A Look At The 5 Most Expensive Rentals in Philly

Some very nice amenities distinguish these properties from the crowd. Including the two top ones: No long-term commitment and no maintenance headaches.


TREND image via The Philly Apartment Company

Last week, we offered a sampling of apartments in Washington Square West that would be ideal for an individual or household that’s just starting out.

This week, we offer you rental properties for those who have arrived.

The units that follow are the five most expensive apartments and townhouses currently on the rental market in Philadelphia. What do you get for that stratospheric rent? “What don’t you get?” might be a better question. One answer: worries about maintenance — you’ve got someone on call to take care of that for you. Not to mention people who can take care of a lot of other things.

1531 Spruce St. (above) | 5 beds, 5 full, 2 half baths, 5,440 square feet, $15,000 per month | Pet-friendly

You get the best of both worlds with this super-elegant four-story townhouse that comes with an apartment building attached. Figuratively speaking, that is: you have access to the community facilities and services offered by the Touraine Apartments across Spruce Street. These include a business center, fitness center and yoga studio, a package room, a Rival Bros. coffee bar, hospitality suites for guests and 24/7 maintenance and front desk services. When you don’t need or want those, however, you have this magnificent home that combines traditional Rittenhouse Square Colonial Revival architecture with a heaping helping of modern sensibility. Your in-house amenities include a catering-quality eat-in kitchen, a media room with surround sound, nine fireplaces, two laundry rooms, high ceilings throughout and a skylit atrium. Oh, did we mention there’s a whirlpool tub and sauna in the finished basement?

1531 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102 [Rich Lauletta | The Philly Apartment Company]

Bright MLS image via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors

108 Arch St., Unit PH1 | 3 beds, 3.5 baths, 2,700 square feet, $10,500 per month | No pets

This spacious penthouse apartment with one of the largest roof decks in the city offers true turnkey convenience: It’s fully furnished. If the weather’s not right for you to lounge on that 1,800-square-foot roof deck or view the Ben Franklin Bridge from your living-room balcony, don’t worry: the 10-foot-high floor-to-ceiling windows bring it inside for you. All the fixtures and finishes are top-flight: Viking appliances and granite countertops in the kitchen, Kohler plumbing fixtures and Duravit sinks in the limestone-clad bathrooms, and a full-sized Miele washer and dryer in the laundry. A 24/7 doorman provides security and service. Your apartment includes a parking space in the gated lot 10 steps from the building’s front door, but as this address’ Walk Score is a respectable 84, you probably won’t be taking your car out of that space that often — if you have one.

108 Arch St., Penthouse 1, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106 [Michael Betley | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]

Bright MLS image via The Condo Shop – Keller Williams Realty

273 S. 4th St. | 6 beds, 3 full, 1 half baths, 4,153 square feet, $9,500 per month | Contact manager about pets

Everything we said about this handsome Society Hill townhouse when it was on the market for sale still applies, except: It’s now being offered as a rental, furnished or unfurnished, short or long term.

273 S. 4th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106 [Andrea Desy Straub | The Condo Shop | Keller Williams Realty]

130 S. 18th St. #2102 | 2 beds, 2.5 baths, 1,850 square feet, $9,500 per month | No pets

Unfortunately, we can’t show you any pictures of this high-floor unit at 10 Rittenhouse; to see them, go to the agent’s listing below. Unlike the three units priced above it, this one won’t wow you with its decor: it’s a standard-issue high-end modern apartment with the usual array of high-end appliances in the kitchen and fittings in the bathrooms. Nor is it as spacious as those other three units. But what it does have may make it worth the dough. That includes great views from a high floor and a host of building amenities and services, including an indoor pool, a fitness center, a meeting room, a business center, wine storage, a catering kitchen, 24/7 doorman and concierge service, and access to a chauffeured Mercedes S550 sedan. Not to mention all of the vibrancy of Rittenhouse Square just outside your building door.

130 S. 18th St. #2102, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 [Michael Betley | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]

TREND image via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors

200 Delancey St. | 4 beds, 4 full, 1 half baths, 4,085 square feet, $8,500 per month | No pets

Here’s another elegant 18th-century Society Hill townhouse that was on the market for sale not so long ago. It retains every ounce of its Georgian good looks, yet it sports all of the features a 21st-century luxury rental should have. These include an up-to-date kitchen with granite counters, Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances and a heated floor. The bi-level master suite includes a media/exercise loft with a wet bar and deck. Its outdoor spaces will delight you: a walled garden, a pergola-covered dining area and a brick garden shed. Other charming touches include three fireplaces, a clawfoot tub in the master bathroom and U.S. Constitution wallpaper in the first-floor powder room. Head House Square, Penn’s Landing and South Street are all a short walk away.

200 Delancey St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106 [Michael Betley | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]