One of the worst rental experiences I've ever endured. The property manager routinely takes advantage of their tenants, many of whom are lower income people of color and don't speak English as a first language. I moved to 850 W. Margate in July and have experienced the water being shut off numerous occasions without notice. The manager claims this is due to rusty pipes, but sees no reason/need to replace them. I routinely see cockroaches in the hallway, even though an "exterminator" comes once a month to spray. I'm have filed numerous complaints at both the city and state level. DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY. read more

I moved to this unit three days ago, and there were two cockroaches and the water in the shower (to this day) is still not coming out. I called him about it and he treated me like I was crazy. He was a total a**hole and said that if I was unhappy, I could go somewhere else. Or that I would have to fix it myself. I still can't tell from the call today (my third call about the issue), if he's going to send someone. How come I have to wait THREE DAYS for water to come out of the shower IN MY HOME? And I have to fear that cockcroaches will come necause no matter how clean I am, th building's first floor is full of bugs and cockroaches. That I can see. On the walls. For your own mental health, do not move to 850 W Margate Terrace. It's also very humid and hot inside for no reason (which justifies why there are so many bugs). I'd say don't rent for him. He's incredibly disrispectful, does not care about the leasees needs, and might not actually take care of any issues you will encounter. I'm already regretting having signed the lease to this place and not reading yelp reviews beforehand. read more

We reached out to J&B Management seeking assistance in dealing with one of his tenants. We sent three faxes (he doesn't have an email address) and left several voicemails but didn't get a response. The issue persists because we can't count on Joe Bucci to follow through. He is shockingly irresponsible. He does not do his due diligence in vetting tenants and will not intervene if his tenants are making your life miserable. read more

We were broke and needed a low-rent place to go. We saw one of Joe's hundreds of owned apartments, it seemed clean, freshly painted, what the heck! We moved in, only to find a few months later that some neighbors were moving out because they were infested with bugs, including cockroaches and bedbugs which caused them to lose thousands of dollars in furniture, and to which Joe said he'd rather they moved out than pay for exterminators. The heat is always off or low on winter ("heat included in rent" the ad said), hallways stink and front doors are always stuck because he refuses to fix the lock. The man is a slum-lord, you're better off renting from someone else. Take it from me... don't waste your money. read more

ALMOST rented here. Thank god i didn't. Especially after all these reviews. I was w/ the apartment people, and they took me to this building, there were 3 units whos doors were unlocked so potential renters could look. Well i found one i liked and as we were discussing the application before leaving the apartment, the landlord comes in and says "this unit is not avaliable" then why the hell was it open. Either way, this guy seems to be a shady business man. Also when i was looking at the garden apartment i noticed in the bedroom that there was two 2x4 stacked on the bottom edge of the room (like molding), pretty much taking away a foot from room. But then i read these reviews and realized that its probably to keep the BUGS OUT! *puke* read more

I just read the other reviews on here and I don't know what these people are talking about. My apartment doesn't have bed bugs or any other kind of bugs (i've never even seen an ant in here), or mold, and the heat is kept at a normal level throughout winter and "spring". As far as maintenance stuff goes, we haven't had many problems. Once my roommate couldn't figure out what to do with a clogged toilet and said someone came out to help her right away. She also forgot her garage door opener at her office once and Joe lent her an extra one (he still hasn't come to get it). We were also originally told we would have to pay for a second set of keys, but were never charged. Joe is kind of strange though. A friend of mine who also rented from him said that if you stop to talk to him he will go off into really strange stories and that he knows like a dozen different languages. He apparently owns a lot of different units all over the city. Maybe a few of them have bugs, i don't know, but i know two other people in my building renting from him (we are in a condo association) and nobody seems angry. Slightly curious about his oddities, but not angry. read more

