Beyond excited to leave this place this weekend. If you're looking for somewhere in Squirrel Hill, don't even bother to look at their locations on Alderson. At first tour, the units look great because they paint over foundation issues such as cracks in the ceiling. When you move in, you'll find that the doors are often painted over so that they cannot properly close and outlets are also painted over. If they come in to fix windows, they'll instead break more... That is if maintenance ever shows up and, trust me, they won't until you hound management for weeks. There is also a theft issue within their units. Instead of putting a camera in the lobby for everyone's safety, their great solution was to put a table + trash can in the lobby and tell tenants to get their packages delivered to work. Mind you, we are in the middle of a pandemic and most people are either working from home or out of work entirely. Their solution was entirely out of touch. Noise complaints are entirely ignored. Also expect the boiler to break every winter and go without heat for several days as well as faulty radiators. There's a reason the rent here is so cheap and it's for a reason. It's disgusting. Google "Forward Management Pittsburgh" for even more horror stories. Do yourself a favor and do not rent from them. read more

The worst company I've ever dealt with, they're thieves. My room ceiling fell down, my toilet ceiling fell down, they didn't provide any help with rent for the damages caused and when I left they charged me so much money for cleaning fees. Please contact me if you have any questions I have videos of the apartments and damages still. DO NOT RENt from them read more

DO NOT RENT FROM THESE SLUMLORDS. This place (5440 Fifth Avenue) is DISGUSTING. The apartment I was shown was NOT the apartment I ended up with. The entire building smells of mildew. The laundry rooms are disturbingly dirty and gross. There are mice that management will not acknowledge or deal with. Maintenance is rude and disrespectful. They will enter without knocking. I had no heat in the winter the entire time I lived there. A message was flashing on the thermostat so I Googled it. I needed a new thermostat. Not a new furnace, but a new thermostat. I repeatedly explained this to maintenance and management. All they would say is that the furnace was new. That may have been true, but thermostat was the issue. I finally got tired of dealing with everyone there, and just dealt with it. It was consistently 54-60 in the apartment from mid November until spring. There was severe flooding in my bedroom from a rain storm, and my dad had to bring fans and a wet vac to clean up because maintenance was just like "we'll let you know when we can fix it." No offer to clean up the mess. They never properly fixed the water damage. And when they did come to fix the water damage they clean their tools in my kitchen sink and got plaster on clean dishes in the drying rack. It ruined everything in there. Management didn't care. The security doors are a joke. Nobody closes the doors to the outside all the way. This is not a secure building. Literally anyone can access this building at anytime. Children are constantly playing unattended in the courtyard. They scream bloody murder for hours on end. If you have an apartment facing the courtyard there you are going to be tortured during the warmer months when kids are screaming all day everyday. My boyfriend and I got stuck in our lease for an extra year because they changed their month to month leasing policy without informing anyone. It is part of my original lease and signed by myself and the leasing agent, but they refused to honor it. They charge you $10 a month per car for parking. They take forever to salt and shovel in the winter. This place is horrible and deserves -5 stars. Do not rent from Forward Management. The money they charge for their hole in a wall apartments is criminal. I'm sure if a building inspector or health inspector went thru this building there would be violations. read more

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Ahhh, Forward Management, the great slumlord of Sq. Hill. Warning: They let personal bias dictate if you even are considered for one of their apartments and confirm this by sending inappropriate comments to you via email. Considering what the agent replied with via email, what they included may or may not break the fair housing act (familial status) for what could be considered discrimination. Way to go! read more

