As a tenant you may be responsible for making the necessary arrangements to get utility services. Leases vary as to which utilities are included in the rent. Heat (using gas, electricity or oil) is often included in the rent. If not included in rent, heat will most likely be your biggest expense. Please note that the price of fuel has increased within the last year. Please see our budget sheet for a breakdown of expenses. Water is almost always the landlord's responsibility when you are renting an apartment and often the tenant's responsibility if you are renting a house. Tenants are always responsible for telephone service.
The companies you will have to contact for these services are:
|
Office |
Location |
Days of Operation |
Hours of Operation |
|
Center City |
1137 Chestnut Street |
Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. |
9 AM - 5 PM |
|
Frankford |
4410 Frankford Avenue |
Tues., Thurs., Fri. |
9 AM - 5 PM |
|
Germantown |
212 West Chelten Avenue |
Tues., Wed., Fri. |
9 AM - 5 PM |
|
North Philadelphia |
1337 West Erie Avenue |
Mon., Wed., Thurs. |
9 AM - 5 PM |
|
South Philadelphia |
1601 South Broad Street |
Mon., Wed., Thurs. |
9 AM - 5 PM |
|
West Philadelphia |
5230 Chestnut Street |
Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. |
9 AM - 5 PM |
If you have to go to the office to arrange for service, be sure to have a copy of your lease or a notarized letter from your landlord as well as two pieces of identification. It would be useful if one of the pieces of identification had your old address listed. They will also need to see your social security card. (International students should bring passports along.) Your credit history will be checked to determine if you will be required to pay a deposit. To report emergencies, call 215-235-1212.
PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT
http://www.phila.gov/water/
Most tenants do not need to pay their water bills, as the cost is included in the rent. In the event that you are responsible for the water bill, remember to tell your landlord that you would like the water left on at your new residence. Then, simply arrange to have a final reading, so that all previous billing can be finalized. If you have any questions call 215-686-6880.
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS
For remote access and high-speed computing information provided by the University, visit http://www.upenn.edu/computing/remote. There are many local and national remote access options to choose from, varying in cost, speed, convenience, and availability in a particular area. ISC recommends that 56k dialup service (faster than Penn's 33.6k service!), which is widely available and requires the fewest changes for the individual, will meet most people's needs.
ISP WEBSITES
COMCAST: http://www.comcast.com/ They offer a cable modem
VERIZON: http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/HighspeedInternet/ They offer DSL and dial-up services.
EARTHLINK: http://www.earthlink.com They offer DSL, Cable and dial-up services
COVAD: www.covad.com They offer DSL and T1 internet access.
AT&T: http://www.att.com They offer DSL and dial-up services
AOL: http://www.aol.com They offer broadband and dial-up services
WIRELESS COMPANIES AND STORES
The stores can sign you up with many service providers such as Sprint, T-Mobile, Cingular, and Verizon. You can also go to the individual companies website to sign-up.
STORES
Comtel Wireless Incorporated - 3944 Chestnut St. Philadelphia PA 19104 (215) 386-5911
Infinite Wireless Communications - Philadelphia PA 19104 (215) 925-7670
RadioShack - 212 South 40th Street Philadelphia PA 19104 (215) 662-5949
WEBSITES
AT&T - http://www.attws.com
Verizon - http://www.verizon.com
Sprint - http://www.sprint.com
Cingular - http://www.cingular.com
T-Mobile - http://www.t-mobile.com
CABLE TELEVISION
Cable television in the University City area is handled by Time-Warner (Wade Cable). To get more information or request service call (215) 581-6100.