Apparently not being able to use the toilet because it sprays water all over the bathroom doesn't count as an emergency and probably won't be fixed until Monday. They used to be a lot better than this. I wish I hadn't renewed my lease in May. read more

Bertsch uses an online portal which helps a lot with paying rent and handling leases. However this year I had a hiccup with getting the lease renewal sent to me. Panya and Vicky were the only people who were able to help me resolve a lease renewal. The 3 stars is for Bertsch overall, but Panya and Vicky themselves deserve both raises and more support staff to help them. read more

Renters beware. Slumlord style management. Don't expect things to get fixed, don't expect safe stairs when it's icy, and expect them to ask you to do their jobs for them if your life changes and you have to leave during your lease. For a company who found enough money to own so many buildings, they sure act like paupers when a tenant needs something fixed for safety or security or even to fulfill the terms of the lease they will gouge you to get out of. If Bertsch can't afford to manage his properties maybe he should sell some. Don't rent from them unless you have a charmed life. They'll make you regret it. read more

Well, I made it out. I'm out of that apartment and LOVING my new place. Funny story: Kay, the leasing agent lady, actually sent me a message here on Yelp trying to defend the actions of herself and the rest of the Bertsch company. Which I wouldnt have cared too much about, but she was trying to blame me for being so unsatisfied with my former apartment. Whatever, Kay. She also messaged another yelper girl who wrote a one-star review (that they seemingly deserved) and she felt pressured to delete the review since she was still living in the Bertsch-owned property. Clearly, this company doesnt really think things through. My advice is to attend some customer service seminars or something. Seriously. Get some help. read more

Bertsch Properties - SHITHOLE - Property Management Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

For the record, I am not nor have I ever been a tenant of Bertsch. I own a home only a few houses down from on of there apartment buildings. I call them at least once a month because they leave the front and rear of this building a complete mess. read more

Bertsch Properties - Overflowing garbage make this neighborhood look like trash. - Property Management Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I am not a tenant with Bertsch Properties, but I live in a building next door. One evening Bertsch Prop put in new, extremely bright, lightbulbs that faced directly into my apartment. The next day I reached out to Panya in their office and requested the lightbulbs be changed. She was incredibly understanding, responsive, and helpful. Between her and her technician Romy, the lightbulbs were fixed immediately. Even though I am not a tenant, I received exemplary customer service and responsiveness from both Panya and Romy. Great to be in the neighborhood! read more

I've rented with Bertsch Properties for a little over two years now (two different apartments), and overall - a great experience. There was a little issue when moving from one apartment to the other that I got very aggravated over... but it worked out. When I just renewed my lease at my current place, rent only increased by $15 - awesome! My main point is their maintenance team/department. Seriously the best. I haven't had many issues that needed resolving, but when I occasionally do, they always call before entering, and fix it in a super speedy and helpful manner. Just yesterday they fixed my dishwasher, and noticed my top lock was not working the best (I hadn't even had a chance to put in a maintenance request for that yet) and gave me a whole new top lock/deadbolt. THANK YOU! I would definitely recommend people rent from this company, and I'll probably stick with them until I (if I) leave Chicago. read more

I have lived at my apartment since june 2019 and have loved it! They have fixed all my maintenance needs in a timely manner. Ponya who works in the office has been so nice to me anytime i have an issue. I love my location which is 1 and a half miles from everything I do ie..work, Wrigleyville, entertainment and my gym. I totally recommend an apartment from Bertsch properties. read more

I've lived at a Bertsch property in Uptown for over 2 years and they've always been great to work with. They always tended to any issue I had in a timely manner and paying rent was super easy. Even during Covid times when I was unemployed they worked with me on the rent. Panya and Diane we're always my go to's there. If you ever have any issues ask for them. read more

After a rocky start, we have noticed a much-improved condition for the facilities here at Beacon Commons(4630 N. Beacon St.). Our heat has good and the common areas/building have been consistently smoke-free. We did have 1 instance of our quarters being eaten in the laundry room, but they credited our account. The dog run has been returned to a better condition and Bertsch has been more responsive to our requests or inquiries. read more