TLDR; If you want a good landlord in the city, live in a smaller place or pay an extra $200/month. If you're stuck with a Forward (or Lobos) Management price range, then find an independent landlord instead of a management company. No other options? Then read on for my experience and tips. I'm aiming for a balanced review. I lived in 2 Forward Management properties in Squirrel Hill: (1) a 600 sq ft 1BR for 4 years (starting rent in '08 ~$650) & (2) a larger 950 sq ft 1BR for 3 years (rent in 2015 was ~$950 all utils included). You can view a blog I kept to track all the issues/interactions I had with Forward Management over the years at www.pghleak.blogspot.com PROS - Low price, but you'll pay in other ways ;) - Historic properties [in Squirrel Hill] with lots of great vintage details - Great square footage for the price, good locations too - Will pro-rate your rent if you're moving in after the 1st of the month - Accommodating to weird requests: (1) if you need to move into the property a day early, the staff will work with the prior tenant to see if that can happen. (2) I sold our furniture to incoming tenants, and Forward Management was okay with us leaving it in the unit for them. (3) I needed to extend our lease 3 months to November 1. They charged me a fee equal to 40% of my monthly rent, per month, but at least it was possible. Then, when I found someone via Craigslist to move-in October, they eventually returned half of the extension fees I already paid (~$400). Forward Management could have really screwed me there, but they didn't. - The account manager for Pittsburgh city properties, Tina, really tries to do her best by you. If she fails, it's probably because she's not been granted the resources to do any better. - Rather lax about nail holes left behind in the wall & charging for them in the security deposit. - Allows up to 2 cats with a refundable security deposit - Laundry facilities are often contained within the building. Often using a laundry card instead of quarters. Prices were pretty typical - Reasonable rent increases each year ($10-$30) CONS - *INCREDIBLY* slow at responding to maintenance requests & have a great deal of difficulty prioritizing them - If you call daily, they will eventually get someone to fix your maintenance problem. However, I called 3* in 9/2015 to get my oven pilot light fixed and no one ever came. I called 2* about fleas in 8/2012, was told there would be an exterminator sent and there never was. We solved the problem ourselves with an $8 bag of diatomaceous earth - Likely Forward Management Pittsburgh is incredibly understaffed. Keep that in mind - The company hierarchy is purposefully hidden from tenants (i.e., you will never get to speak with a 'higher up'), an indicator of tenant satisfaction being a lower priority - When your building gets letters from the electric, gas, and water companies about an unpaid bill, they'll get to it eventually. My utilities were never once forcibly shut off during the 7 yrs I leased from them, despite 15+ letters of this nature. There was a handful of water heater failures, though, & occasional temporary power outages - Maintenance crews do the cheapest possible fix. This is not great when it's a bathroom leak that maintenance had to come and fix on 10 different occasions (over 3 years, see Yelp photos) because they put a bandage over the cosmetic damage instead of fixing the underlying leak - The in-between-tenants cleaning crew could not possibly care less. Drips of paint on ceiling fans, paint on the windows, light switches entirely painted over, linoleum flooring placed *over* door threshholds, and hardwood floors a neglected mess - Typical old building problems should be expected: unpredictable water temperatures/pressure, leaky pipes, crumbling plaster, etc. These are old buildings in Pittsburgh - Often, utilities are included but this means you'll have no control over the temperature during winter. There's usually a couple of frigid days until the heat turns on. If your electricity is included, then buy a space heater. - Forward Management's financial system is a mess. My bank automatically sent them a check every month, 2 weeks early and I'd still get letters telling me I hadn't paid rent, annually - Ridiculous lease-breaking fees in the lease. Negotiate to make it so fees are only applicable in the first year of tenancy - Two bikes were stolen out of 5855 Alderson's basement in 2013. Police report was filed: #13209989 Is Forward Management a bad landlord? Yes, probably. But not so bad that it kept me from choosing to move into a second property with them. It's really a lot based on luck: how many disastrous maintenance requests do you think this unit will launch at you, and can you handle a non-responsive maintenance service? For me, the excellent price, location, square footage, hardwood floors, and windows were worth it. You need to make that decision for yourself. read more

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If I could give zero stars I would they refused to fix my broken window for two winters the pipe in my kitchen burst it and flooded my kitchen and no one came Until a day later and then they duck taped it didn't even replace the pipes not to mention the horrible flooring that gave you a splinter every other day not to forget I have peeling paint that was falling and they did not repaint or clear the falling paint if you rent from them be prepared to have everything go wrong and get nothing fixed when I first moved in my only problem was a loose door knob and that never even got fixed and I stayed for two years read more

