We lived in a Rockwel property in Squirrel Hill for 20 years and loved it. We had a great experience with Rockwel. The location was perfect & the place was old (like most places in Squirrel Hill) but well-maintained & comfortable. The landlords responded quickly if anything needed repair, were fair & reasonable to deal with, and the people they employ are so nice. We'll miss this place & these people. read more

I lived in a Rockwel Realty property for 1.5 years in the Pittsburgh area. My overall experience unfortunately was not great due to the poor experience I had with having to sublet my share of the lease. The process to sublet starts with paying 1/3rd of total rent in order for them to begin the paperwork. Then the paperwork for the subleaser is complex, time-consuming, and requires things such as 3 years of tax documents, credit check, background check, and proof of income. In addition, if one person on the lease sublets then none of the other people on the lease are able to sublet during the remainder of the lease period. I was informed over the phone that there was no security deposit due for the subleaser. I asked this multiple times because I wanted to make sure I had this very important detail correct. When I finally found a subleaser who completed the paperwork and was approved, at the very end they requested a security deposit to be paid that day. I felt awful for my subleaser since I told him that there was no security deposit due. This was incredibly unprofessional on their end and caused complications on my end. In addition, the phone customer service representative of Rockwel Realty was unprofessional, rude, and impatient. It's a shame really because I thought the property itself was decent for the price. I would never recommend renting a property through Rockwel Realty, especially if you plan on subletting at some point in time. Not a good company. read more

Rockwel Realty was fantastic to work! My clients were seeking commercial business space. Elisabeth and Rocco were always available for meetings and questions. They were responsive for any building inspections, mechanical updates and leasing requests. Rockwell Realty is obviously invested in Pittsburgh's communities. read more

These people were more interested in confrontation than they were in providing realty or property management services. Would not recommend them at all. read more

Terrible maintenance service our basement was flooded and nobody came out to look at it till weeks later. Then our sink was leaking and they a weeks to do that as well. Just not a good place to stay. read more

Really pleasant people who take care of their properties and tenants. Had a great experience in dealing with them.

Poor service that leaves tenants to fight mildew on their own. When asked to repair something, Rockwel Realty will do it on their terms and refuse to give you notice of when they will enter your apartment despite multiple requests When asked to clean mildew, they did in fact clean it with bleach while also spilling bleach on my sheets and ruining them. When told about this problem and that the mildew returned they said it was my fault for not turning the heat up and that damage done during service is an inherent risk the tenant is responsible for and nothing could be done. Their solution was for me to clean the mildew instead of properly insulating the unit to prevent mildew. The entire building also has severe electrical problems that causes all lights to be replaced twice a month. No permanent fixes are made to existing units, but there is constant construction to expand an old building so they can collect more rent. read more

I was a tenant at a Rockwel apartment as a college student in the Pittsburgh area. From the time we contacted Rockwel for an application until when we moved out we had a very positive experience with both the office staff and the maintenance staff. The maintenance service was outstanding, and whenever we had an issue it was resolved in a timely and professional manner. I was very satisfied with the time I rented from Rockwel and I would highly recommend them to anyone in the Pittsburgh area. read more

Rockwell bought the building where I am living. They sent me a letter telling me that I need to leave in a month or I will have to pay more (the double of my current payment). Obviously, I found another place in the same area (actually on the corner) bigger and same price that I was paying. When I asked them if I could stay one more month at the same price, because the construction on the building (noise, people coming back and forth, and a lot heavy construction dirty, no laundry access) they just said "We already sent you a letter with the conditions, if you stay you need to pay the increase amount". Even with the Pandemic situation this people just care about the pennies. They have a monopoly in Shadyside. Try to find places with other companies to compare with. read more

As a student moving to Shadyside/Pittsburgh for the first time, I definitely lucked out by renting with Rockwel. They've been completely accommodating with my move-in date and maintenance requests. Prompt responses, professional service, there's not much more that I could ask for. Would highly recommend for anyone looking to live in the area. read more

Was trying to find a rating lower than 1 star but couldn't. This guy seems nice but he's actually not. He left me with no heat for the entire winter and I had to get the Allegheny Department of Health involved. So many better options, really don't rent with Rockwell, odds are that you will regret it. read more

Exceptionally poor maintenance service. They refused to start heat before mid-October and the centrally heated apartment grew very chilly as Fall progressed. On another occasion, they refused to change a rusted and weak lock. The lock eventually gave way and I locked myself into the bathroom. After the incident, I requested that the lock be changed immediately, and one of the owners threatened saying that we were in default of our lease agreement for not keeping our apartment as clean as when it had been leased to us. Dealing with Rocco and Elisabeth is nice, but good luck getting anything done with Nick who seems to be increasingly handling the operations of Rockwel. read more