I'm giving one star only because I'm forced to give a star to give a review. Until today I didn't have any issues with living here. I paid my rent on time and I generally am an ideal tenant. Keep the place clean, and it's hardly used since I'm so busy all the time. On 10/7/15 I came back from a week long vacation and my sink was backed up. The sink was filled to the brim with black water and I honestly have no idea how that happened. I called Joe Bucci (the building manager) and he said he would send over a plumber the next morning on 10/8. At first he tried to pin it on me, claiming that I had clogged my shower with too much hair so of course I must have been the reason this sink is clogged. None of that was true. I drain the sink the best I can so that the sink is pretty much empty. I go to work the next morning and come back and the sink is full of water again. Joe Bucci had not sent the plumber yet. I call him up again and ask that he help given that the entire sink is full with smelly with disgusting water and food particles. I tried to drain the water away and soon the pipe under the sink also started to leak. I helplessly called Joe several times but he refused to even take my call. Absolutely unhelpful. If you are considering getting an apartment rental with JB Management think again. I wish I had paid more attention to the other Yelp reviews. I am not alone in getting bad service from Joe Bucci. read more

Yep, the same thing happened to me! BED BUGS! What a dump! After I finally figured out that I was getting bitten by bed bugs I was infuriated. I talked to several other tenants that told me it has been a problem at 5301 for years. I couldn't get any of them to organise and seek legal help so I had to do it myself! I contacted Metropolitan Tenants Organization and they advised me that I could reduce my rent - which I did - and thus , I recieved an eviction notice! What a nightmare! Well, it is illegal for a land lord to retaliate against a tenant for enforcing his rights - but that didn't stop Joe Bucci! He even had his lawyer accuse me of interfering with his ability to do business! Well, My legal council (REFFERED BY THE MTO) assured me that they would seek a settlement - which they did, but it was still 8 monthes of stress and aggravation! Not only that - there was a crack dealer on the third floor and his clients would yell up to him at all hours of the night to open the back door for them to enter the building! Yeah, I would have to say that J&B MANAGEMENT ( JOE BUCCI ) provided me with the worst rental expierience of my life! read more

I rented from Joe Bucci/JB Management from 2002 through 2007 at his Pine Grove apartments. Joe had reasonable prices, which helped me out during a financial crisis in my mid 20s after moving to Chicago for the first time from Michigan. His building was clean. It was quiet for the most part. The garage always worked. I paid $110 for parking per month and my spot was always available. Joe was always very kind to me though he often had some interesting stories to tell. I received my cheap deposit back though I was one of those tenants that probably didn't deserve his deposit back (the light colored carpet was trashed/stained from living there for 5 years and my buddies spilling beer on the carpet but maybe they replace carpet or have it professionally cleaned after a tenant moves out after 5 years). Other than the rare occasional small spider or creepy millipede guy, I didn't see any other bugs. No ants, NO bed bugs. Maintenance guy was always very responsive and easy to get a hold of. I locked myself out of my apartment on a few occasions and the maintenance guy would always be there within 30 to 60 minutes of me using the front buzzer system to contact the maintenance guy. Heat always worked. Wall unit air conditioning worked great as well. Plumbing worked great. No dishwasher which I was bummed about but everything else worked fine. Hope Joe's doing good after all this time. I enjoyed my stay at ol' 3825 Pine Grove! read more

So Far so good, I moved in Just two months ago to this day and everything has went smoothly. Always a pretty happy energy throughout the place, my neighbors never complain. We trade goods at a table in the laundry room, which is a nice mutual way to show love. Never had bug problems, and i'm knoching on wood while writing this as I feel it is completely by chance. An exterminator comes in once a month to leave some goo by the sink holes. He just walks right in which I find odd, one day he's going to regret that decision, as I am not usually prepared for company. That can also be a problem because I have cats and they love to roam around. This is a very cat friendly place. Many people on my floor have cats. Myself and my neighbor down the hall leave the door open from time to time to let the little guys play. It makes them feel less domesticated and trapped, I think. Joe always has something to say, kind of a funny guy, reminds me of my grandfather back home. Not sure when he's gonna be there, always surprises you with a story. This is my first place in Chicago and it suits my needs. Good luck when renting, it seems like it can be quite a mystery. Best bet is to talk to tenants and see what they say, renter companies will tell you anything to get a sale. read more

Man, After reading these reviews I'm worried now. I just took a place at 5301 N Ashland through spaces which I'm supposed to be moving into beginning of January. Great location to Andersonvile and close to the redline so I can get to work. Hopefully things have changed by now I couldn't imagine so many tenants living in this building putting up with this problem. Haven't met the landlord Joe yet but have to give him a call to set up my move in date and pick up the keys. read more