I have had nothing but good experiences with Forward Management. The staff always responds promptly and professionally to any of my questions or concerns. Maintenance is super speedy and friendly. I like my apartment and it's reasonably priced, especially for the location. read more

I have been living here for about an year now and have not faced any major problems during my stay. Initially I did not want to move into this apartment due to the bad (old ~ 2011/12) reviews. The main fear I had was for bed bugs. But luckily my apartment didn't have any of the problems. The management is very friendly and has promptly solved any complaints. This is very important as I have friends in other apartments (inquire about the worst management in Pitt and you will know the management I am referring to) who had their pipes frozen in winter and the management didnt care about it. The heating is also good. Only problem you might have is that the kitchen is small, but its not a deal breaker. And the main factor is that its cheap and what you get is worth the money. Atleast have a look at this place, you may like it. Address- 5440 Fifth Avenue read more

Current resident in one of their Shadyside, Pittsburgh properties. Rents are lower but probably the worst service quality among all Shadyside realtors. The first response to maintenance requests generally comes after at least 3 hours and 2 reminder phone calls. Also, that first response would never solve the problem - a maintenance guy would either visit to check the issue and leave or would call and promise to come the day after. I've waited for whole days to get my bathtub unclogged or for hot water in the apartment. read more

I used to be a former tenant here and I have to warn you: STAY AWAY. Due to time constraints, lack of options, and proximity to school, I chose to sign with Forward Management for the apartment at 5440 5th Ave. I have several complaints: - There were SO many stink bugs in the apartment. They would crawl in through the many cracks and crevices of the apartment. - The apartment complex is absolutely disgusting. The basement looks like a murder scene and unfortunately, it's also where the laundry machines are. - During finals week last winter, the power and heating went out for over an entire week. The management did NOTHING to make up for it, not an apology OR some sort of reimbursement for the inconvenience. As many of the residents are graduate students, you would think that they would have more consideration for their residents but NOPE. I wrote them several nasty letters and the best they came up with was "Sorry, nothing we can do about it. Don't curse at us." - When I first moved in, the tub was molding and they did not replace it until I constantly harassed them for a whole month. It was absolutely disgusting. In fact, the condition of the whole apartment was filthy. They claimed to clean the carpet, but there were stains galore. I know for sure they did not clean it, especially after I got it professionally vacuumed and cleaned. It made a world of a difference. What's more is that they retained about 75% of my deposit for bullshit reasons and charges such as "dirty counters" or "carpet stains". Excuse me?! I spent 3-4 days scrubbing the hell out of the apartment and that apartment was in shithole condition from the start. They claimed that I needed to write how DIRTY the apartment was when I first moved in. SINCE WHEN DO YOU COMMENT ON DIRTINESS WHEN YOU MOVE IN?! Shouldn't the apartment be clean from the get-go?? I just assumed that the apartment was so digusting that that was the best it would look. I'm pretty sure they kept most of my deposit because I bitched them out so much that they were pissed about having to deal with me, but that just goes to show you how unprofessional they are. - I had several other maintenance issues with the shower head and shower drain. I think I called maintenance 5-6 times throughout my residence. - The wording in their contract is very ambiguous. When I signed with them, I interpreted their sublease rule to mean that subletters could be allowed depending on the situation. I also assumed so, since most leasing companies allow it... but NOPE. I can now understand why-- they don't want to have to deal with new subletters bombarding them with nasty letters. So basically, you're locked into a one year agreement with them without exception. - They once left threatening letters about not paying rent and charging me a late fee when I had indeed paid the rent on time. They made me take a screen shot of my monthly statement with their check #. How about they get their shit together and check THEIR cashed checks to see whether they cashed my check that month?? DO NOT LIVE HERE. OH, did I mention that every time I wrote them a nasty letter, I found SOMEONE from Forward Management checking my profile on LinkedIn? How creepy and inappropriate is that? What's funnier is that they refused to give me the name of the decision maker/head manager at Forward Management. Everytime I demanded to talk to the HEAD HONCHO, the personnel in the office claimed that I couldn't and wouldn't even give me a name. Not even an email address or anything. They said they would take my information and someone would get back to me... and of course, nobody ever did. Terrible and frightening experience. I shudder at the thought of this apartment and after this experience, I have learned my lesson. You really do get what you pay for, so if all of the above complaints aren't worth it then look elsewhere. It's unfortunate that all of the Google reviews for Forward Management did not surface until AFTER I moved in. (To check them, google "Forward Management, Pittsburgh, PA.") read more

