Great location and very competitive price. Apartment was extremely spacious and comfortable in all seasons. All staff interactions were great experiences. Even better, I dropped my keys down the elevator shaft on a Friday at 1am and the emergency maintenance employee was there to help within 20 mins! Nothing bad to say about the King Edward.

After a 40-year career in Washington, DC, I decided to retire to my hometown of Pittsburgh in the summer of 2016. I knew I wanted an apartment in the centrally-located East End, near the universities and downtown; a walkable, old-bones building. I did a lot of research online and made appointments to see seven different buildings in Highland Park, Shadyside and Oakland. I choose a one-bedroom apartment in The Royal York because of its North Oakland location, square footage, reasonable rent, commanding view and elegance—from its stylishly-appointed Art Deco façade, portico and lobby to my apartment’s parquet floors, arched entry ways, high ceilings, crown molding, faux fireplace, crystal and brass chandeliers and original doors and hardware. In-unit storage is plentiful (6 closets) and additional on-site storage is available for free. The kitchen has a ceramic floor, granite countertops and new appliances. The halls are newly carpeted (Sept 2021) and well lite. There is plentiful seating (some under awnings) on the newly-created roof top. The building is well maintained and the staff are very friendly and responsive. The building is quiet and has a great mix of students, retirees and professionals. I am delighted to live at the Royal York. Judith K

We love our apartment at the Royal York. Its so conveniently located. Right on the corner or every bus you might ever want. They just realized the roof deck and it is quite beautiful. The people at Sterling office on very helpful. Especially Dena and Christina lamanna. All the workers here are very friendly. Thanks to Rich and Steve Tom especially Mr Lee.

I lived at Old King Edward for 10 months and wanted to share my experience. Good point about Sterling land is that there are always many staff members available in the building who can run the freight elevator, or come to resolve your maintenance issue in the unit. The building is quiet and neighbors are mostly students.Laundry machines were old and not all of them could work properly all the time, BUT, they purchased brand new washers/dryers after a while and they were all working great (without any additional charge to rent)I didnt experience any unplanned visits to the apartment which is mentioned in some reviews.*SECURITY DEPOSIT*I was a little worried after I left the apartment about receiving my security deposit on-time and if they would charge me for cleaning issues (BASED ON REVIEWS I READ), but I received my deposit shortly after 2 weeks and only 20$ was deducted which was OK. However, they provide you with a move-out cleaning checklist, and I simply followed it and cleaned the room accordingly.Bottom line: Pay close attention to lease agreements and know your responsibilities and youll be good.

Terrible management, to name a few instances shortly@ mold on the ceiling causing health hazard; reported a long time ago, was fixed after a long wait by their standard and was charged the security deposit after moving out@ Very aggressive and threatening style of communication many times. They set a meeting time and you have to show up, or evacuation, causing stress and unnecessary communication issue imo.@ Half of my security deposit is gone for cleaning in case you miss other reviewsThe front desk, location, quietness, and the large space are amazing. Would highly recommend other managements such as Forward, Walnut Capital, Mozart and Meyers from personal experience for less stress should any issues arise and youd like to have the management working with you.

I have lived at the King Edwards annex apartments for many years. The location is very convenient for bus transportation, near restaurants, food stores, and drug stores. The apartment buildings are well maintained and repairs are fixed very quickly. The tenants in my building are very nice and friendly. The office staff is very helpful to the tenants.

I have lived at New King Edwards for 17 years.Wonderful people,comparably priced & well maintained.Ten minute walk to universities, hospitals and the heart of Oakland.Brand new washers and dryers.Highly recommend !

