Mozart- are they really that terrible? (Pittsburgh, Highland Park: hardwood floors, affordable apartments, leases) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

sknitty · 02-20-2010, 10:41 AM

I've found an apartment through Mozart Management and wanted to see if anyone else on here has had direct experience with them.

I would prefer to rent from smaller company or private landlord but have chosen Mozart mostly out of convience. It's been a lot easier looking for an apartment while living out of state with the big companies than it is emailing lots of postings on CL. I found an aparment I really like through them, it's very close to campus and very reasonable rent with utilities included. I figure that for at least my first year, this will be a good apartment until I learn my way around the city.

There seem to be very mixed things online about them, although they seem like normal hassles you get when renting with a larger company. Does anyone have recent experience with them?

Love2Golf09 · 02-20-2010, 03:48 PM

I set up an appt. a while ago to check out their Parklane apts in Highland Park, right next to the zoo. From what I remember, they had a 2BR/2BA with hardwood floors for like $1,200 a month and it was like 1,450 sqft! That's a heck of a deal, I think. So, I checked it out. From the beginning I just wasn't liking how I was being treated. They weren't completely rude, but they seemed to be in a rush and very pushy, which I guess is kind of normal when it comes to leases and apts. I was thinking about what to do and I started reading some reviews of them online that bothered me a lot. A lot of people complained about Mozart wanting tenants to resign 6 months before the lease was up and showing an apt to potential tenants 4 and 5 months prior to the lease being up. I prefer to just be left alone and that bothered me a lot. I also didn't like how outdated the apts were. They were huge though, but outdated and no washer/dryer in them, which kind of sucks for that price. IMHO, I'd stay away. I kept looking and found several other complexes in the suburbs that aren't as big as Parklane, but are cheaper and the management is far more professional. If you're a student and looking for a place in Oakland, then they are as good as the next guy. Pretty much every landlord in Oakland is a loser renting an overpriced dump to students, so not much can be done about that. Maybe move to the South Side or Shadyside?

Hopes · 02-20-2010, 05:08 PM

Soutside and Shadyside are out of the question.

The OP is a student looking for extremely affordable apartments within the city. She can't afford to be super picky at this point in her life.

Even if Mozart isn't perfect, I'm sure it will be tollerable for a year while the OP gets familiar with the city and has time to look for a place while living here.

BrianTH · 02-20-2010, 07:05 PM

Seems to me the OP has the right attitude. Certain things tend to suck about large management companies, particularly when you are trying to keep to a modest budget. But if you are coming from out of town, it can be the most convenient route to getting an OK place for a year, and then you can look for something better at your leisure.

sknitty · 02-21-2010, 07:20 AM

So I decided to go with it for the reasons that I stated earlier- i.e. pros kinda outweigh the cons in my situation and I'm not in a position to be super picky. And I actually feel like I kind of lucked out a little bit because I got one of their one bedroom apartments that's right in Shadyside. It's in one of their smaller houses, not in one of the giant high rises (which is something I wanted) and it's $609 a month with all utilities included- right in my budget. So hopefully I can ignore their annoying management practices enough for a year and then maybe find something I like more.

Thanks for all of you input over the past few weeks! I'm excited to be coming to Pittsburgh- especially since everyone has been especially friendly and helpful!

BrianTH · 02-21-2010, 08:02 AM

That sounds perfectly reasonable for Shadyside, and Shadyside is a great first neighborhood in Pittsburgh (it is a great neighborhood in general, but really nice if you are new to town). So congratulations and welcome!

sport29883 · 03-12-2010, 05:33 PM

I have read both good and bad things about Mozart. Till now my interactions with them have been very pleasant and I really cant find anything wrong with them (some of the other companies have been a bit snobbish). Do people think they have changed for the better?

dottiemiller · 03-23-2010, 11:10 PM

I've lived in a Mozart building for almost 2 years now. While I enjoy my building, neighborhood, and apartment, I cannot wait to be out of this building due to the constant annoyances of Mozart Management. They will show your apartment with less than an hour's notice, randomly come in to inspect the apartment, bang around all day outside your door, and do major renovations while you are living there. As someone who has rented in Friendship, Shadyside, and Oakland and never had any problems with landlords or management before, I find them to be very invasive.

hnsq · 03-24-2010, 06:09 AM

You have to take the good with the bad with Mozart. My girlfriend rented with them for a while, and while it IS nice to have a 24 hour maintenance number, they are expensive. Look for private landlords, people who live in a duplex and rent out the other side/top floor/etc. and you can find a place to live for MUCH cheaper. I lived in a 2br/1ba apartment in shadyside by a private landlord for $860/mo +utilities, and after that I lived in a 3br/1ba in Squirrel Hill for $810/mo +utilities. I cringe when I see people paying the $1200/mo that Mozart wants for something comperable.

Mozart is good when you are first coming into the city, since you will know they are solid, but once you have actually lived in the city for a year or two there is no excuse to pay those prices. Look for cheaper places on craigslist and ask the landlords for previous tenants email addresses as references. Good landlords will be more than happy to give them to you, bad landlords wont. Talking to previous tenants is the best way to make sure you don't get stuck with a slumlord.

TechieTransplant · 03-24-2010, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sknitty

I've found an apartment through Mozart Management and wanted to see if anyone else on here has had direct experience with them.

I would prefer to rent from smaller company or private landlord but have chosen Mozart mostly out of convience. It's been a lot easier looking for an apartment while living out of state with the big companies than it is emailing lots of postings on CL. I found an aparment I really like through them, it's very close to campus and very reasonable rent with utilities included. I figure that for at least my first year, this will be a good apartment until I learn my way around the city.

There seem to be very mixed things online about them, although they seem like normal hassles you get when renting with a larger company. Does anyone have recent experience with them?

We are surrounded by Mozart properties here in Point Breeze. Most are all very nice looking. My wife is the queen of research and we did a lot on Mozart before we moved. There was enough negative, and enough degree of negativity that we chose not to go with them. Although I had good luck with Mcquarters Realty in Shadyside, we also prefer independent landlords over big companies.