I have lived here for 4 years. And while its an affordable... I've started to have major problems. I want out of my lease so bad. The walls are paper thin and our neighbors suck! I've been sexually harassed by the maintenance crew... Was it a good start up place? Yes.... But I've realized that it has not been worth it to stay here as the price goes up every year... I would suggest it to someone who needs a place for a year to save money. read more

Since forward management is nice enough to go around commenting on everyone's reviews, I will give an update now that I am officially out of that place. The comments they are putting are straight lies (and please forward, comment on this trying to dispute my claims) I can tell you from experience that they don't fix any issue you tell them about. I still stand by my original review. I will admit I was wrong about one thing, they did in fact give me my security deposit back which blew my mind. They never helped with the security nor noise concerns. The comments they are leaving are perfect examples of how they run their business. They say all the right things and hope you believe them but nothing changes. Again, I would not recommend renting from this company, not only for the reasons given in my last review but also because I'm sure there are serious building codes being violated. I'm not a contractor so I can't say anything, just my own opinion but before I moved out a good foot square piece of drywall just crumbled off my wall one day because there was so much water damage and behind it was the exterior brick. Living in the winters of Pittsburgh, I can't imagine there aren't laws requiring insulation between the interior and exterior walls. But again, I'm no contractor, just take this as a warning. read more

Honestly if I could give less than a star I would. These people are some of the most underhanded and unprofessional slumlords I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. When my apartment flooded a couple of years ago it was a constant game of phone tag and people showing up randomly in my apartment to "assess damage". Without consent. I had to find ways to track who was in and out of my apt when I was not home. The water damage got so bad that I had mushrooms growing out of my carpet and mold in the cabinets. And all they did was install a dehumidifier which did nothing. Both myself and my roommate got sick and we had to get city council and the health dept involved, only to find out that there was a myriad of other health code violations in the building we were in. In dealing with their unprofessional staff, I was ignored, had my phone calls put on mute and disrespected multiple times. If you choose to rent from them, be prepared to know the numbers and emails of your local city council rep and the health department. They know they have a slew of issues too because most other leasing companies don't take the time to attempt to defend themselves on every single negative comment. Don't get stuck with another Pittsburgh slum leasing company. Literally live on a friend's couch first. read more

DO NOT RENT FROM FORWARD MANAGEMENT! They are horrible about getting back to you if you have a problem. In the winter, the heat is out for the about the first two months and then it extremely fluctuates; it's either really really cold or really really hot. I just took a shower and for the SECOND time, the water just stopped working. You looking at Forward Management? Look elsewhere. read more

I would give Forward Management ZERO star if possible. DO NOT rent from them if you need a convenient and peaceful life. I had extremely horrible horrible experience renting an apartment in their 5440 5th Ave building. It is a very old building (leaking roof, broken window, bold carpet......), the worst maintenance, broken dryers, no security door and EVERYONE can enter into the building. Some left packages were stolen and after that the delivery people never left a package. Be prepare to get lots of failed delivery notices if you move in!! The structure of building is very weak, I can hear upstairs and downstairs's step, music and even talk on the phone, in the midnight sometimes. During the long winter, snow has never been cleaned in time. Your will see sidewalk of neighbor apartments is clean and only here is messy. No matter to drive out from the packing lots up steep hill. There are MOUSE in the building, yes, MOUSE!! I called their emergency number and sent them several letters, after one week still nobody came! So I have to buy something to block the big mouse hole on the wall and clean all the filth by myself. After the renting lease is signed, they do nothing but only collect rent every month! STAY AWAY and DO NOT RENT!!! read more

