I'll never rent from anyone else in Chicago & here's why:…read more--staff some of the first to wear masks --quick responses for maintenance requests --great communication in tough times --neighbors friendly (but staying out of each other's way in 2020) --many bilingual folks on staff --very low costs for utilities not already covered --grounds always beautiful & trash-free

I've lived in one of their buildings for 13 years, first in a studio, then a one bedroom. Ardmore…read moreWinthrop Properties sets the bar and sets it high for what being great property managers and landlords looks like. Incredibly attentive and responsive staff, from the office to the maintenance folks. They're proactive about health and safety concerns. They make it a point to replace all smoke detector batteries twice a year and offer complimentary preventative pest control (always with advance notice and signs posted letting you know it's going to be happening, and they always make sure to ask if you have pets that they need to be careful not to let out when they enter) - they keep the building extremely clean. I see the cleaning person around the building doing her thing almost every day. It's also the most festive building I've ever lived in. Every month they put up new decorations (and sometimes candy) for holidays in the entryways, lobby, even on each floor. And they keep a ton of beautiful plants and a water feature in the lobby and laundry room. Everyone is very friendly. When you run into the maintenance person, he always takes a moment to ask how everything is going on your floor/in your apartment and maybe share some fun facts about the building's design. If you have an issue or concern about something, they respond right away. They send you holiday and birthday cards and have been offering free laundry on site throughout the pandemic. The laundry room is huge with 6 washers (most brand new) and 8 dryers. They do everything they can to make receiving packages easy and secure for their tenants. If you're looking to rent in the Edgewater neighborhood, do yourself a favor and ask Ardmore Winthrop Properties for a tour of one of their buildings.

As other reviewers have already said, XL's management team responds quickly to maintenance…read morerequests, and the fact that they perform due diligence with all potential renters means you're less likely to have noisy or disrespectful neighbors. XL Properties is the best apartment management company I've dealt with in my 20 years in Chicago.

I loved living in Catalpa Gardens and stayed there for four happy years. The buildings may not have…read moreall the bells and whistles like the larger property managers but what the buildings lack in luxury it makes up with its professionalism, it's cleanliness, and by being well maintained. The staff is extremely responsive and knowledgeable. They are there if you need them (typically very shortly after submitting a request) but they are by no means breathing down your neck. I appreciated the protected bike parking, the wood floors, the new kitchens, and the air conditioning the most. Oh! And the laundry facility on the first floor is clean and I don't think I ever saw another person there in the three years I lived there.

Sheridan Tower and Horizon's staff really demonstrated kindness, efficiency, and reliability, even…read morewhen it's out of their working hour on a holiday weekend. My mover cancelled on me 15 minutes into the appointment at 8am last Sunday and I was about to miss the move-out deadline. I went down to the doorman and he helped me call the property manager, who picked up immediately(note: it was Sunday 8am) was understanding of my situation and extended my move-out deadline( I really freaked out before she picked up the phone because my previous landlords would not have answered and would have taken this opportunity to charge me a ton of money for moving out late). Then the doorman let me use the building's storage room for temporary storage. While there, the regional manager lady happened to pass by and stopped to ask if she could help, then connected me to a mover that was able to help me on the second day. And everything got sorted out. I can't imagine what would happen otherwise-- I'd have to pay a huge late move-out fee and also pay high price to find a last-minute mover on a weekend. The building management is great-- my maintenance requests always get solved within a day, the doormen are always helpful and nice, the property manager is very helpful, and the regional manager is also incredibly nice.

8/20/21 This is an updated review. I spoke to management about laundry issues and it was resolved…read more I have lived here for over 8 years and overall it has been a very positive experience. It is very well-maintained by the excellent staff: Miguel in particular! Whenever something needs repair it is fixed on the same day usually. Our current manager is very friendly and helpful. She has an office in the building. I feel very, very safe knowing that the door staff is there 24/7. Bejto, Macon, Steve, George, and Isa are all very kind and helpful. We also have a new intercom system. I have never had a problem with a lost package and with COVID, I had a lot of stuff delivered. They are also very helpful when I have to send things back. I don't hear much from my neighbors usually, which is a plus and I have beautiful views. Plus, I live across from the beach! PROS: Staff Safe Location Express bus, 151, 136 in front of building and near the Red Line Repairs done promptly Affordable storage Friendly, quiet neighbors Not a party building Garbage chutes on each floor Cats allowed (dogs too) The fitness room is not super big, but people seem to like it and the equipment is new. CONS: -It is a smoking building, which I found out after moving in. It's not usually an issue, but something to know. -The laundry room: There are a lot of apartments and not enough machines at busy times, particularly dryers. But, if you time it right you can still be the only person there.