When I moved to Chicago I didn't know anything about renting an apartment. I found Jackie K on a google search and was so happy with her ability to find me a place to call home. I put her to work every year as I wanted to see different parts of the city. Jackie knows what she is doing and always goes to bat for me when something needs to get done. Birtsch Properties is lucky to have her! read more

I am giving 5-stars specifically for Tanya (sp?), who works in the office and is SUPER EFFICIENT AND AWESOME! She works very hard and clearly has a ton of knowledge, plus she ALWAYS makes sure every little thing is taken care of. There is an online system for tenants, but I always call and ask for her because she has proved to be a million times more efficient than any website. She represents the company beautifully and deserves a massive raise immediately, because there is no way she is paid what she is really worth!!! read more

I've rented from Bertsch Properties for 7 yrs now, and it's been an amazing experience. They are timely for repairs and the maintenance guys are super nice. They even extended my lease a month, so i could figure out some life plans. Highly recommend renting from them! read more

Bertsch Property was rude and nasty, lied to me and tricked me into thinking they were going to give me a promised refund, and then reneged on that promise when I applied for an apartment with them recently. On August 4, 2021, I was shown an apartment by their leasing agent who told me I'd get half off the first month's rent for it if I applied for it within 24hrs of the apartment showing. I really liked the apartment and applied for it within the 24 hour window, and had to pay their 360.00 move in fee plus 55.00 application fee at the time of application (without which they said they wouldn't consider my application). I paid the fees using my credit card. When I was told later that I was approved and would have to pay them the first full month's rent at lease signing, I asked them what about the first month's half off rent discount I was promised. They responded by ignoring what I asked about and telling me I also had to pay their pet fee on top of the first month's full rent. I asked again about the rent discount promised, was ignored, and then I called the leasing agent to ask what was going on. I eventually spoke to the application processor person (named Vicky) who had ignored my messages (the application approval message was texted to me by phone so I texted back to them my questions) about the first month's half off rent, and this time it was by phone where she cut me off and said me she didn't have time to read my messages, she was too busy handling other apartment applications, and said she was not going to give me the first month's half off rent discount. My leasing agent repeated (to me) that I was going to get the discount, that she didn't get a chance to tell the application processor about it yet, and eventually I got a call from someone identifying themselves as the owner of Bertsch Properties saying I was going to get the half month's rent discount for first month of the lease, and that the application processor was finally told to grant it to me. They also said I'd have to interact with this application processor throughout my lease as their tenant since she was one of the people who answers the phone when tenants call their office for tenant-related issues. At this point, I asked if I could please get a refund for the payments I'd made during application, saying I was backing out of taking their apartment after being treated horribly by their application processor (I hadn't yet signed the lease with them). I knew I was pretty much screwed out of the fees I'd paid them, but dodged a bullet by not signing the lease with them, and asked politely for the refund. The owner who had called me said yes, he would give me the refund. The next day, I saw no refund, called them, their owner called me again saying they can't refund the credit card charges I made with them, said I'd have to call my credit card company and dispute the charges and that he wouldn't contest it when my credit card company contacted them about it so the charge reversal would go through. Today, a month later, I received notice from my credit card company that Bertsch Properties did contest my dispute of the credit card charges, which means Bertsch gets to keep the charges (of 360.00 & 55.00) after all. Bertsch Properties lied to me about the giving the refund. They treated me horribly when I asked for the first month's rent half off discount I was promised. They are bad people to rent from. read more

these people are very lovely and accommodating. They were able to be flexible with my move in schedule. though there were some minor flaws with the apartment when we moved in, the lovely Panya was there answering all of our calls and immediately sending over people to remedy our issue. thank you guys so much for being there for us whenever we need you. this will be a good lease year! read more

I lived in a Bertsch property managed building from October 2018 to March 2022. The real estate agent that originally showed us the apartment was honest, nice, and professional. She also definitely knew the area. The apartment we rented was in great condition with great amenities for a solid price for what we got and the neighborhood. Getting maintenance for any issues was easy and prompt via the online portal, and anyone who came for repairs was always courteous and did a good job. We had very little repairs/issues over the course of our time there. Bill pay was easy to and if there was ever an issue you could call the office and speak to someone. It was usually Panya who was always professional, kind, prompt and great regarding communication. She deserves a raise! Fantastic! A true gem. We moved out because all tenants were moving out of the state, but I would definitely rent again from Bertsch. read more

