was impeccable when I moved in – meticulously clean, the hardwood floors in terrific condition, newish appliances. The building is kept in good condition (the common areas are cleaned/​vacuumed frequently; the basement, where we have storage units as well as the laundry, is clean, dry, and mold-​free). Every time I have had an issue — ranging from a clogged toilet to a problem I once had with the heater — the maintenance guy is on hand to fix it within hours, even on a Sunday. And he’s really nice and funny.
The negative reviews don’t conform to my own experience at all. I’ve been a renter for the better part of the past decade (in Philadelphia, DC, NYC, Boston…), and Alvin Levin & Son is probably the most responsive landlord I’ve had. The negative reviews seem to be from a couple of years ago, so maybe things have changed under JR’s management? In any case, I would highly recommend this company.

I had to write this review because I couldn’t believe all of the horrible reviews Alvin M Levin & Son received. My wife and I almost didn’t rent from them because of the horrible reviews I found. Yes, there were several things that needed fixed. However, this company has been attentive to every detail, and have fixed things that they really did not have to.
1. The heater stopped working when I first moved in. J.R. was there the next morning to check things out. A heater was ordered and it was installed by the following day. Yes, it was a little inconvenient, but the heater was replaced very quickly and professionally by a better and more energy efficient heater. If were were not renting that would have been a big expense.
2. The water heater was only putting out about 20 minutes of hot water. Nothing changed since moving there, so in part it was my fault for not checking this out fully. However, much to my surprise they installed a very nice and new water within a short period of time.
3. The sink in the bathroom leaked water around the spigot. They also had someone come and try to repair it, and then replaced it when the repair didn’t work.
4. There was a small stain that developed around the shower head. My wife thought it was leaking so I called even though it was a very small deal. Turns out it was probably a cleaning stain that was my fault, but they came and painted over it anyway.
5. Some of the lights were flickering. Turns out one of the breakers burned out. An electrician came quickly and fixed it in a few minutes.
6. The dryer downstairs broke. They called the company and it was fixed very quickly.
J.R. (the realtor) has been very professional the whole time. People come every week and vacuum the hallway and get rid of the trash. They obviously have good connections with plumbers, electricians, maintenance men, etc. because they always show up very quick. All of those people are nice also. Everything is cleaned up well and never had a problem with safety. Their office is nice, and it’s convenient that I can just walk the check there. I’m glad I decided to not shy away from this company. Our apartment is small, but very reasonable for Philadelphia prices. If we need to rent a bigger place I hope that we can rent from them as well, and I recommend that you do also.

I rented from Levin & Sons for a little over a year and I was throughly impressed with their responsiveness and professionalism during my time there.
They offer reasonably priced apartments in good locations with reasonable amenities. Luxury housing, this is not. You won’t find granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, but you will find well kept, spacious apartments.
I had one issue (the dishwasher stopped working) and it was resolved the day after it was reported.
I never met Robert Levin, but JR was great.

Robert Levin has major psychological issues and this unfortunately ruins what are fairly decent rental spaces– most likely inherited because I can’t see Robert building this business himself with his dreadful and abrasive interpersonal skills.
I have rented a few other places in Philadelphia thanks to being in the stage of life where my last two roommates have respectively moved in with a significant other and bought a condo. My other experiences in Philadelphia have been with small independent landlords and as a responsible tenant who has a fairly organized, clean lifestyle and pays my rent early I have cultivated a good relationships with all of them, except for Robert Levin.
I will say that the apartment that I rented was clean and nicely renovated for a rental and in a good location. I knew the regular maintenance staff in our building on a first name basis and found them both friendly and competent. The problem was Robert Levin; I am happy that I am no longer contributing to this man’s income. My 3 word description would be: «small, pathetic man.» I’m not making a jab at his diminutive stature, but rather his personality. My first experience in meeting him was watching him scream at the son of one of the building/​property handi-​man (who was mentally challenged and sometimes worked with his father) about a half-​finished task. The son was calmly trying to explain that a certain task had not been completed because he was awaiting his father’s return from a local hardware store for a necessary part. Yes, Robert was speaking to a man with two hearing aids but there was still no need to scream (or be losing his temper as he apparently was).
My next interaction with Robert was in the form of nasty letters he sent in response to an inquiry that I had made about an issue with the apartment. I had a calm and pleasant interaction with staff but when the problem came to Robert’s attention he responded with an unnecessarily nasty letter which was both puzzling and unprofessional. I decided not to renew my lease. My farewell was Robert Levin insisting that I perform some routine maintenance on the apartment that was not my resposibility. I responded with a letter documenting what he had asked me to do and stating that legally this was his responsibility as a landlord, not mine as a tenant. I think this was obvious, but this was more about Robert’s pettiness and trying to create one final hassle than him actually expecting me to perform property management responsibilities. They did eventually return my full deposit. . with one final nasty letter from Robert Levin attacking the short letter that I had written point by point.
My recommendation would be to look for a place on craigslist not run by Alvin M. Levin & Sons unless you are in a graduate psych program and want to conduct research on small man’s syndrome and managerial styles.