ANOTHER UPDATE: Finally received the deposit check, with a $100 deduction for "cleaning" - the apartment was left spotless, but I don't want to deal anymore with this disgusting crook, so I'll leave it at that. BEWARE of renting from this guy!! UPDATE: No deposit check yet, it's been FOUR months!!!! Just checked the Better Business Bureau for this clown - seems his score is an F! Awesome. Small claims court, here we come. read more

Do NOT move into Grace and Pine grove location. Everything inside your apartment and no one will be there to help fix it. There are cockroaches everywhere. No amount of traps or "spraying" will get rid of them. The walls are paper thin and the hallways/ elevator is always smelly. I've met multiple tenants who have had bed big issues and I'm not shocked to hear Joe has done nothing about it. I had 4 packages stolen of brand new pots and pans and other cooking equipment when I moved in. The cameras are fake and you won't get your things back. read more

RUN FAR, RUN FAST! If I could give zero stars I would. A few months ago in January 2016, I thought I'd found a great place, a 2 bed 2 bath place at 850 W. Margate Terrace unit 505 -- a bldg that is an apartment and condo mix. Victor was the agent who showed me the place and signed me. He'd told me it'd been vacant since early December. When I first saw the bldg, I was a bit taken aback since it didn't look as nice as the other bldgs on the street, and the inside looked dated and questionable. I saw 505, and thought it was great -- the time it was listed at 1275 and I couldn't believe I'd found such a great deal. I ended up signing for it 2 weeks later in January 2016, to move into February 2016. I'd checked the building out on the City of Chicago's Code Violations site, and saw it had a lot of reports, including a couple for BED BUGS from May 2015. Here's the thing: I asked Victor, and he said he couldn't tell me whether there were or weren't bedbugs, and said that the girl in 502 who reported them was a "troublemaker". So I thought, "Well, it's been a awhile... and if she was..." Long story short... I signed for the place, picked up my keys, only to run into 2 residents of 850 W. Margate who live on the 4th (condo owner of 2 yrs) and 1st floors (southern accent, apt. to left of elevator, rents from Joe Bucci from 1 yr) respectively, and BOTH CONFIRMED THEY HAD AND ARE CURRENTLY LIVING WITH BEDBUGS! The condo owner told me he tried EVERYTHING to rid himself of them, and they don't go away. If people on the 1st and 4th floors are living with them, likely it's bldg wide infestation. Joe Bucci doesn't own the entire bldg from what I understand, but apparently most/all(?) of his properties have this issue. As soon as I found out from these 2 residents about the active infestations in their homes, I went home, talked to my roommate, spent a restless night conflicted about what to do, then emailed Victor the next day to say I could not and would not move in, and run the risk of getting these things in my stuff. I'd experienced bedbugs twice before 2 yrs ago when I'd gone down south on a megabus, and had an EXTREME allergic reaction from the bites. I'd told Victor this before signing, and he still signed me. Here's the thing: If there have been code violations or bed bug reports on a building within the last 12 months, ANYONE WHO SIGNS YOU OR ACTS AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LL NEEDS TO DISCLOSE THIS BY LAW. I was able to 2/3's of my money back, but Joe Bucci has yet to refund me for over $400+ dollars. I haven't had time to initiate legal action against him because I've been searching for a new place for an EO March move in, but when I'm settled, I will. He broke the law by not disclosing, essentially signing me under false pretenses, he's had previous legal action against him, and Chicago says that if you've been found to breach bed bug code too often, you start accumulating fines. I want my money back from him, and since he hasn't returned it, I haven't forgotten and will take him to court once I've found a new place and moved. Not only did Joe Bucci FAIL to inform me of the building's multiple code violations ASIDE FROM bedbugs, but he also yelled and cursed at me when I told him I couldn't move in.I have it recorded. He may seem "nice" when he thinks you'll buy his bull, but when you find he's been dishonest, and you try to talk to him reasonably about not moving in prior to the start of a lease due to a problem with the building--WATCH OUT. That's when he starts acting like he's hard of hearing, and when you repeat yourself, he starts cursing. He also denied there were bedbugs. A lie, as residents to that bldg can attest, and as he has exterminators out to spray every other week. Another renter of his on the 2nd floor also told me about her run-ins with Joe, and how he was verbally abusive towards her for parking her car in the wrong spot one day. Moreover, she told me how the machines in the laundry room are always breaking down due to people overloading them. If you can't wash your stuff, how could you get rid of bedbugs? Personally, having experienced bed bugs a few years ago, I'd never run the risk of knowingly moving into a bldg with an active infestation. It would only be worse for me in court to break a lease after moving in, because his lawyer would likely ask why I took the chance and moved into a bldg knowing there was an active infestation. I feel MUCH better about my decision not to. I'm writing this now because I've seen in the last couple days, 850 W. Margate #505 is again up for rent, and I'd like to share my experience with Joe Bucci and what's really going on in that building for anyone who may consider taking it. If you don't believe me, check out the City of Chicago's building code violations site, and see for yourself. http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/bldgs/provdrs/inspect/svcs/building_violationsonline.html read more