Lived in a unit managed by Bertsch for 6 months and was very pleased with every interaction. They offer very fair rental prices for beautifully kept properties and they were Johnny on the spot for all of our repair needs. David & Diane were available anytime I needed something and all interactions were straightforward & extremely pleasant. Would recommend this company & would rent from them again in the future. read more

this property company took my crisis situation and turned it into twisted fate. I was completely swindled and mislead by a realtor, The minute it happened, Eloy was on the case. The landlord, in 15 minutes had solved my crisis. The apartment was spotless and when i saw it I fell in love, much better option than the one i was mislead to believe was what i signed a lease for. They are letting me paint, and set up the place for myself, and it's honestly a stunning apartment. This could have been really bad because I was essentially homeless, but! they fixed it, and it wasn't even their fault. Thank you to Panya, Eloy, and Lewis, all of whom helped me today, and didn't take advantage of a young person trying to make it on her own. read more

Just signed a lease with Bertsch Properties and I couldn't be more excited. They were super kinda and accommodating throughout the entire application process. Shout out to Jackie, Gene, and Bobby for being awesome! Can't wait to move in! read more

After moving out of their property as soon as I could, a few years later I accidentally checked out another apartment owned by Bertsch Properties (not realizing that it was their building - there was no info about that in the ad). When we walked into the apartment, there was a large cockroach on its back (the light brown 2" roaches) in the dining room. This was in a building managed by them at the corner of Fairfield and Lawrence. The price on this unit was also higher than other apartments I looked at in the area. Based on my first experience renting from them, it was clear that they count on renting to people who are desperate and need to find an apartment quickly. I have never rented from ANY management company again. Only private owners. read more

This review is specifically pertaining to the property manager, Diane. Out of the 10 years of living in Chicago, I've never had a property manager who was attentive, resourceful, and professional. I highly recommend this agent! I needed to get out of my lease a month early and she worked very hard in finding someone to rent out my space. In addition, throughout the process she was very kind and kept her word! Thank you Diane!! read more

We've had a pleasant overall experience with Bertsh and they have showed interest in my criticisms in a way I really appreciate. Tanya provides excellent customer service. They are a reasonable and reliable company to rent from! read more

I have been a long time renter of Bertsch Properties and I only have good things to say about my experience. Out of the 13 years I have been in Chicago 9 of them have been with this management company in two different properties (4 units total to be specific). Repairs and maintenance requests are addressed promptly and have also been rare in my experience. All interactions with staff have been pleasant and helpful when needed. I would recommend working with this company for anyone looking to rent in Chicago's north side. read more

I have lived here over a year; first as a subletter and then signed a lease. I didn't want to move out despite it being very small for me. I was planning a temporary stay but I have not had to stress about anything while living here. If I make a request for help, it is resolved very quickly; even small things like my window blinds breaking. I had a new one up the same afternoon. I think moving to my own place in a condo will bring with it stress and headaches. The staff here were also patient with me when I was trying to decide to sign another year or move forward with purchasing a condo. Thanks Bertsch for making my stay here uneventful and easy. I would go with half a star off, if that was allowed because the landscaping in the courtyard has begun to look a bit shabby, but they are new managers here so I am not too concerned. read more

