We Buy Houses in West Philadelphia (19104)

What do people call the neighborhoods in 19104?

Mostly they just say West Philly. Ask a neighbor where they live and you will hear "West Philly," then a street or a name like Spruce Hill, Powelton or Mantua. Nobody says "19104" except the post office. About a third of the ZIP's residents live in the area mapped as University City, with Spruce Hill (15%), Mantua (14%) and West Powelton (9%) next.

What are the houses like, and what goes wrong with them?

Old, often big, and often divided. Spruce Hill grew up as one of the country's early streetcar suburbs. Its southeast section mixes single, twin and detached houses from roughly 1850 to 1930, and its historic nomination notes a general conversion from single-family homes to apartments. Powelton Village is known for grand twins and freestanding houses, with modest rows on its narrower streets. Mantua and Belmont are mostly rows, like the 1894 Gardiner-Poth row on the 3600 block of Spring Garden Street.

The conversions are the big local story. In 2012, City Planning Commission staff found that in the University City area about 40% of single-family buildings had been converted to apartments, most often three-story twins, and said it was unclear how many owners took the proper legal steps. Land uses that did not match the zoning ran near 50% of properties in Powelton Village and above 30% in Saunders Park and Spruce Hill.

What usually needs money: big roofs and gutters, porches, boilers and radiators, old wiring, extra kitchens and meters added for apartments, smoke and fire protection in every unit, and the question of how many units the building is actually allowed to have.

What does Philadelphia require of a 19104 landlord?

More than most new landlords expect. Here is the city's list, from L&I's own handbook and license pages:

1. Commercial Activity License. Required before a rental license if you do not live in the building, and for larger buildings even if you do. It is free and does not expire.
2. Rental license. Required for any rented unit, renewed every year at $69 per unit. You must be current on city taxes and have no outstanding L&I violations.
3. Zoning and legal occupancy. The property must be zoned for how it is used, and the city requires a certificate of occupancy or other proof of legal occupancy.
4. Lead certification. In buildings from before March 1978, the tenant must get a current lead-safe or lead-free certificate before signing a lease. A lead-safe certificate must rest on an inspection no more than four years old, and it must be uploaded to the Health Department before you apply for the license.
5. Each new tenant. Give them the city's Partners in Good Housing booklet and a Certificate of Rental Suitability issued no more than 60 days before the tenancy starts. Working smoke detectors are part of that certificate.
6. A local managing agent. Any owner who needs a rental license must name a managing agent who lives in the city or regularly works from an office in the city.

You do not have to get all of that in order before you sell to us. We buy rentals as-is, licensed or not, and our offer accounts for what we will have to fix. Our guide to selling a house with tenants explains your choices, including keeping the building.

Is my 19104 house in a historic district?

If it is in Powelton Village or the southeast part of Spruce Hill, probably yes. The Powelton Village historic district was designated in 2022. The Southeast Spruce Hill district, designated in 2024, runs generally from 39th to 43rd streets and from Spruce Street down to Baltimore and Woodland avenues. Its nomination split Spruce Hill into four parts and said nominations for the other three would follow. Two small districts sit nearby: 420 Row (2017), on 42nd Street between Osage and Baltimore avenues, and Gardiner-Poth (2021) on Spring Garden Street in Mantua.

In a city historic district, work that needs a building permit or changes the outside needs Historical Commission approval first, and the city says sellers should tell buyers. The 1997 National Register listing for the area is a separate list from the city's register. To check an address, call the Commission at (215) 686-7660 or email [email protected].

How does selling to us work in West Philly?

Here is the honest math. A cash, as-is offer is usually lower than what a fully renovated, fully legal building could sell for. The gap pays for repairs, licensing and code work, the months we carry the property, our risk and our resale costs. You skip all of that, plus showings and commissions. We pay all the closing costs, and your written offer shows exactly what you walk away with before you sign.

1. Call, text or use the form. A real local person answers.
2. We walk the building as-is, every unit, at times that work for your tenants.
3. You get a written cash offer, usually within 24 hours, with no fees from us. See how we calculate it.
4. You pick the closing day, for example around a school-year lease. If listing would net you more, we will tell you.

Probate, sheriff sales, transfer tax and L&I enforcement work the same across the city; our Philadelphia page explains them. If the house came to you through an estate, see our inherited house guide, and for repairs see selling as-is.

Get my cash offer Text or call (267) 551-5554

Where else nearby do you buy?

Just past the city line we buy in Upper Darby and Darby in Delaware County, PA. In the city, see South Philadelphia across the Schuylkill, Germantown, and our home base in Kensington, Fishtown and Port Richmond.

West Philly 19104 seller questions

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your situation, talk to a Pennsylvania attorney or tax professional.