Home. That's the one word to describe my experience at 519 W Melrose Street…read more
My now wife and I signed our lease in July 2020 as some of the first tenants from when SRE converted this building from condos into rental units.
We originally did our tour and it checked all our boxes: a private balcony, central heat/AC (which is all electric), modern appliances, in-unit washer/dryer, a private parking garage for our car, and close to all the action and the CTA. We loved the apartment, so we went through the leasing process. The signing was straightforward and easy using Docusign.
From there, we got the keys and started moving in. Immediately after move-in, the SRE Management team did some fantastic upgrades to ensure 519 W Melrose is a place to call home.
Originally, we got Xfinity internet, but received an email saying we will now have Google Fiber internet included in rent! So we used this new internet for the remainder of our time here. The internet worked great and was fast (500 mbps up/down), with minor hiccups during heavy rain and storms.
Soon after that, the management team upgraded the call box and building keys to be fobs, which allowed easier entry into the complex. Additionally, they redid the entire carpeting of the hallways, which made the complex look much nicer.
These upgrades showed that management truly cares about the building and their tenants.
In our five years of living there, we only had about three or four maintenance requests for minor items. For each request, the maintenance team responded immediately and they were always out the next morning to fix the issues. The maintenance team was always super friendly and I enjoyed seeing them - huge shoutout to Amanda for running the requests, and Christian, Neil, and the rest of the amazing maintenance team for being great to work with and talk to.
For the five years living there, SRE never raised rent an unreasonable amount - each year it did increase nominally, but moved according to the market rate. We were blessed to find an affordable apartment that checked all of our boxes.
Our neighbors were okay - some seem to care about others, some seem to just be annoyed with everything or don't take care of things. Typical for a big city complex. We didn't make much of an effort to meet anyone in our building; however, with the encounters in the public spaces, everyone seemed friendly. Given that the building does not have concrete separating units, occasionally, you could hear your neighbors through the walls/floors. It was never an issue though, even when some of the neighbors are louder at times. Again, just something you get used to living in a large city, and nothing against the complex overall.
I've lived in many different apartments and houses over the years, and this apartment was the only place I have had the feeling of "home" since living with my parents as a kid.
It is incredibly bittersweet to leave our home at 519 W Melrose, but we started to outgrow our little apartment, as our small family is now growing.
If you are reading this review to see if you should sign here, do not hesitate. 519 W Melrose has been the best place I've lived, and SRE has been the best management and maintenance team I have ever rented from.
Thank you, SRE and your incredible team, for making my wife and I truly feel like we are at home.