As much as I wanted to adore my apartment managed by Bertsch Properties, there were so many problems with the unit that were never fixed properly...ugh. When I first saw my apartment (Maplewood & Wilson), it was love at first site: Vintage, dark wood, French doors...I thought it was glorious. Furthermore, it was painted a lovely green. The very green I loved so much, I bought new dishes. It was a sign. I must move in, I thought. However, July 1, the day I picked up my keys was a different story. I burst into tears seeing the unpainted walls, the dirty floors, the left-behind roach traps under the sink. I had never even seen a cockroach before, so the fact that the previous tenants needed traps was alarming. Generally, it was my experience that this management company will do bare minimum to keep your apartment running. For example, a cracked toilet tank leaking water warranted caulk. Not a new tank, but a big, ugly caulk line up the front of the toilet tank. (Duct tape would be the only classier solution, clearly.) Poor water pressure (hot water came out in a trickle), leaky pipes (which lead to a massive water problem in the lobby that took several days to fix)...old appliances (with a fairly regular "smells like gas in here" problem). The heat, while free, did not work well (I had to sleep in a hat much of the winter). The laundry room was disgusting. It smelled like a sewer and the "storage units" down below were infested with bugs. Bugs. Oh, the bugs. Centipedes are to be expected with vintage building. Cockroaches are inexcusable. And they were rampant in my building. So bad that one night I awoke to feel something brush against my cheek. Thinking it was a hair come astray from my pony tail, I brushed at it. No. Cockroach. On my pillow. Big one. Yes, that is wrong on so very many levels. I lived in my apartment for two years, which was my mistake. Laziness won out when it came time for renewal, despite the fact they raised my rent $50 without offering any sort of improvement to my unrehabbed apartment. Honestly, I had no real problems in dealing with Kay or with Ned, nor did I ever have to deal with Eloy Burciaga (other than sending him my rent check every month). But the whole "maximum rent for minimum upkeep" just didn't work for me. The reason to rent (as opposed to owning) is that someone else will take care of these annoying things such as plumbing and appliance upkeep, etc. In a nutshell, would I rent from Bertsch again? No. I wisened up, did not sign the renewal (with another rent increase) and moved out. read more

There's so much to say... First off, the property is in a nice location on a peaceful block. I've lived at my apartment for about a little more than a year. My apartment, particularly my bathroom, is falling apart. The bathroom ceiling collapsed within the first month of me living there, which I was told is common in older buildings. It shook me up because I was running the water and about to step into the shower, when it just completely collapsed with water and heavy tile almost falling on me. I called the maintenance people, and was not able to take a shower for more than two weeks. Mind you, this is the FIRST time this happened. I was promised that they would clean the mess that the event caused, but no such thing happened. I wasn't even offered any sort of compensation, apology, or anything. The SECOND time this happened, I notified the maintenance people about this weird rust-colored stuff oozing out of the tile walls a month before. I expressed how I was scared the ceiling was going to collapse again, and how I didn't want risk having it fall on me this time arounf. The property manager came in the next day and said I would be fine, and that I should just clean the walls. Something in the back of my head told me that I should be careful, and not risk it. A month later, I wake up to the ceiling collapsing in my bathtub, and my cat absolutely terrified. I called the office that day, and was told that they would "call someone". I didn't get in contact with them for another week. Now, it's been more than a 6 weeks since I've been able to take a shower, which I paid rent for. After following up and pleading for these people to fix this problem, I'm continually being blown off. Finally, I was able to get some of it fixed, but I wasn't made aware of it until an hour before that plumbers were entering my apartment to fix the issue. I was told this was because "the plumber was free, and [he] made a judgement call". I'm supposed to receive at least 48 hours, as the lease states. Poor communication, poor handling of maintenance, poor management and overall a poor experience living here. Be weary when renting from this company. read more

I've been living in a Bertch property in Lincoln Square since February 2018 and it's been a dream. First, the apartment is lovely (2br 1 bath garden with washer & dryer, dishwasher, central air). Any time I've ever needed something fixed, the maintenance request and resolution process has been seamless, and I've only had pleasant experiences with the folks who work there. I want to move to a non-garden unit and plan to only move to a unit on a Bertch property. read more

Current, but soon to be former tenant of Bertsch properties. I throughly enjoyed my time here and found the management team to be helpful in any times of need. Rent is very fair and the apartment always felt safe and secure. I'd recommend Bertsch to anyone looking for a nice place to stay in Chicago. read more