Worst management company i've ever had to deal with. I would definitely advise not renting from them if you can avoid it. More trouble then they're worth. read more

Read the review from Diana K. I absolutely agree with her 100%. These people routinely do not pay utility bills- you will come home to find shut-off notices from the water company, from the trash company, from the GAS company littering your hallways. NOTHING gets repaired. They reserve the right to start to charge little fees for garbage or water or whatever in the middle of your lease, and guess what- they do! These little fees add easily $100 to your rent, and if you don't see the notice in time, they'll charge you a late fee. Biggest bunch of slumloads I've ever met. Forget about your security deposit, forget about feeling safe in your own home, and for heaven's sake forget about having garbage hauled away more than once a month and definitely don't believe for a minute that heat and/or hot water will be available to you reliably. On the other hand, if being left in the cold, unwashed, in a dirty apartment building appeals to you, by all means. But if you do your research, these people are recommended by NO ONE. read more

I'm a little surprised that the reviews here are so negative. Granted, I've only been here a few months, but I've been pleasantly surprised. This place is by no means luxury, but it is comfortable and I feel safe here. It's an older property, so the floors creak a bit, the paint is cracked in a few places, and there's a few scuffs on the doors. It's old, but not necessarily run-down. I had a few little maintenance problems when I moved in, but someone has been out to fix all of them in a relatively timely fashion. I haven't noticed any bugs really - a few ants here and there - but I haven't seen any roaches or anything (if this changes, I'll update). I haven't had problems with neighbors at all - everyone has been fairly quiet and respectful. Of course, there's the occasional floor creaking in the middle of the night, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary loud. Management has also been helpful - they answer emails quickly and professionally. The apartment is small and parking is a little tight, but overall, it's a pretty good place for a grad student or young professional. read more

Forward Management's Fifth Avenue apartments are in a great location at a fair price. Will there be maintenance issues in any apartment you rent, especially at lower, affordable prices for this high-priced area? Of course. But, the staff was always quick, knowledgeable and friendly. They made me feel like they really cared about any issues I had, which goes a long way especially with some of the larger management companies in the area. I have no complaints, and would rent from them in the future! read more

I have lived in a Forward Management apartment for going on 5 years.... and while the heating issue in the winter that others have mentioned is definitely not ideal, it has overall been a positive experience. The street that I live on is peaceful and quiet and the neighborhood is super safe. The rent is really affordable for the area, and the maintenance staff are responsive to fixing issues pretty quickly. The apartment that I rent is pretty large and has a lot of character, with built-ins, a (non functional) fireplace, and a back deck. Tina, the leasing manager, has been really responsive and positive regarding concerns and reimbursements, which they have offered during extended repair times. Overall, it's been a good apartment that is definitely reasonably priced, safe, and full of character! read more