Our family rented a house through Rockwel for 3 years and had a very positive experience. When there were occasional maintenance issues, they were taken care of. Everyone we dealt with was friendly and reasonable. For our part, we always paid our rent on time and kept the house clean and in good order. In the end, we received our full security deposit back. If you are looking for a rental in Pittsburgh, I definitely recommend seeing if Rockwel has something that will meet your needs. read more

Some things are a blessing in disguise--such as the time I attempted to relocate to Pittsburgh and found a somewhat decent apartment in the North Side. I took a tour of the place. I was hopeful the cat smell would be addressed but when the guy said "Oh, you can smell that?" I should have known then. The apartment needed painted--badly, but I was willing to deal so that the stress of relocation could go away. The unit also had no window treatments, no air conditioning, and did I mention the cat smells? On a Friday, I told them I was interested in the apartment, they told me to mail my security deposit check that day. I followed direction and mailed it. I made plans for moving. They never called to tell me my rent check wasn't recieved on Saturday or the following Monday. I had to email them to request a copy of my lease when I was told "The apartment is no longer available, someone came in today and gave a security deposit". Interesting--so when I asked the office that past Friday they told me not to bring in my check--that mail would suffice. Something doesn't sound right here. Their lack of communication also cost me an additional $100 in non-refundable moving expenses as I had put down a deposit with a moving company. Definately one of the more frustrating things to happen to me during my relocation, but based off the condition the apartment was in, coupled with these poor reviews, I should be counting my blessings. read more

I've rented from Rockwel for just under 2 years. Haven't moved out yet, so I can't say how that process goes. I'm writing this review because I'm currently researching apartments and I wish more people wrote helpful reviews with positives and negatives! Cons first: - When I moved in, the apartment was dirty, even though I was promised it would be cleaned over the weekend. Not "disgusting" level, but the kitchen had been redone and so there was a good bit of foot-traffic dirt and wood chips. - It's an old building (Shady & Howe) and it makes noise. I'd tell people visiting that it was haunted. Lots of banging in the pipes in the wall when the heat was on; this woke me up a few times but I eventually got used to it. Also, the oven would make popping noises. That wasn't annoying, but I'd blame it on the ghosts also. - I've caught six mice while living in the apartment (in fairness, the management's response is solidly in the "pro" column; more on that later.) - There are only two washer/dryers in the basement, which sometimes leads to traffic jams only ever on the weekend, usually Sunday afternoons). - Again, it's an old building; I've found that the pipes periodically get clogged up. - No doorbell. Whenever people visited, I had to go get them at the front. - In one case I lost water for a few hours without notice. If I'd been a typical professional, I wouldn't even have noticed since it was during the day. However, I'm a student and so was at the house. Turns out building maintenance unexpectedly had to turn the water off. I'd have preferred to know this was a possibility so I could plan my shower around that! - I can occasionally hear noises from upstairs in the bedroom. This has only been over the last few months; I'm not sure if they got rid of a rug, got a louder tenant, or what. It's very minor and I doubt anyone would be bothered. - The building (or maybe just my unit) is extremely hot in winter, unless you open a window. Overall, I'd say the downsides have been minor and I've been consistently happy in this building. Now, pros: - No rent increase after my first year! - The management is excellent. I've requested maintenance a few times (a leaky radiator; mice; clogged drains) and each time Calvin has showed up the next business day to take care of it. He seems like a very cheerful guy (I've seen him while I'm walking somewhere a few times, and he always gives me a smile, even though I'm pretty sure he has no idea who I am) and does good work. With the mice, he's set traps, filled holes with steel wool, and checked out the basement. For drains, he typically comes and snakes it himself, though with the persistently backed-up bathroom drain he went and grabbed the plumber who was working in a different unit to come in. Turns out there was a toothpaste cap (not me, I swear!) that had been causing the issues. - When I've put in maintenance requests on the weekend, I typically have gotten a text back rapidly asking if I can wait until Monday, even though each time I've indicated that it's not an emergency. - Online portal for automatic rent payments + maintenance requests. - My interactions with Elisabeth at the front office have always been quick & professional (to date, about the original leasing; renewing the lease; and moving out.) - I have gotten plenty of notice for the couple of showings that have been scheduled since I gave notice. - For move in, they were also very flexible. I saw the apartment one day, applied for it the next, and moved in the day after. Obviously they're motivated to fill an empty unit, but still: a quick and easy process. - Rocco (don't actually know how to spell his name), the owner, has a vegetable garden out to the side and will give you vegetables if you stop by and admire it while he's out there. read more

