Portal Place Apartments

"I stumbled upon the Portal Place apartments while searching for a place to stay in the University of Pittsburgh area. I was meeting up with over 20 family members, all of whom were traveling and had booked hotels at a nightly rate for far more than I was looking to spend. The Portal Place apartments advertised 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen, common area and free parking for a fraction of the price of family members staying in nearby hotel rooms. I booked the apartment for a 2 night stay. Communication prior to arrival was received via both text and email. Detailed instruction stated that I was to park in a designated numbered spot in the onsite parking lot adjacent to the apartment building. My party of 3 and I arrived in the 9pm hour. We remarked on how dark the lot was. We had to use our cell phone flashlights to unpack our vehicle as well as to light our way walking up to the apartment entrance. We also commented on how we found it odd that our designated parking spot was located far away from the entrance of the building. There were only 2 other vehicles in the lot which were parked in the 2 closest spots to the building. Our vehicle sat in the middle of an almost vacant, poorly lit lot, by itself. We were unfamiliar with the area. We felt a bit uneasy given these factors, but ignored our gut. My party and I got ready for the day the following morning. The elevator did not work to take us downstairs. This was a minor inconvenience compared to what awaited us in the parking lot. Sometime overnight, our brand new, 2 month old truck had been vandalized and broken into. I wish I were able to submit photos while writing this review. The driver’s front window was completely smashed. The interior had been ransacked. Due to the crowbar marks on both the front and rear driver’s side doors, the entire panel of both doors will have to be replaced. One of the tires and rims also sustained damage in their attempt to remove them. The local police officer who made our report stated that the same incident had occurred just 2 weeks prior in the same lot. We cut our stay short at the apartments, as we did not feel safe. We had to lug all of our belongings down several flights of stairs due to the inoperable elevator. We were over 6 hours away from home, without a vehicle that we could drive due to the weather and no window. Once home and settled I did a much broader search. I was alarmed and angered at all of the reviews and public statements I came across regarding poor lighting, vehicle damage, vehicle burglaries and concerns over general safety at the Portal Place apartments. I only stumbled upon these results because I had to be very specific with my search. It is very upsetting and alarming that safety information is not provided along with all other property details when booking. I realize such an incident as mine can happen anywhere. However, when I do my own homework and learn that such incidents happen time and time again in the same location and such information is not disclosed, that is unacceptable. It should be noted that the apartment complex has a gated parking garage but a pass was never made available to us. It should also be noted that there are zero cameras on the lot, the building, in the lobby or in the surrounding area aimed towards the building/lot."

"First of all, I was surprised because the apartments are spacious. The bathroom is literally another bedroom because of its size. The fact that you have two types of balcony options in terms of views makes it fun. The building is a small size compared to others. That makes it more intimate and more homey. Last but not least, Portal Place Apartments is a gem in Pittsburgh mainly thanks to Kim F. It's a great place to live in!"

"I found this 1BR apartment to stay for a night through frontdesk It was very reasonably priced (no tax or other fees like hotels and Airbnbs) They had everything and better. We saved money by having breakfast in—all kitchenware fully provided. Place was clean and very affordable. The TV wasn’t working so I was on the phone with frontdesk help and bc the previous tenant messed with the login, they gave me a partial refund for the inconvenience. One bad thing-can’t make left out of the lot."

"There are definitely better options around Oakland for the price. Here are just a few of the issues that have come up in my 2 years living here: The walls, floors, and ceilings are very thin. If you don’t live on the top floor, the stomping from the tenants above you will be so loud that the ceiling lights will shake. You will hear your neighbors having conversations and be able to understand what they are saying, word for word. If you live near the gym, you will feel the floor vibrate when someone uses the treadmill and when weights are dropped. There are no restrictions for gym hours. I have been woken up at 2AM on several occasions when someone decided to go for a run. The outdoor parking spaces are very small, there have been several accidents with damage done to cars. My car was hit twice and I was lucky to have the other person leave a note, some other people have not been so lucky. The elevator has been turned off on multiple occasions every few weeks for maintenance. In your lease, you will be charged $150 for carpet cleaning when you move out. However, expect that you will be charged much more for cleaning items such as “clean bathroom mirror”, “clean bathroom sink”, “clean bathtub”, “clean sliding glass door”, “clean kitchen cabinets”, “clean kitchen counter”, etc."

"When I was moving from NJ to PA, Portal Place apartment's staff was extremely flexible in working with my schedule to send me information, virtual tours, and available for any questions and concerns. I have been living for a year now and continue my second one. I have enjoyed living here because it is exactly what I signed up and more. It is very close to a lot of restaurants and stores. The landlord communicates with you very quickly for any extra accommodations. I am absolutely happy with my decision and cannot think of any other place I would rather live."