the republic

My wife and I have lived at the Republic with our 80 pound pup for over a year, and we just renewed our lease for another 12 months. We love the building's location, pet-friendly atmosphere, front desk staff, and our apartment's renovated fixtures. We live in a corner unit on the 19th floor, and the views and natural light are *incredible*. That said, it's very bright at night, so much so that I have to wear a sleep mask. The downsides of the building are 1) when the fire alarm goes off, you may have to descend lots of stairs, 2) the building is expensive relative to other options, though reasonably priced for the area, and 3) as an older building, water and other utility problems occur regularly. Also, the building recently came under new management that we're not fond of. They frequently fail to communicate before shutting off the water for maintenance (they do let you know, but usually after it's already off). We plan to move out at the end of the year to find something cheaper/in a quieter neighborhood (simply because our own preferences have changed), but we really have loved our time here.

The building is old and there are constant issues with water. My prior apartment is this building had serious water damage due to building wide water issues and no emergency maintenance number. The elevators also break frequently and people get stuck in them.

I have lived in the Republic for 2 years and it has been a fairly terribly experience. The "free gym" was closed for most of the time because of ungodly long repairs from a fire. The "free coffee" was missing/not working 90% of the time. The "free printing" did not work and was never addressed.

Over the two years, they had issues with both my electricity meter and water meter that led to extreme over billing. They refused to get the meters fixed for over 13 months(!) and every month was a week-long debate about how much I should actually have to pay.

The property manager, Mathos, is either incompetent or lazy if not both. He refuses to respond to emails and address issues. He was responsible for not getting the water meter fixed in my unit for 12+ months.

On the bright side, the maintenance team and the front desk folks are delightful. Greystar should promote them to management.

Good apartment building overall, corner apartments have lots of light; other apartments have no windows in the bedroom.

My bedroom has no windows, so it is hard to know whether it's morning or night. If you want to have sunshine to wake up, this place is not recommended.

Very friendly staff and usually responsive management. No issues with apartment utilities, pests, etc.

I moved after my 2nd year of residency and have been living at The Republic for about 6 months. The primary reason I moved: I wanted lower rent. The secondary reasons I moved: management at my old apartment building was troublesome, and I wanted to be closer to friends/things to do. My experience at The Republic has been wonderful! It is a fantastic location- close to bus routes (I sometimes walk to HUP - bus to PPMC and the VA), ultra close to key stores (same block as Target, 5m walk to Trader Joe's), close to places I like to spend my free time (Rittenhouse Park, trail by the river, great food- even for takeout, art supply stores, used bookstores). The management- especially the front desk staff - are super nice and so helpful! Maintenance has been very responsive (and I haven't had any major issues). I live in a renovated apartment with a great view with sunlight my houseplants love. One downside is that my commute is longer than it used to me - it increased from 10-20 minutes to 20-30 minutes, which can feel like a lot at the end of a long day. It has been worth it for me though!

The building is just OK - definitely not special.

Positives: in-unit laundry, gym is small but useable (similar to hotel gym), building is clean, reasonable price points, and pretty central on Chestnut.

Negatives: larger unit sizes are a bit overpriced, but small "1 bed" is really just a studio. Units have fairly simple / cheap furnishings, and unfortunately no shared outdoor space (basement "lounge" area sees infrequent use).

Convenient location with great prices