I regret not yelping this apartment before signing my lease last year. Though the building was clearly old and not the cleanest I fell for the location and low rent. Joe initially seemed nice enough, though I thought it was weird when there signs all over the elevators saying they weren't working, yet Joe let me use them a few times when I was moving in. I also was approached by an angry woman when I was moving in that told me the place was infested with bed bugs and to not move in. I chalked it up to an angry tenant and also couldn't really do anything considering I had already signed my lease. As the months passed I began to notice people writing in pen on the walls of the hallways and the doors of the hallways "bed bugs." Then, finally, in January, I spotted a bed bug on my couch. I then tore apart my bed and found 2 more bugs. Luckily I had read the Yelp reviewed (albeit after I had moved in unfortunately), so I knew what to expect from Joe and was ready for him to not be too nice or understanding. After shedding a few tears because I was completely overwhelmed and grossed out, I called him. He acted shocked, told me he had never had a bed bug issue in ANY of his buildings before and he couldn't believe it. I stayed quiet and listened, knowing he was not telling the truth. He then demanded to know what I did for a living (...as if what, I work at a bed bug factory...?) l told him where I worked and that something like this has never happened to me before and that I was not the cause of these bugs. He then asked what I wanted him to do now considering it was after 8 pm. I explained that I understood he could not do anything right now but that I expected him to do something ASAP. He then gave me the number to his exterminator. I called the exterminator the next morning and made an appointment with him for the following morning. He came out, did a thorough job, and then I hauled 16 bags of laundry to the laundromat. It was a nightmare. And let's just say Joe's buildings keep this exterminator busy. Exterminators are typically supposed to come back after 2 weeks to check but he has not. I've been thoroughly checking and have not found anything again, but obviously I am no longer comfortable in this building. My assumption is that it's only a matter of time until they come back, as the building clearly has an issue. Unfortunately I will probably be paying 2 rents for the month of March so I can get out ASAP and not have to deal with Joe and trying to break the lease a month early. Also - as I have begun my search for another apartment in Andersonville I have shared with realtors where I am currently living only to have them reply, "I've heard about the bed bug problem in that building." So, apparently everyone knows. Outside of the bed bug problem, the washers/dryers are constantly breaking down, you have to hope the dryers are working properly in terms of adequate heat to dry your clothes, and oftentimes the front doors and/or rear door are broken or not fully closing so the building is not secure. I have never left a Yelp review before, but I wanted to do it this time in hopes of saving someone all the trouble and sleepless nights I have had. read more

The whole time I lived in this apartment I really had no complaints... yeah it got a little cold in the winter and the water pressure could have been better, but overall price for the location - AWESOME. Problem is eventually I had to move out. Joe was such an easygoing guy that when I asked him to be there for a final walk through - he said he didn't need to. **BIG MISTAKE** I had put down $950 for my sec deposit + pet deposit. I had left the place cleaner than how I found it. At 2 weeks after moving out, I started calling him... and called him continuously for 6 mos before I saw a single penny. And then he didn't give me the full deposit back. In Chicago law landlords are required to give you the full amount + interest back if they don't say anything about damages within the first 30 days of moving out. I tried contacting him several times after that... got through the first few times and then suddenly he was hard to get a hold of... hmmm, mysterious? I think not. Even tried to get through with the BBB... and nothing. Best recommendation - if you decide to rent here, make sure to have him there to do a final walk through and ask him to bring your sec deposit with [like landlords should do legally]. If he won't, take pics of how you leave the apt so you can pursue him if needed. Sad to have had a good apartment experience end badly :( read more