My husband and I have lived in our apartment for almost two years. We love the actual apartment itself--great pre-war detailing, wonderful layout, we have an actual dining room, etc., but it could use some serious updates. We only have a total of three grounded outlets in our whole apartment--one of which is on the opposite wall of the kitchen counter, which makes for some serious difficulty when using kitchen appliances. The other two grounded outlets are in the living room and bathroom respectively. We also can't control the temperature in our apartment at all. In the summer, it's not that big of a deal because we just use our air conditioners in the bedroom and dining room (the living room doesn't have windows that are able to hold A/C units), but in the winter, the hot water radiator heat is so stifling that we actually have to turn on our A/C units again or open our windows. We also have experienced numerous issues with the washers and dryers that are located in the basement. These machines are not maintained by Forward Management, but by a separate company instead. We have had numerous occasions where the spin cycle hasn't worked properly and our clothes are sopping wet at the end. We put in calls to have repairmen come--they "repair" the problem--only to have the problem return. The actual management company could be better. We've come home to our building several times to letters posted to the front security door stating that our gas or water will be shut off due to unpaid bills. Since our rent includes gas/water, we can only assume Forward Management is not paying the bills. We haven't had the gas or water shut off yet, but coming home to letters threatening us is not comforting. And recently the management company decided to change how we can submit our rental payments. First when we moved in, we had to mail our payments or we could drop them off at the management office in Shadyside. Then this past year we were able to make payments at First Niagra Bank, which was GREAT because it was right up the street from our apartment and so convenient. Now, starting this month, we have to mail our payments only--no drop off, no paying at the bank. Not sure why, but it's not as convenient. Wish we could pay online. That'd be great--and very 21st-century. We'll stay in our apartment simply because we like the apartment itself and the location is awesome, and it's in our price range. But if we decide to have a family or our salary situation increases, we'll probably go elsewhere. Buying a house just doesn't seem to be in the cards for us. For the record, though, I will say that the maintenance man we deal with--Philippe--is actually pretty great. He's very kind, is prompt, and is always willing to help. We like him a lot. read more

I lived in one unit located at Hobart St., as well as another one at Covode St. My experience is good in general. The good: Some of their agents, such as Tina, are nice and helpful. I don't know others, so no comment for them. My final deposit was deducted for only 35$, basically the cost of one month's trash and water. That's great! Of course, I did spend time in completely cleaning every corner, and it was just like the condition that I moved in. The neutral : Sometimes something broken, I would also contact the office, well, most of times they would respond, but not everytime they would eventually come and fix. However, generally for those big events such as the issues wrt security or big loss, they would handle them. Other things, if they didn't show up, usually I was able to fix them myself. So, comparing with many other landlords, I think this company is not bad. For potential tenants: I am happy to provide some information based on my experience: For 5610 hobart: apartment is spacious, and it is cool during the summer, so you don't need an AC. The ceiling is high, and the windows are huge, and the rooms are bight even you are facing the north direction. Heat is good with almost no cut-off accident (it did happen one or two times that the heat was stopped for half day or something, due to the device failure). The thing that I hate is that the walls are very thin, so you need to have some luck that your neighbors are quiet. This is also the reason that I moved out and switched to the unit at covode st. For 5540 covode: apartment is comparatively smaller and older than the ones in hobart, but it is also slightly cheaper. The carpet feels good and it's clean. Due to the design the bedroom is more isolated so it's more noise-proof. This is something that I like. However, the building has many units and is more crowded, and there is no window in the hallway or the stairs, so you might image the temperature inside. Yes, you cannot live without a good AC in summer. The heat in winter was not as good as hobart. Also, there is no security door for this building, so it is very usual that the Amazon packages keep getting stolen. So, after all, I am happy with this company. Of course, I am not a picky guy. Hope the information helps. read more

I have been renting from Forward Mgmt for over a year right now. I can consider it a positive experience overall. The apartment I rent is affordable for being in Squirrel Hill, the heat works fine, and they always send maintenance to fix the problems when I call them. I would definitely recommend this company to other people. read more

I lived in one of Forward Management's apartments for 3 years. I loved that the heat was Free and the management was always nice. I didn't have any major maintenance issues. It would get a little too warm for my liking at times, but other than that I can't complain. The office and maintenance staff were always helpful. I have recommended these apartments to friends. read more