While looking for a rental after relocating Rockwel was extremely helpful and courteous. They were very responsive and accommodating with the right deadline my wife and I were under. They were willing to go above and beyond to get the place prepped in time. Couldn't recommend them more. read more

Rockwel Realty is by far the best company I have ever rented an apartment from. I moved to Pittsburgh from Boston without being able to view apartments in person, so having a high quality company was important to me. Rockwel Realty was very accommodating and Skype viewed multiple apartments with me, one of which I picked. Maintenance was always very prompt and did an excellent job. Communication with the company was very smooth, the lease, policies, etc were all reasonable. Highly recommend. read more

I lived for 6 years in their 5300 Fifth Ave building from 2008-2014. It started with Rocco showing me the apartment when I was first searching for apartments. Prior to my viewing, I spent 2 full weeks full time extensively researching rentals near CMU and reading reviews of various management companies. I had an excel spreadsheet with maybe 150-200 rental houses and apartments on the market and had narrowed down to view around 8-10 of them. THE MANAGEMENT The management team is fantastic. Rocco is a sweet Italian type older man; Nick (Rocco's son, I believe) is also a great manager. In the office, Elizabeth Rockwel seemed to man the phones and emails, and she has always been very helpful and nice. She, for example, sends out lease renewal emails. It's a family run management company, and you deal with various Rockwell family members (in my case, 3). I had maybe two maintenance requests: The bathroom sink was once slightly clogged from my own hair, and the lighting fixture in the bathroom eventually got burnt during my 6 years. Both were fixed within 24 hours. I didn't have anything else break or not work in the apartment. I was locked out couple of times. At some point, they communicated clearly and very nicely that I would be charged. So I got better about it. They managed the entire apartment building very well. During my time there, they painted the hallway walls and replaced the carpets with tile floors. The hallways looked great after this. Residents, from what I can tell, were all grad students and seemed to be good residents. I didn't deal with a single cockroach while I was there. There were always 2 washers and dryers in the basement. Sometimes, I would see a sign that one of them is broken, but I don't recall a time not being able to do my laundry. RENT or OTHER CHARGES They would increase my rent either once a year or once in 2 years, and it was generally increasing with inflation. So I thought it was fair. I was paying more than what the market price was for a 1-br in Shady side, but I had one of the nicer units in the apartment and facing away from Fifth Ave traffic noise. I was happy with my apartment and the management company that I was ok paying the premium. I put more nail holes from hanging photos than I would like admit, and the somewhat sharp ends of my chairs---that I had used for a while---put tiny dents on the parquet type wooden floor. I felt badly about it. I was worried they would take from my security deposit, but they did not. They took a cleaning fee though (even though I spent full day scrubbing the place). APARTMENT ITSELF What contributed a lot to my positive experience is that the apartment itself was nice. When I moved in, they had just installed new tile floors in the kitchen and the bathroom, new parquet wood floor, brand new sinks, kitchen appliances, and kitchen cabinets. All in all, a really great experience. They are very fair about everything. All my friends in grad school always had one or another issue with their rental and would be moving every 2 years. I was the only one that had stayed put and was happy with my apartment. So thank you to the Rockwel team. read more

I've rented from Rockwel for 3 years. I've been very happy overall : no issues with the apartment; my maintenance requests get taken care of promptly; rent increases have been very reasonable; my experience with their staff has been entirely positive; and they have online bill pay, which makes my life much easier. I'd happily rent from them again, but I am moving away. Update: After move-out I got my entire security deposit back in a timely fashion (within a month). I cleaned my apartment well (but not insanely well). These guys are great. read more

Nick and Elisabeth have been really helpful. We live at 5506 at Fifth and Bellfonte. The management is friendly and in case of any problem they provide a quick response. I however expect better cleaning before the tenants move in and carpets to be cleaner. The apartments are spacious and overall my experience has been very good. I would highly recommend these apartments. read more

Rocco and Vivian have truly been a graceful pair to my roommate and I for the past year. We lived right on Fifth avenue and Bellefonte and found no reason to complain aside from the neighbor's dog downstairs. The few mishaps that happened within the apt ( a broken lock, a leaking sink) were fixed within 24 hours of calling our landlord, Rocco. I have to say that for two girls who forget the little things (more of ten than not) we could not have asked for more understanding tenants for the amount of times we were locked out, forgot keys, needed a drawer fixed, needed heat, etc. Our space was clean and everyone in the building was friendly and respectful. I highly recommend to any student looking for housing in the Burgh. read more

very old houses. money minded bunch of realtors. extremely high priced for shitty houses. do not rent through them. all they care about is money. read more