Management, maintenance and janitorial personnel are all very responsive and conscientious. New washers and dryers are fine. Its great to have all utilities covered by the base rent. One thing Id like to see: When I moved here (to OKE) in 2010, there was a clock on the wall in laundry room next to the Right Choice vending machine. it was taken down and never replaced. Give us back our clock! Coming in, inside door of OKE - Bayard St. entrance is very difficult to open, door very heavy, especially for elderly and disabled tenants. Cant something be done about this? Another concern, often when I go down to laundry room at night, the inside door next to the laundry room and the outside door to the ramp will both be open. Is this for the restaurant employees? And/or to let in the cool air? People could wander in off the street, and with tenants who have to do their laundry at night... Id like to see both those doors replaced, and maybe have some kind of passcode or card system for people who must use those doors. And maybe an update to the AC system so the outside door doesnt have to be left open.

Management is great! The apartments are cute and well priced. Reminder that any old building is going to have a few quirks

I leased a studio apartment at 245 Melwood Ave between 2019 and 2020. From the day I moved in, I had many issues with the apartment and the management company.1. The 1.12. Appliances section of my lease contract indicated that the unit had a dishwasher. However, when I moved in, the unit did not have a dishwasher. Since I moved across the country to go to a school in Pittsburgh, I was not able to tour the unit beforehand and see things for myself. I do not use dishwasher much anyways, so I let it pass quietly.2. The day I moved in, the management company notified me that there was water leak in the bathroom of my unit, and they put a hole on the wall to fix it. I understand that unexpected things happen and I was fine with it. To my disappointment, it took over a month for them to seal the hole, only after my repeated demands.3. The major issue was pest infestation. From the beginning, I would occasionally notice small cockroaches roaming in the bathtub in the morning. I asked the management company to fix this issue multiple times, but they would say they will check and nothing was done. After a few months, I started seeing very large cockroaches in the kitchen and the bathroom areas. I requested pest control from the management company many times. However, they would come in and set up only monitors. Maddie Urick from the management office even saw the cockroaches trapped in the monitors, but nothing was done beyond setting up monitors for months until I moved out.4. Even after I moved out, there is the security deposit issue. They charged me a cleaning fee for dirty oven. The oven was already dirty when I moved in and I even cleaned it myself. So I asked for a picture of the oven after they cleaned it, but unsurprisingly they refused. My loss was relatively minimal, so I did not pursue it anymore.

Brief version: As other reviewers have said, dont expect to get back the majority of your security deposit. Staff is pleasant, policies are predatory.Longer version: I rented from SLC from 2018-2020, in the Wellington. Let me begin by stating that my experiences with the office staff were all positive. Everyone I interacted with was nice, efficient, and resolved issues as they said they would. Maintenance staff was as responsive as can reasonably be expected, considering the sheer number of rental units they cover. When my movers during my moveout showed up early, they were able to accommodate.The poor rating is due to the handling of the security deposit. I moved out on 7/28/20, and per PA code 68 P.S. §§ 250.511a-250.512 security deposits or a written list of damages and the remaining balance must be returned within 30 days. This did not happen in my case. I contacted the office on 10/23 inquiring why, and was told that the security deposit was returned as Couldnt be delivered. CONSIDERING that none of the office staff has misled/lied to me previously, I will assume this is the truth - especially considering that after I followed up with them, the security deposit (or what remained) was received within 3 days.On the topic of the security deposit, a total of $480 of the $975 was kept for cleaning purposes. I have attached a video I took of the apartment just prior to my vacating of it. As SLC notes in their responses to other reviews which also state their security deposit was withheld, they do provide a list of things they will charge for and a price range for the services. I have also attached that. I strongly suspect that they never charge the minimum amount, as I was charged the maximum given amount for all supposed services provided and absolutely do not believe that $85 of labor went into cleaning a dirty oven/stove top.It is also worth noting that my request for a walkthrough prior to my moveout to assess costs went unanswered.