I read the review that Diana gave and... pretty accurate. Best part is that my apartment building wasn't on 5th but on Alderson. The only thing that those two building share is a common management company. I didn't have bugs in my apartment, but there were bed bugs in the building. The heat was out for the first month of cold weather. The water was turned off due to non-payment twice during the summer months. I understand the idea that I am responsible for any AC (it's an older building) but to have windows so rotten that you cannot install one safely is a little nuts. No restitution was made to us (my wife and I) for the fact that we had to use a space heater for a month and were still charged for heating (which is on the contract) that we did not receive. The apartment was routinely below the specified temperature on the lease (which is State Law). I called in the state health inspector on them for this whole mess. Of course the got everything working the day the inspector arrived and then it broke a few days later. The basement does seriously look like the work space of a serial killer (not cool). The place we got had deep scratches in the flooring, windows that did not close, the exterior was falling apart, due to neglect. Hot water is shared between at least 3 buildings, so you can never take a shower of more than 2 minutes before it cuts out on you. Water pressure is abysmal and fluctuates horribly. I chose the apartment because it was conveniently located in a nice neighborhood and it was cheap all things considered. I got what I paid for. Some of the behavior like not answering me when I called, being curt with me on the phone, etc is par for the course when dealing with management companies. I am no stranger to this. I have been on both sides of that. However, I am not from Pittsburgh originally and this behavior of their's would not fly in Chicago. Even slumlords in Englewood have better conditions than what I was living in while I lived there. Oh, yeah and the thing that really frosted my hide... I had purchased a house in December (hooray me right?) because I had just about enough of these people. When I tried to get a way out of the lease I was informed that it was going to be 3 months rent paid plus a forfeiture of my security deposit (1.5 months) and my lease was up in May. So, I offered to find a subletter. No dice. How about finding someone in this world stupid enough to sign a whole new year lease on that place? Nope. I had to pay until the end of the contract or pay more than the contract. Now for the TLDR version. I have dealt with management companies in the past. They are not fun. However, these people are particularly bad. Do not rent with them, it will end poorly for you. It may not seem like big stuff initially but the every day BS that happens is just too much. Stay away. Find somewhere else if you can. read more

I have lived in the Squirrel Hill property for just a few weeks and I can already safely say that this is one of the worst things in the history of apartments. I know every landlord gets bad reviews because mostly p***ed off tenants care to write a review. But this is something else. It seems like they go out of their way to be awful landlords. They respond to emails quickly unless it's a maintenance request, in which case they completely ignore it. My apartment had dripping faucets when I moved in and they have ignored my requests every time. They don't pick up the phone. And now I have gotten a notice that water will be disconnected because these idiots didn't pay the bill!! And don't get me started on how disgusting and dysfunctional the laundry room is and how unclean the apartment was when I moved in. Mind-bogglingly incompetent management. read more

I can't believe I already have to write this review after only living in the apt for less than a week but here I am. I signed the lease about a month before I moved in and I was assured all things that needed fixed would be fixed by the time I would move in. Needless to say I've had to call multiple times and send many emails just to get them to change outlets. Im still waiting on the rest of the fixes (including two completely broken windows) and after I one of the many calls I was again assured that these would all be done by the 3rd of September. It is now the 4th and they've only been in my place to change outlets. I just want the things that normal apartments have (i.e. working windows, a non running toilet, a working shower, and no smell of a gas leak in my apt) and its like pulling teeth trying to get them to fix these. This is completely unacceptable for any rental company to do this and if nothing is resolved I will consider taking legal action. read more

I would give this place Zero stars, really. My boyfriend and I are looking to move out, and re-locate to Pittsburgh. We live far away. About 3 hours away. We wasted a bunch of gas, time, and money when we came down to look at an apartment from this agency. It was a basement unit, which was NOT listed in the ad. You should be up front and honest about such things. And the photos listed of the unit literally weren't even of THAT unit. (Even though it was empty and available and photos could have been easily taken.) Which is how we got tricked, and had no idea it was a basement unit. The photos were of a "similar model apartment," as the man (John) told us when we asked. If you're going to do that type of thing, you MUST legally list it online in a claim that says something of it. Also, the cheapskate who showed us the place was so proud of himself, as he offered, in all seriousness, to knock $5 off of our monthly rent if we kept a dehumidifier running in that apartment, since it is a basement unit. Ew. I wish I could bill these guys for getting up my hopes, wasting my time, and wasting plenty of my money just to go see the place. They were practically begging us to take the place instead of a typical home interview/showing where they see if You should be allowed to live in the place. Thanks for nothing. read more