They're complete *SCAMMERS* Avoid living here at all costs. Besides the luxury of living near the…read morelake and a Whole Foods that area of Kenmore Avenue is heavy with theft (packages and cars) mentally ill and substance abuse wanderers, gunshots and constant ambulance sirens going off, people yelling and arguing out in the streets at odd hours of the day and night.  Still having freshly relocated to Chicago I was not familiar with the neighborhood and moved into Windsor during the pandemic and did not have the opportunity to do a full and proper tour of the building and the Condo. I had no idea what nightmare I was walking into. There were red flags immediately in the beginning that I unfortunately should not have turned a blind eye to which ended up costing me a great deal of stress, pain, and money in the end.  The day I moved in and unpacked I received an email from the property management accusing me of not breaking down my large boxes and leaving trash out on the side of the dumpster and that they were going to fine me, which was an absolute lie and I felt as though they were looking for any excuse to get money $$$ out of me. A couple of nights in I ran into a young lady late at night in the hallway who looked drugged out staring me down and banging loudly on a door where she didn't live.  The family across from me was constantly arguing, yelling, and cursing loudly with one another slamming doors, and purposely locking their kids out of the house. I had to file a police report about it because I was concerned about my safety. Reported it to my landlord and she acted as if she was oblivious about the building and the area being questionable (she knew). The kitchen tiles were falling off, there was a huge crack in the floor foundation of the kitchen that was sinking in. About 1 month in the kitchen sink flooded, the bathtub backed up and the landlord accuses me of installing new pipes, a new shower head, and a rusted toilet bidet that was there before I moved in. My landlord asked me repeatedly to pay for the repairs (which I refused and she would often boast about having money) and whenever she did a repair she always tried to do it secretively so that I wasn't able to see what she was doing and it was always a half-a** job and refused professional assistance when it was needed and suggested. Overtime the final straw was when my landlord showed up in a dress and heels to do repairs to install a new 50lbs AC unit which to me was questionable, inappropriate, and unsafe, and her final attempt to call the police on me for asking to see her do repairs on a smoke alarm that didn't need repairs at all.  The whole foundation of the condo was quite literally falling to pieces, sinking in, cracking, and breaking down because it had not been neglected and not properly maintained over the years and because it's older it's in serious need of a full renovation for it to even be livable for any tenant and to be safe. The Windsor has a huge pest problem (roaches, centipedes, mice). The neighbor's cigarette smoke gets into the vents of the Condo. The neighbors as well stomp, bang, run and make loud noises at all hours of the day and night and if they hear you playing your TV or music they stomp louder regardless of if they play theirs. The neighbors will still clothes from the laundry or place their clothing in with yours if they don't have the money to pay. The front of the building has been broken into from time to time. Packages and mail constantly get stolen although there is surveillance. The pipes in the building are old and bad. They constantly shut the water off and brown water comes out from time to time. Long story short my landlord abused her authority and I was treated cruelly for absolutely no reason because I held her accountable for her responsibilities, her nasty and unstable behavior, and her poor choices. How I was treated behind closed doors dealing with my landlord was completely unjust. Some professionals and neighbors heard and witnessed how I was being treated they watched and did nothing. I reported everything to the property management and received no type of help from Hallmark when I seriously needed it. There was repeated gaslighting and attempts to isolate and silence me by my landlord including their broker Baird & Warner who retaliated because I simply requested repairs and attempted to have me put out at short notice with no legitimate reason or documentation which could have cost me my livelihood, stability, and job. I ended up getting a lawyer and sued my landlord for failure of repairs, RTLO violations, and retaliation and I won. Eventually, I moved out ASAP "THANK GOD" and the day of my move out Hallmark emailed me wanting to fine me $100 for moving out a few week's before my lease ended when the landlord was notified months in advance (which was crazy and I knew nothing about). My landlord being difficult refused to do a walk-through and take her keys back so I had to mail the keys back