My husband and I have lived in Old King Edward for two years now, going on a third. This building is beautiful and well-maintained. If you are drawn to the charm and uniqueness of 20th-century architecture, youll love this place!Our apartment is incredibly spacious and the value is phenomenal for the North Oakland area. The company recently switched to an online portal for rent payment, maintenance requests, and lease renewals, which makes all of the above streamlined and easy to manage.The staff is responsive and the in-house maintenance team is awesome. Its honestly a privilege to personally know the people who may need to come in and out of your home from time to time when you need a repair. Plus, the maintenance team is friendly and it brightens my day to see them around the building throughout the week! Special shout out to Keith and Jeff, two incredibly kind and helpful guys!--Molly

I could not be more pleased with the experience of living at BAYARD MANOR!The building is incredibly clean (some times the tile floors are so shiny that it reminds me of my time in the ARMY), and this building is SAFE!!!Whenever I have had a question, the response of the management, invariably, is respectful, professional, and clear. If there is a problem, it is addressed and resolved.One specific example, which is worthy of sharing, is as follows:It was late on a Friday afternoon, and my kitchen sink was clogged. I telephoned the receptionist, Deena, and her response was, in essence, we cant have that: she immediately contacted the plumber on duty and the problem was resolved.Its a joy to live here !!!!

I was at 5424 fifth ave and I had a fairly pleasant experience with Sterling Land. They are flexible with leasing terms and gave back my deposit on time.

This place is terrific and wonderful. The management is world-class. They treat customers like God, and they do whatever they can to help. The very nice lady who answer the phone is an angel, being so kind, patient, professional and thoughtful! We had a wonderful conversation and she resolved my question immediately. I just cannot think of a better place across the whole country

I lived in the Wellington for two years and it was a great experience overall. Its an old building, which means that it had cool character, but it also meant that things went wrong sometimes. Maintenance was always great about responding to our complaints. Special shout out to the night maintenance guy. He was great.Whenever I had to deal with the office staff, they were fair and pleasant. They even let us out of our lease a few weeks early to accommodate us (also because they probably had to do some repairs to the unit, but it was nice regardless). They also made a few other accommodations for us that they didnt have to do. We got our security deposit back in a timely manner, and they didnt take any unnecessary fees out.If youre reasonable, have a basic sense of flexibility, and treat the staff with respect, youll have a good stay.

I rented with Sterling Land for 2 years as a graduate student. Having gone on to rent with different companies since graduation, I wanted to acknowledge how much I enjoyed living at the New King Edward building in particular. Management was responsive to requests, the building was quiet and well-maintained, and (seemingly unique in the Oakland area) I received my security deposit in a timely manner after I moved out. Thanks for a great experience!

My daughter rents from Sterling Land and hasn’t really had any issues. She leases an apartment in the King Edward. The building is old BUT her apartment has a lot of space and it’s quiet. They do not rent apartments to undergraduate students (which was a big plus for us when searching around Oakland). The apartment was very clean upon move in (I thought I should note that).I toured many of their buildings with my daughter and I have to say the agent we worked with was great! I don’t usually mention names but she most definitely deserves a praise! Sarah was very knowledgeable AND friendly plus she continues to help my daughter if she has a question or concern about ANYTHING.The receptionist was helpful when my daughter signed her lease. We had a ton of questions and she had a ton of patience. For the most part, the office staff is kind and reasonable.The only reason I am giving 4 stars is because the woman who manages the Plaza parking needs a serious lesson in customer service! She has no patience and talks to you like you’re an idiot! She treated myself and daughter like she just didn’t have the time for us on two separate occasions. Do yourself a favor and try to figure out your issue with the receptionist before resorting to talking to her directly.I would recommend Sterling Land to anyone or any parent who is looking for a quiet and safe place to live for themselves or child.

Overall I have had a wonderful experience living in their Royal York apartment building. Any maintenance request I have submitted has been dealt with the same day. There is a lot of character in the apartments that quickly helped to make my new place feel like home. I am moving to a larger apartment in the building next year and management was flexible and willing to move up renovation dates in order to have the apartment updated before I move in. As a young professional I was very tentative to rent for the first time, but it turned out to be a positive experience with Sterling Land.