I live at Pine tree Gardens for about 4 years now. I moved from another state & I was always calling Tina with lots of question & she was so patient & kind to me. I never had a problem with any of the girls in the office. When ever I had something that had to be fixed I would e-mail the very sweet & kind Nicole & she would put a work order in right away & within 1 to 2 days sometimes the same day maintenance would be here. The maintenance crew may not speak English well but they get the job done. I personnel like Leo,he does good work & is very nice & respectable. What a lot of people done realize is that you have to give respect to receive it . For the amount of money you pay for rent the apt is a nice size & pretty descent . I have no problems with my neighbors & you are close to a lot of stores. I am very comfortable living here and have no complaints. read more

The ad they listed on craigslist was incorrect. The ad showed pic of a large second story apartment for $565. When I got to the appointment to see the apartment that second story apartment was actually $795 and the one for $565 was located in the basement. This bait and switch a complete waste of everyone's time. read more

I don't write reviews, but in this case I felt the need to communicate my experience with everyone else who may be interested in leasing from Forward Management, specifically dealing with Tina A.. I was a tenant for years due to loving the location of the apartments in Shadyside area. However, Tina drove me away as I was shocked for years of how rude and unprofessional she treated me and other tenants on my floor (I became friends with my neighbors over time). Tina would not return my calls most of the time and when she did, she hung up the phone abruptly stating that she had to go each time. There were other issues with her charging tenants with a fee and when tenants brought it to her attention, she refused to listen stating that she had no time. It blew my mind at how this manager kept her place of employment by not addressing the needs of the tenants. read more

Such an improvement over my last landlord. Spent second year of grad school (and part of the summer) renting from them and had no problems at all. Great location in Shadyside and clean, safe building. Management responded pretty quickly to my various requests over the year. Had a problem with my stove (twice) and though they could not repair it that day, they let me know when they would be back and returned to replace a part a few days later. Also had a cat, which was no problem and sublet for two months with their permission which also went off flawlessly. Biggest problem was the overheating of the apartment in the winter and since I did not have control of the heat, I needed to leave my window open on certain nights in the winter. Not very environmentally sound but had no choice. Pleasantly surprsed that I got my full deposit back within a few weeks. My last landlord absconded with it. read more

My wife and I lived in a Forward Management's apartment at 5540 Covode Street and we had a very unpleasant experience over there. At the end of the lease, Forward Management didn't return us the whole amount of the security deposit, even when they said they would do it. According to the Pennsylvania renting rules, landlord companies such as Forward Management can charge a maximum of two month's rent as deposit (as we were charged) but after the first year of renting they must return one of this month's rent, something that they never accepted to do. I had to leave the apartment in a middle of a month and Forward management sublet the apartment when my lease was still valid, even worse, they didn't accept to refund me the overlapping days that they sublet the apt. despite of the fact they charge the other tenants for these days. We always had troubles from the beginning because they have a team of technicians that have keys of all units and they can freely enter to any apartment. On several opportunities, the technicians entered to the apartment WITHOUT ringing the bell nor announcing their visit. We reported this situation several times since my wife was very surprised of this unexpected visits. Forward Management didn't do anything to fix the problem. We only requested to be notified when technicians would go to the apt, but they never do it and it seemed that they enter to the apartment without any reasonable explanation (there were damages or repairs in the apartment). Mail and packages were repeatedly stolen from the main entrance. The apartment was dirty, full of cockroaches, and stains in the carpet. They never wanted to clean or desinfect the apartment. My suggestion: keep far away from Forward Management and look for individual owners who want to rent a unit or an apartment. Forward management doesn't manage the process in a trustworthy or reliable manner. read more

worst company to rent from, they cut corners to repair/ upgrade apartments. the after hours maintenance people don't speak english and never respond to any after hours emergency. prime example. thursday 9/1/2016 a tenant called for days stating the floor was buckling up and was infested with fleas. maintenance did nothing about the situation. fair warning they will steal from you and basically force you to take them to court!!!!!!i repeat never, ever rent from this company!!!!!!!! read more