Really wish I had read all these reviews first before moving into this god awful situation! I just moved in a month ago, and just unpacked the last box. So when I had first viewed the apartment, the agent seemed super nice and honest. I asked if there was family in the building, any children, especially above this apartment. She said no. Well that's not quite right. In the STUDIO apartment above my head is a Mexican family of four. Which means someone is always running, walking, dropping stuff, or shifting around furniture every minute they are home. Noise starts when it wakes me around 9am and ends around 11pm or midnight. Bertsh Properties claims they did not know about the family because it came with the building when the acquired it. Eloy Burciaga, the owner of this building. is trying to play it off as normal noise level. I'm sorry if I can hear there TV through my ceiling, that is not "normal" noise level. He's solution to the problem is: 1. I ignore it. 2. I move to the 3rd floor. 3. I move out and break lease and he doesn't charge me for fees. Options 2 and 3 requires me to incur many moving expenses, which they will not cover. As we all know moving is not cheap, plus you loose pay from having to take off work. I also work from home at times, freelancing as an artist/seamstress/designer, so I've got a lot of stuff, and heavy stuff at that. Yes the maintainance is fast, except for exterminating bugs (I keep finding roaches, one was on the fridge). Also, one maintainance person left all my lights on and my back door wide open, thank god no one robbed me while I was at work. I've had to put in 6 requests since I've moved in since the person before me didn't mind living in a non-functioning apartment. And the back stairway still does not have a working light and often smells of piss. The front stairway occasionally smells of piss. Violations? Yes. Will the city be informed of these violations? Hell Yes! Will they be fined through the nose? I really hope so. Update on situation: Elloy did not want to honor breaking lease without fee and tried to tell me that I need to move out in the next week if i wanted to break lease (you think being an attorney, he would know that's not legal), so I finally got a hold of the lease manager, Kay. She is the only logical decent person in that whole organization, if I was able to talk to her sooner this whole situation would most likely not have gotten as bad as it did. She was able to terminate my lease without hassle. Despite how wonderful Kay is, one decent person can not hold up an entire organization that is not able to handle it's own volume of apartments. Because the owner, Elloy is incredibly difficult I would never recommend Bertsch Properties to anyone. I would much rather spend the extra money and deal with the hassle of moving then have to deal with Elloy ever again. another update: It's been over a year since I lived here (now living very happily in Logan Square with friends). I am surprised to receive so many messages about this property. I would have hoped the city would have shut him down by now. So if you are stuck in this awful place here is what you can do: 1. contact these people: http://www.tenant.org/ 2. know your rights: http://www.chicityclerk.com/tenantsVRSlandlords.php 4. report violations to 311 5. all letters written to management should be certified (bank of currency exchange can do this) 6. document everything, and worse comes to worse start contacting attorneys you have lots of rights as a tenant in chicago hope this helps read more

I've been living in a Bertsch building in Ravenswood for the last six years. I truly believe I found a gem and the only reason I'm moving is because I'm leaving Chicago (*tear*). Rent has always been reasonable and the maintenance staff is extremely responsive and attentive. I've never had any issues! Hats off to Diane, the leasing manager, who worked hard to get my application approved (I didn't have the best credit, but she knew I really wanted the apartment and helped me get it cleared). Living here has been a treat- visitors ALWAYS compliment my place. I've lived in a lot of apartments in Chicago, and you can definitely trust you'll be in good hands with Bertsch. Great building, great people! read more

Well, let's see....... The maintenance person hired by Bertsch Properties let himself into my apartment with a master key (that Bertsch did not know he had....way to keep track of who has access to your tenants apartments) at 1:00 am to stand creepily in the doorway of my bedroom. Thankfully we have two dogs and they chased him out. The maintenance person ADMITTED this in the police report, which they said they obtained a copy of and they still will not remove him from our building. Instead, they spent an hour and half basically calling my boyfriend (who lives with me in the apartment) myself LIARS as they "Couldn't imagine this from him" because he "goes to church every Sunday" and they quote said, "It's really not as big a deal as your making it to be, you shouldn't feel that scared." ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!? Please Eloy...you let me know when you feel safe having the same person who BROKE INTO YOUR APARTMENT, ADMITTED IT TO THE POLICE, and still lives in the same building. I never thought a company could be so shady...needless to say we are moving. read more

This place is HORRIBLE. Mice, courtyard muggings, hilariously outdated appliances (our refrigerator is older than my father, not kidding) unresponsive maintenance workers, moldy bathroom walls, bathroom sink detaching from wall, they didn't clean before we moved in ('sorry, the previous tenant only moved out last night at midnight') million-legged bugs, and crappy, rotted, old hardwood floors. Nice windows, though (except they don't lock) and a great location (except for the fact that Montrose is seemingly ALWAYS under extensive construction). I would rather remove my corneas with razorblades than ever live in a Bertsch run property again. read more