I liked my unit a lot, it was a spacious, bright, quiet corner unit. However, they have a trash problem there - they take days to empty constantly overflowing trash rooms, and the hallways smell like garbage. They rip you off /cheat you on your security deposit. Double charge you for a one time parking pass fee etc. They will also wait till the last legal day possible to send you the deposit back. I have always received a full security deposit back so I was surprised especially over draining the deposit for items I had already paid for. This is something commonly said about Sterling Land Co. so I was not surprised though disappointed because I did feel positively about my individual unit.

Going on living in the Old King Edward for 5 years now. Apartments are clean and well maintained, regular upkeep on the property, office staff has been responsive to any and all questions and concerns Ive had, and maintenance requests are handled promptly. Good water pressure, good heating system, and a connected garage. I have absolutely no intention of leaving any time soon.

Ive lived in the New King Edward building for a year with no major complaints. Staff is very friendly and responsive, I love my unit, and the rate is reasonable for Oakland. The building is quiet- mostly professional students and retirees. There are always trade offs to renting from a big company or big building, but I feel like I get what Im paying for.

I lived in 2 apartments with this company between 2009 and 2011. They were always very responsive to maintenance requests, and the properties were fairly well kept for North Oakland. I had much better experiences than my friends who lives with slumlords.My buildings didnt rent to undergrads, though, so I think that helped.

Left with a bad taste!!My husband and I lived in this building for two years and had no problem when it came to repair service or maintenance.Our issue was recover of our deposit amount. We vacated the property on a Sunday morning (June 28 2015) and since the office was closed on Sunday, we were told to drop off the keys at the front door office letter slot.We did as we were instructed and thought all was well and waited for our deposit to be posted to us.We receive our check in August but was charged $124 for keys not returned and changed of locks. This surprised us, as there was no mention from the office not receiving the keys when we went to their office twice in July, once to give them our forwarding address and on other occasion to find out if we can collect the check earlier than the one month waiting period and all these while there was no form of communication about they not receiving the keysWe received a call on first week of August from the office to confirm our forwarding address and was asked casually if we had returned our keys and told the we did so.When we finally receive our check we called the office immediately and was told to speak to Patti. We were disgusted by the way she spoke to us. She was very rude and wasnt willing to listen to our explanation. She may be of a manager of some status but her behavior gives a bad reputation to the otherwise well mannered and excellent management.We are honest people and had been a good tenants. To be accused about not returning the keys and Patti cutting the phone short half way through talking to her leaves a very taste in our mouth.We may never get back $124, but sincerely hope the owner( who does live in the building) can get to the bottom of this and look into it. Just be aware, if you are vacating the property on a weekend, get a management to witness and get a witness signature!!!

Pretty mean people and very strict rules. I feel happy that I dont need to live there anymore.

Worst management I have dealt with. Waited over a month to have my security deposit returned only to find they deducted money for cleaning. Complete lies. I cleaned my apartment fully, including stove and oven before I left (I even took pictures before and after I moved in to prove this). I asked to do a walkthrough before I left, but they refused. I moved out two days before my lease was over, giving me plenty of time to clean up to their standards. Spoke with management who were rude and unpleasant. Seems like an ongoing scam they pull with everyone. Please stay away from this company!

I lived in old king Edward for almost 1 year. And Ive a lot of unpleasant experience in the building. First, dont be disguised by rent includes everything. The heat in winter doesnt work well. I asked for repairing, but they never fixed it. Thus, I had to buy an electric heater by myself. Second, the toilet and the bathtub are connected. And the toilet is easy to clog. (recently once a week.) Can you imagine how gross it is? I asked the landlord to fix it, but it kept recurring. Third, all the office staffs, after you signed the lease, the only thing they care is whether you bring an overnight guest back or whether you use the elevator to carry a chair up. They will have a million reasons to take money out from your security deposit.

