Knickerbocker Properties

Responsive. Friendly. A team that really prides itself on being available to their clients, before, during, and after the rental process. Strong on communication and professionalism.

I rent a studio apartment at the Larchmont. It is in a nice, peaceful neighborhood. The front lawn is always clean and well maintained and inside an older building with upgrades There are some issues but nothing major, the maintenance team responds quickly. Great location with lots shops, restaurants and public transportation.
Beverly S.

I’m the mom of a Drexel student who lived in a studio apartment at Drexel Court during her sophomore year. I’m very appreciative of the Knickerbocker Properties folks: they provide safe and affordable rental units in older, but clean and well-​maintained buildings. Maintenance staff were always responsive to problems, which were few and minor. Knickerbocker seems committed to teaching young people how to be part of a mutually respectful tenant-​landlord relationship, which is something that will serve them well wherever they live.

I had a great experience with Knickerbocker. I rented a studio apartment from them at Drexel Court. The apartment itself was spacious and sunny and looked out onto a quiet courtyard. The building was well-​secured, with a locked gate to get into the courtyard, then another locked door to get into the building.
Granted, it is an older building, and there were some issues associated with that. On a couple occasions I lost power from an overloaded breaker, and my heat was extremely spotty throughout the winter. (That was my biggest issue with the place, and why I took a star off — Philly winters are nothing to sneeze at, and the temperature in my apartment would drop below the legal limit for hours at a time.) Bill, the maintenance guy, is rock solid though. Really nice, and always concerned with making sure things get running again ASAP.
I can’t speak too much about management, because I didn’t have much cause to interact with them. They seemed perfectly nice when I picked up my keys, and perfectly nice when I dropped them off. Never had any problems that warranted their attention in between.
For the price, it was a fantastic studio apartment. If you’re willing to put up with the occasional inconvenience and a bit of a hike to campus, I would recommend Drexel Court to any student looking to live in a studio apartment.
Note: They are in the process of remodeling all the apartments in the building, but I didn’t live in a remodeled one so I can’t speak to the quality of those. Something to consider!

I’m actually very surprised at the poor reviews on here. I was concerned when I read all of these but every single interaction I’ve had with Tom at Knickerbocker Properties has been really great. He has been incredibly quick to respond to every one of my numerous questions/​requests. In fact, he has gone beyond expectations. I had some last minute issues to deal with and he was just awesome.
Thank you, Tom!!!

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I had consistently poor experiences renting through Knickerbocker Properties. When I first showed up to view the apartment, the woman with whom I had scheduled the visit didn’t arrive, and when I called her, she said she had forgotten. I was given, over the phone, as some completely unknown person, the security code to enter the buildings and take a look around myself, since the available apartments were unlocked inside. This probably should have been a red flag, but I was in a hurry to move, and it didn’t hit me until later what an incredibly irresponsible move that was on the part of Knickerbocker Properties.
The little problems started immediately. When I signed the lease, it listed utilities for the tenant to pay that were different from the apartment advertisement. I refused to sign the lease until it matched what was advertised, so they changed it and printed off a new one. The woman at the office then couldn’t find the mailbox key, and it took over a week for them to have a new one made for me.
There were never any problems big enough for me to feel like I needed to make a formal complaint – although maybe I should have. The «free high speed wireless internet» was slow to the point of being useless. I could rarely watch Netflix, and I went over my phone’s data limit a few times, when I didn’t limit my usage carefully enough at home (the wifi signal wasn’t strong enough to update apps, watch videos, or even reliably browse the internet on my phone).
The building I lived in was in poor condition. My kitchen sink began leaking three times while I lived there, and my toilet once. Maintenance arrive to do plumbing or electrical checks frequently, and I never once received a phone call or email notice. When my toilet started leaking, they turned the water off and told they wouldn’t be able to fix it for a few days. I was instructed to flush by filling up a bucket and pouring it into the bowl after each use.
The month I moved out, I was told I would be prorated for moving early, so they could prepare the apartment for the next tenant. I based my move around being able to avoid double-​paying rent for most of that month, then told after I moved that I would only be reimbursed for the last few days. That’s why you should always get agreements like that in writing.
My security deposit arrived more than a month after I moved out, in violation of the lease, and had suspicious deductions for late rent payments. $ 100 or so isn’t enough to raise a big stink over, since I can’t prove when I turned in my checks, but it’s another data point in a pattern of poor service. I’ve rented with Centra Associates and Volpe Real Estate since moving to the city, and have nothing but good things to say about my experiences with them (I suppose I should leave them reviews as well, now that I think about it). Anyway, there are so many people and companies through whom you can rent an apartment that there’s no good reason to do business with Knickerbocker Properties.

I do not know who wrote the five-​star review. I do not believe a single word. I think it is Tom, the owner, whom everyone hates. Poor guy is just trying to attract some tenants, cause all of his ran away from him and his business. Notice that the fake review does not mention any specific details about the experience. Visit one of their properties yourselves and speak to tenants. You will realize that they all hate this place. Good luck and stay away from Knickerbocker.

I had a phenomenal experience with Knickerbocker, from top to bottom. Most property management companies use leading contractors to lease their apartments — not Knickerbocker. I was shown the property by a manager who knew the property inside and out. Signing the lease and payment were simple and convenient. On my move in day, the same manager was showing properties to other prospective tenants. He took the time to help with my move between showings. Service and attention to detail like that is something you won’t find elsewhere. I highly recommend these guys!

This review is based on my experience calling the phone number provided on the knickerbocker web site, what I would consider a Bait and switch technique used to get you to see apartments advertised at a cheaper price. When I had called the number I was told the room is available then when i showed up to view the room it’s suddenly not available I asked about a special the were running and was told they have one room left then upon arrival it wasn’t anymore. Leasing agent didn’t show up to the schedule time for an apartment viewing. Instead gave me the code to enter one of the properties to see a room, but not the room I would be renting. When I asked about the room I would be renting out and the price I got two different prices, if I booked now it would be cheaper then if I waited until a month later, sorry this isn’t a hotel, it’s an apartment I need to know what my monthly rent is going to be, not what it may or may not be one month to another. Very shady practices are appearing to being used. While I could be wrong, this was my experience. When I did arrive to a room (not the room I would be renting) there where two other people in the room also who seemed as confused as me they also looked around and walked out. The reviews on land lord. Com are not much better. The only impressive thing is the website. I would caution any one looking to rent from this property do your research and expect professionalism. For anyone looking to rent an apartment look up warning signs to look for when contacting a leasing agent. A big red flag is showing you a room, but not the room you will be renting, always ask to see the room you will be renting if they can’t show it to you its likely not a reputable company.