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How to check a landlord near Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)

Most leases near Temple University get signed without anyone checking who owns the building. The record is public. This is how to read it in about ten minutes, using 2,383 licensed rental addresses in Philadelphia that LandLens has already matched to their records.

1. Find the owner of record

Philadelphia requires rental properties to be registered or licensed. LandLens carries 2,821 of those records for addresses near campus, each joined to the address it covers, so the property page shows the owner of record or the registered contact, and how many other properties that name holds.

Source: City of Philadelphia L&I — Active Rental Licenses (open data).

The largest names on the registry near Temple University right now: ARCH VI - TEMPLE N. GRATZ STREET LP (28), SFR PHILADELPHIA LLC (22), PHILADELPHIA LOTUS LLC (19), ZENITH REAL ESTATE INC (19), VIN PARTNERS LLC (18). See the full list →

2. Check inspections, violations, and court filings

LandLens matches 1 eviction filings to the address they were filed for (by street and landlord →). It also carries 1,781 code violations matched to addresses near campus (by street and owner →). A single old filing means little. A pattern across an owner's buildings is the thing to ask about.

Source: Eviction Lab (Princeton University) — Eviction Tracking System, building hotspots (CC BY-NC); City of Philadelphia L&I — Code Violations (OpenDataPhilly).

Where the records cluster near Temple University

Streets with the most records on file right now: Cecil B Moore Ave (203 across 34 buildings), N 18th St (84 across 18 buildings), N 16th St (67 across 13 buildings), W Oxford St (66 across 17 buildings), N 33rd St (61 across 9 buildings). A busy street is not a bad street; it is where to read the individual address pages more carefully.

Owners of record with the most records attached to their buildings: SFR PHILADELPHIA LLC (45 on 8 properties), THAYER PROPERTIES LLC (32 on 3 properties), MPB SCHOOL APARTMENTS, L.P (29 on 1 property), 1413 GERMANTOWN LLC (28 on 1 property), CECIL B MOORE VILLAGE ASSOC LP (25 on 5 properties). Each owner page lists every address that name holds, so you can see whether a record is a one-off or a pattern.

Counts are records matched to addresses near campus as of today and change as the city and courts publish. Sources are named on every page.

3. Read what tenants said

Every review on LandLens comes from a tenant who verified a .edu email, one review per person per address, with no names shown. If the address has no reviews yet, that is normal; most don't. Ask the current tenants directly, and when you move out, leave the review the next person will need.

4. Ask before you sign

Get the answers in writing, in the lease or by email. If you already have the lease, LandLens will read it and list the red flags in plain English for $9.99; your campus legal office (below, where we have it) will do it for free, more slowly.

1. Who exactly is the landlord on the lease, and is it the same name as the owner of record?
2. When was the last city inspection, and can I see the report?
3. What is the total move-in cost: deposit, first and last month, fees?
4. Under what conditions is the deposit returned, and within how many days?
5. Who handles repairs, and what is the promised response time for heat, water, and locks?
6. Is every tenant jointly liable for the whole rent, or only their share?
7. Can I sublet over the summer, and what does that require?
8. What was the rent last year for this unit?

5. Red flags

• The name on the lease does not match the owner of record and nobody can explain why.
• Pressure to sign today, or a deposit requested before you have seen the unit in person.
• A lease that makes you responsible for repairs the law puts on the landlord.
• Several eviction filings or open violations across the owner's other buildings.
• No written answer to any of the questions above.

Local help near Temple University

• Temple Off-Campus Living
• Philly Tenant Hotline — 267-443-2500
• Philadelphia Tenants Union

Questions

How do I find out who owns a rental in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia publishes a rental registry (City of Philadelphia L&I — Active Rental Licenses (open data)). LandLens joins it to each address, so searching the address on getlandlens.com shows the owner of record or registered contact. You can also search the registry directly on the city's open data portal.

Are there eviction or inspection records for rentals near Temple University?

Yes. LandLens shows 1 eviction filings (Eviction Lab (Princeton University) — Eviction Tracking System, building hotspots (CC BY-NC)) and 1,781 code violations (City of Philadelphia L&I — Code Violations (OpenDataPhilly)) matched to the address they were filed for.

Is LandLens free?

Yes. Looking up an address, reading records, and reading reviews is free and needs no account. The only paid product is an optional full report on a single address.

Can a landlord pay to remove a review or a record?

No. Landlords cannot pay to be listed, promoted, or removed. Reviews come from tenants who verified a .edu email, one per address, and public records come from the city or county source named on the page.

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