I only want to talk about the deposit. Their policy is to return your deposit within one month, and I havent receive it till now (over two months). Whats more, they said they sent me the check (which I never received), and they had to cancel that check, however, I had to pay for the cancellation fee (which is $35). I said its not my fault, they said its not their fault and I might throw the check away by accident. I also pointed out that should I charge you $35 if I sent you my monthly rent check which was lost, and they said they would charge me $50 as the late fee. What a wonderful customer service! What a wonderful logic! Still negotiating on this.

One of the worst properties I have ever stayed on. Its run by a bunch rude prooks. Just money minded people. The building was terribly maintained. When the AC was leaking cold air from the outside during peak winter, they told us to seal it with paper. If you get into a fight with them, you are in trouble. These guys charged me a lot of money and Patti threatened to sue me unless I pay them a lot of money as I was getting transferred out of state. Read their rental contract properly. The tenant has no rights according to it !!!! beware of these guys and go for it only at your own risk.

Royal York -- 4 yr renterThe laundry facilities are pretty lack-luster for a building of that size and you should be prepared to wait to do laundry if it isnt during the middle of a weekday. The elevators are constantly breaking down and it takes them an extremely long time to do their construction projects on the building so be prepared to be inconvenienced for a very long time(ex. took about 6 months to renovate the front entrance overhang, something that should of been a one week job).Water is shut off regularly, especially when they turn the heat on and off. Afterwards it would spew out brown rusty disgusting water for hours. Water temps fluctuated a lot. Shower temp would go from hot to cold and back again without even touching the knobs.Be prepared to live there in 1 yr increments from the date you sign the lease regardless of how long you live there. I understand thats their option, but its kind of a dick move after the one year mark, I mean it isnt like life works in 1 yr increments.Be aware, rent WILL go up every year. We renewed our lease three times and our rent went up $220. It started at $1050 and finished at $1270. At that rate our rent would of likely doubled in a little over 10 years and rates in the area didnt really seem to be going up and the building certainly wasnt getting any better.We caught them breaking their own lease and they really couldnt of given a damn. They send out lease renewals sometime around March for August and youre supposed to get 14 days to review it according to our lease, and they gave us something like 7. We didnt get it until we came back from our trip and they had told us that they were going to start showing our apartment and were fining us $100 as stated on the lease renewal (not in our lease) despite the fact that we hadnt even received the renewal by then. So I walked in to their office and they sent me to somebody there named Patty I believe. I told her what happened and she said something along the lines of Sorry, we cant be responsible for the amount of time that you spend out of the apartment. So I showed her in the lease that we were supposed to be given 14 days minimum to determine the renewal and that nobody was clearly given that and that it says nothing of a $100 fee and she just went off. It was one of the most unprofessional things Ive ever seen. She yelled something like, So what do you want an extra few days to determine if you want to stay here? Cant you just decide right now? It isnt that hard! So I told her yes, Id like those extra few days and she was like fine but I cant guarantee that we still wont charge you the $100 its our right and obligation to our set policies. I didnt end up having to pay the $100.My wife was going from an inactive duty status for the Army to an Active Duty status after graduation and was given her orders for her duty station. So we knew generally when you receive relocation orders you have to be let out of your lease regardless of time and at no extra cost to the individual (at least in other states). So I when I talked to them this time they told me they were aware of no such law and that they most likely wouldnt let us out of our lease. They told me I could call their lawyer if I wished and that if he approved it would be alright. However they refused to call their own lawyer and find out for themselves and told me that if I called I may incur the costs involved with talking to the lawyer.When they started showing our unit most of the people showing it were pretty professional and often gave us a days notice. However, one of the owners (Mike I think), showed the unit once, they never called and gave notice and he just unlocked the door and came right in, didnt even announce himself as he entered. He couldnt of cared, it was his right to enter unannounced whenever he decides it is appropriate and that any notice given is just a courtesy, he told us. Then he went and spoke very loudly in our bedroom and woke our daughter up after we warned him she was sleeping.