We rented a property in Lakeview for 2 years with Bersch. They were upfront and honest about all fees and pricing for the unit we rented. We liked the incentives offered for resigning early. We really enjoyed the space and it was clean and safe for us while we lived there. There were no major issues present for us during the time we lived there. The online portal for rent and maintenance requests was a real plus as it expedited everything. The laundry facility in the basement helped us a lot and was usually open for use. There was additional storage in the basement that was also a nice bonus. Pertinent information regarding the building was always posted in the foyer and very helpful for when the seasons were changing. read more

Consistently lousy. They jacked up our rent after we agreed to the advertised rent, because they were installing a dishwasher, and washer/dryer in unit. The washer they installed has literally never worked. From the month they installed it last August until this June, I've called about once a month to get someone to fix it, and they never, ever have. Once they sent a technician out who started the washer, stayed a minute, and informed us later (we weren't home) that everything "looked fine." Literally nine months of calling them regarding something that was a problem from day one and no corrective action. They are inconsistent regarding repairs. We received notice that we would get new windows in November (It was very drafty and the windows were old) and didn't get them until MAY, with barely any notice that the work would be commencing. Our building buzzer was out for more than a week during the holiday season, which means no one in the building received any mail (this during a time when people were expected a high volume of packages). It got to the point where a neighbor had to post a sign encouraging everyone in the building to contact Bertsch to get the door fixed so we could receive over a week's worth of mail. We later found out that as soon as the postal worker noticed the buzzer wasn't working, they notified Bertsch, who apparently decided the repair could wait. Working with them has been incredibly frustrating. They have some nice properties but the hassle truly isn't worth it. read more

Thank you! Thank you!! A HUGE thank you to Vicky and to Diane H.. Your professionalism and patience in helping our daughter secure an apartment in a fantastic building on Beacon Street was a team effort. We can never thank you enough! read more

My experience with Bertsch was apparently different than many of the folks who have reviewed them. My apartment wasn't perfect but it was more than acceptable - it was nice and comfortable for a city apartment. I lived in the building at Sacramento and Leland for 18 months. It was a middle apartment in a three-story vintage building. The worst thing I ever dealt with was noise, from the apartments above and below me and occasionally from the courtyard or the house next door. It wasn't excessive noise, however; just normal people doing normal things - watching TV, having a barbecue, snoring. I could hear the L train and the building was under the flight path for airliners landing at O'Hare. Nothing a city-dweller isn't used to. When Blagojevich was on trial earlier this year helicopters would hover over the neighborhood first thing in the morning (he lives three blocks away from the building). When the noise bugged me I'd put on my headphones or earplugs. When it really bugged me I decided it was time to move out of the city; that's no reflection on Bertsch or the apartment. I could almost always find parking in front of the building. Sometimes I'd have to circle the neighborhood a few times to find a space, and sometimes the space would be a block or two away, but again nothing a city-dweller isn't used to. The rent was very reasonable for the neighborhood. I paid less than $1000 a month and lived in a large apartment with a large kitchen featuring new appliances including a microwave and dishwasher, a dining room, living room, bedroom, and a beautiful sun-porch. I was one block from the back entrance to the Francisco L stop. I was walking distance to several wonderful restaurants, grocery stores, and funky shops on Lawrence. Lincoln Square was about a mile away by foot, or two L stops. The bike/running path along the North Branch of the river was a block away and I found it to be a great place to go riding or walking in the spring, summer, and fall - very vibrant and active with soccer and softball and cookouts. Every Wednesday without fail Bertsch sent a couple to clean the property - rake the leaves, vacuum the stairs, scrub the floors in the foyer. The building was secure. The laundry room was clean and dry and recently painted. The large storage units in the basement of my building looked a little dodgy but I had all of my moving boxes stored there for a year and a half and when I retrieved them they were dry and clean and bug- and vermin-free. I did occasionally see "centipedes", the multi-legged bugs that could be found scurrying across the walls in winter sometimes. Sightings of them were rare. When I first moved in I had ants in the kitchen for a brief time but a couple of traps from Home Depot put an end to that. I never saw cockroaches, mice, or rats. The courtyard was very nice and well-maintained by one of the longtime residents, of which there were several. My only complaint about the courtyard was that that was where the younger tenants in the building would go to smoke, so if my windows were open on a nice spring evening I'd occasionally get smoke wafting in to my space, but that's simply not a big issue. I would just close the windows. The one big maintenance issue I ever had was that my doorknob loosened and fell off. I left a message at the office that night and came home from work the following night to find that it was fixed. I would still be there today if I hadn't stumbled in to an amazing opportunity to get into a house. Bertsch worked with me on lease termination options and was really helpful. Based on my experience I think Bertsch has gotten a bad rap here on Yelp so I just wanted to share my experiences with them. Some people have posted reviews that not everything was "perfect" but I have lived in cities all over the country and I have yet to find a perfect apartment, particularly for that price. I don't work for Bertsch, I haven't been paid by them. I simply have realistic expectations of what renting an apartment in a city is all about. If you are young and want to live in the city and you're looking to be close to Lincoln Square and the Brown Line without paying a lot of money you really couldn't do much better than the Bertsch building I lived in in Ravenswood Manor. read more