Do. Not. Live. In. This. Building. Unless, of course, you enjoy having roaches. Which I…read more(extremely phobic as I am) do not. I ended up having to put dead specimens in plastic bags and store them in the freezer to show our landlords and the exterminator. We were renting from a couple (I had used their names here--which, legally, I can do because it is a review of them as much as the building, but I've removed the names out of politeness). At first, they were really responsive and would meet with the exterminator (who indicated that the roaches were entering through a large hole in the wall under the sink that was made for plumbing repairs and never patched while we lived there). I have voicemails and text messages from our landlords indicating that they would take care of the problem, which ultimately fell to the building management. All of my complaints to the building management were answered with "It's not a big deal, everyone has them." I've lived in 6 other apartments in this city and never had a roach. What makes it worse is that most of these units are owner occupied, and most of the people have small children! I always wanted to say, "Really? It's not a big deal? Roaches are crawling on your dishes and your kid's toys (and possibly your kid!), spreading disease and what have you, and that's not a big deal?! Ok." We moved out after 4 months. At that point, our landlords had stopped talking to us, so we notified them in writing of the reasons we were leaving and sent it by certified mail. After being advised by several tenants rights organizations that we were entitled to receive our security deposit back, we contacted a lawyer. Sadly, we chose a lawyer who was poorly organized and easily intimidated, and nothing came of it. But that's a review for another day.

Okay these guys are cold-blooded people (the administration). They're 1 of those people that don't…read morewant to give you a chance to present your side of the story. They're like people where all the friends and useful people in their life, have already been introduced and networked in their life. I was trying to inquire about an incident that happened in the building in 1997, and they had this to say: "We have no interest in participating or answering your questions. You are not a client, resident, owner or vendor. Also, the door staff has been instructed NOT to continue any dialogue with you. I understand that you also have been questioning the door staff at the building. Further communication from you will be considered harassment of our staff. [...] We can be of no help to you."

Very poor communication form this management company. They are difficult to reach by phone and the…read moremanager, Violette, can be rude and unpleasant. This company should serve at the pleasure of the residents/owners and should be replaced.

The old buildings in Chicago are not without their challenges. Ambar in the office is attentive to…read morethe residents and very sweet. I love my building and my beautifully remodeled apartment. The building is very well taken care of by the maintenance team, service requests always addressed quickly. I give them A+ for my apartment and my building.

If you're looking for a quiet apartment building, do not rent one out of 1625 West Howard. This…read moreplace has literally gone to the most annoying undisciplined big ass barking dogs all day. Most of the night. Can't even have my screen door open because if you even make one sound this stupid yappy dog above me won't shut the f up. So yeah this is not someone who has anxiety or PTSD because there's dogs barking all the time and it's always loud and annoying.

I bought my unit at the Malibu in 2004. I lived there for three years before moving out to the…read moresuburbs. When the RE crash of 2008 happened, I decided to rent out my unit instead of selling it. Eighteen years later, I finally decided to sell my unit, because I no longer wanted to rent it out anymore. I sold it last week. So, today I wanted to leave an honest review about the Malibu Condominium and my honest opinion of the people who live and work there. As a former owner/investor, I can honestly say that it has been a wonderful experience living and investing at the Malibu. In the short time I lived there, I met a lot of beautiful people, and I made some wonderful memories along the way. The building is beautiful inside and out. The Malibu is clean and inviting. The hallways are well maintained as well as the elevators, lobby, and other common areas. Also, I'm happy to say that our association has always had wonderful and attentive property managers. All of my encounters with management have always been pleasant and productive. Every time I needed something, they always responded right away and with a smile. The board, like any board, is filled with different personalities, but they all try to help the building be the best it can be. Overall, I think they've done a pretty good job. If you're thinking of moving to the Malibu, I hope you have the same wonderful experiences that I have shared in this review, and I hope you build wonderful memories there, too. MC

We used to live here for five years. The doormen and maintenance staff are very helpful and…read moreabsolute professionals. The building is clean, well maintained and the location is absolutely great. The express bus runs right in front of the building and the red line is two blocks away. There is a convenience store that connects the two condos and the people there are very nice. There is a nice pool for the summertime and plenty of parking (the gentleman who runs it is a stand-up person). There is also a small gym. Park and beach are right next door, the bike trail is also right off of Sheridan. The elevators run on the slow side and one often broke down when we were moving out, but other than that, the building is great. If you choose to live in this building, keep a low profile and make sure your neighbors are sane. My unit was flooded three times by a criminal living upstairs above me, who also had a dog she locked in her bathroom and let relieve itself on her balcony. The property manager brought this up to the board on many occasions and the president and vice president of the board did nothing meaningful about it. Most of the board and a majority of the residents in this building are useless and absolutely toxic. It is mainly the grannies who insult each other behind each others backs on a daily basis. If you want to see firsthand, come by to one of the monthly meetings and see how civil these people are. I would give more stars if it weren't for the obnoxious residents.