Did you know you know that in Pennsylvania you can sue for twice the security deposit if within one month you do not get an itemized explanation for deductions? I wish I had. I left it spotless and they took every cent because they had a personality conflict with me.

Rude. Rude rude rude. I called and they said umm. we only rent to graduate students. Theyre judging me because I dont have a degree? Thats awfully rude. Just because Im an undergraduate doesnt mean that Im any less responsible than a graduate student. I wouldnt rent from these people even if I was a graduate student. Dont rent from here, their policy is discriminatory and wrong.

This is definitely the worst apartment rental in Pittsburgh, PA!They asked you to wait for 30 days to return your security deposit but they never did return to you a single cent unless you sue them ... They are true pirates in the daylight time!Do NOT EVER trust them!IMPORTANT: Patti Halpin is an extremely awful and rude rental manager there!

I wish I could give these horrible people no stars. Where to begin? Overpriced, disgusting units. Lead paint peeling off the walls, can hear neighbors and back door slam whenever someone comes in the building. Perhaps the worst part of living here is when they turn your utilities off with no notice. Thats right, you didnt want heat when its 15 degrees outside, did you? Who needs a hot shower? Certainly not the tenants living in these awful apartments thats for sure. They charge you a flat rate for utilities then decide when you can and cant use them. This has happened more times than I care to count, NOT just a one time thing. I cant stress enough, DO NOT RENT FROM THESE SLUMLORDS!!! Oh, also, if you pay the $65 to rent a parking spot from them, apparently that doesnt matter. Their maintenance staff is still allowed to park in your spot whenever they want. Words cant describe how truly awful this place is to live. Do yourself a favor, live in a cardboard box on the side of the road rather than this dump. At least you can use your rent money to buy a hot shower at a truck stop.

I could just sum up this review with the word ditto because there is such a litany of complaints about how rude the management is at Sterling Land Company and about how difficult (and in many cases impossible) it is to get your security deposit returned to you. I can find reviews from 7 years ago complaining of exactly these same issues. Clearly, the company continues to behave in this manner because they get away with it. Most people do not or cannot sue them, so they withhold your security deposit, with little or no fear of repercussions. The specific details of my tale of woe are unnecessary; the take home message is STAY AWAY from this company! Find another management company that will honor their commitment to return your security deposit when they should and as a possible bonus, treat you civilly.

The unit itself was not bad. However, the heat was stuck on, even when I had the radiator completely off, forcing me to need to keep my windows open for the duration of winter. Issues regarding maintenance was somewhat annoying, typically only a day notice, but better than nothing. The receptionist is very nice. Upper management is terrible. Woman manager lacks manners and typical human interactability, have not once had a pleasurable interaction with her. Issues of recovering security deposit not uncommon (self included). For those with this issue, a handy statute for Pennsylvania is 68 P.S. section 250.512.

Terrible, Terrible, management, no sense of service and unwilling to help, unfriendly and unprofessional, very rude on regular basis. You will NOT have even one pleasant interact with the woman Patti Halpin. Michael McSorley is nice when you sign the lease with him, but you will never see him again, and if any situation happened, he will NOT help you. So whoever thinking of renting from them. Good luck, may God bless you do not have to deal with any of the management personnel.

Rude, rude and more rude! i swear everyone i talked to someone on the phone they were INCREDIBLY rude to me and all i would ask for is simple requests. plus the apartment i was living is was cheap, yet they rose and rest every year to some ridiculous price. these people do not care about their tenants, only about their bottom line.

The worst staff ever had picked up phone!!! That girl just cannot be more rude and awful!!! What kind of company hire her????

Aweful managementthey hate you

One word COCKROACHES!!!! BIG ONES!!! DO NOT LIVE HERE!!!!