Bertsch properties finally fixed our moldy bathroom! Yay! New (real) tile on the walls and new shower fixture. Plumbing issues were fixed. Walls were gutted and they even put in a new sink and medicine cabinet. I'd also like to say that the man who came out to fix our bathroom was extremely nice and he did a wonderful job! read more

I don't write many reviews, however, the assistance that I received from Panya at BERTSCH was beyond anything I would have expected. My younger brother was in the process of getting a divorce when my husband and I co-signed the lease with him. Sadly my brother passed away unexpectedly. This completely shattered my family. The apartment is located in Chicago and I live in New Jersey. Since we flew my brother home for burial I was unsure when I would be able to get back to Chicago to pack up his belongings. Panya was so amazing! She went over and beyond for my family and I can't thank her enough. The truest test of someone's abilities is to observe how they handle issues outside of their everyday job description. It tests strength, ability, and character. Panya went beyond that. She handled everything that came her way with professionalism, grace, and most importantly empathy. Property Management is a tough, tough job. It's a job with many hats and Panya wore them well! read more

The maintenance people always responded to requests within the time frame they gave us and they were very good about not letting my cat out. The property location was good and it had a nice back deck (reason for any stars whatsoever), but the old building was falling apart and the company did very little to help maintain it. The apartment I came to, a location off of Montrose, was completely decaying - especially in the kitchen and the bathroom areas. There were roaches all the time, which I was lucky enough to have my pet to dispose of for me. During my application process the representative crawled up my butt if I didn't respond to them right away and switched who was contacting me claiming that the first responder was incompetent, which was extremely annoying. When I ended up moving out earlier than expected this company made doing so an absolute nightmare. I opted to buy out my lease and they already had three months worth of unused rent from me. The company then insisted that I still owed them more than another month's worth of rent. I came to find out following paying them that they had made me pay for my roommate's portion of the buyout and didn't even ask her to pay at all, even though both of our names were on the lease and she should have been held responsible for her portion before they turned to me. My entire experience with Bertsch just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I will never be leasing with this company again and would not recommend them to anyone else. read more

Oh, Bertsch Properties...what to say about you? Maybe I'm being too kind, but I really don't think they're THAT bad. Would I live in one of their apartments again? Eh, maybe -- if their rents weren't so high, that is. Which brings me to my first complaint: high rent prices. Don't get me wrong, I understand that (most of) the neighborhoods their properties are located are high-rent areas, but I've (now) seen cheaper, larger, in-better-shape apartments for less money per month. Although the apartment I've since moved into is in a different part of the city, it's AT LEAST 3 times the size of my last place and nearly the same price per month. Second complaint: dirty apartments. Sadly, the Bertsch Property apartment was the cleanest that I'd seen in my apartment searches, but upon moving in, I realized that the entire apartment was just sort of...grimy. The floors hadn't been cleaned, the stove and counters were dirty, the bathroom was pleasantly clean...but problems seemed to be simply painted over -- dust, paint chippings, etc. That said, I've seen complaints made against Kay and I can't say that I can agree with any of them. I had nothing but wonderful, pleasant experiences with her with moving in, moving out, apartment showings. She was VERY helpful and a total breath of fresh air after dealing with apartment searching agencies and slimy landlords. I can't vouch for the maintenance crew as I never had any maintenance issues in my apartment, but I never had anyone unexpectedly show up either, haha. read more