Joe is the worst landlord I have ever encountered in my 12 years of apartment rentals. DO NOT RENT FROM HIM. He is going to give you some "required deposit" amount that is arbitrary for keys, or a garage opener, or something---and then when it's time to move out--he will NOT show up at the apartment and will make you leave your keys inside it. THEN he won't give you back your deposit because he will claim nothing was left. I called him almost a dozen times starting from the week before my move-out date and he never called me back. He had his janitor deliver the message as I was bringing the last items from my apartment. I never had a bug infestation, but apparently the tenant before me had died in that apartment and I was not made aware of that, until a neighbor enlightened me. He always turns off his phone so he doesn't have to deal with tenants and didn't even respond to a fire alarm in our building (which didn't ring in my wing of the building, I happened to be walking inside to hear it.) The fire department had to break down doors to get to the source of the problem because no one was available to open it. We had a huge theft problem in our building, and letters were being posted daily about stolen packages. I had 2 torn open packages appear at my door with letters from friendly neighbors who found it ripped open and discarded in the stairwell. If you call him to discuss these matters, he will scream and swear at you, then hang up. If that doesn't exemplify his immoral and unprofessional disposition, I don't know what does. All I can say is--if you are desperate for anything to rent, and MUST use him--document everything in writing or save the wacky voice mails he will leave you and do not move out without him handing you the deposit at that time. Otherwise, you can forget about getting any money back. Nothing would make me happier than getting together all the people he has screwed and working to put this guy out of business, so he can stop stealing from honest people. read more

Avoid renting from J&B Management at all costs! I really liked the apartment I saw. It had a fantastic location and price, so I was really happy about it when I signed the lease with the realtor. However, when I called the apartment manager Joe a week later to schedule a time to pick up the keys and do a walk-through, he had apparently lost my lease and forgotten about it all together. Rather than deal with it like a normal person, and just say he had to check with the realtor, he pretended he didn't know about the apartment, who the realtor was, and told me not to call again. He then would not deal with me until I went through the realtor to prove that he had signed the lease and had already cashed a check for my first month's rent. Only then did he rather begrudgingly agree to meet with me. He was so strange and terrible to deal with every time I spoke with him on the phone I deeply regretted signing the lease without looking on Yelp first. However I got lucky, despite approving my application and signing the lease, he really did not want to rent to a student. He asked me multiple times if I would actually be able to make rent (even though I could show financially that I could and have fantastic credit) and I would be holding wild parties all the time (I'm 26 now and in graduate school, more looking for a quite place to study than a place to party). But because of this, he asked to break the lease before I had even moved in which I more than happily agreed to. He had promised to return all the money I had paid him for the first months rent if I agreed to break the lease like he wanted. However, he never did. He has since promised at least 10 times now to give me a check for the money, and then just doesn't. Last time I spoke with him about it on the phone I threatened that I might take him to small claims court over it, and he started yelling and cursing at me and saying that he was going to counter sue me for 12 months rent even though he was the one who asked to break the lease and knew he owed me the money. I've thought more about it since then, and I don't think taking him to court would be worth the fees, time, and stress, even though he really deserves it. I've basically given up on getting my money back. Don't deal with this "company"(really one person) in anyway. He will think nothing about lying to you and trying to cheat you. He is incredibly rude and difficult to deal with. read more

My fiance was looking for an apt. So she found this place on 5301 Ashland (Uptown). As I was on the net mapping my route to work I noticed that a reference to J & B Management was displayed on my yahoo map page. So I read the review from Nando and called my fiance to advise her of the review. She then told the the apartment finders people about the review, and they called the landlord, who never denied having bugs. The landlord said the review must have come from someone he evicted. Then the next day he said he rented the apt to someone else. This review saved us time, money and frustaration. Thanks again. Nando. read more

Wow, is there any way to go zero stars? I haven't had one phone call returned. I had a leak for over a year that wasn't been repaired. Water pressure was always bad in the apartment. . The owner of this company is one really sketchy guy - definitely a slum landlord. I was at an open board meeting where this guy was completely out of line - yelling, screaming, and accusing people left and right of nonsense. He claims to know everything and thinks he's always right. But really, he seems cheap and two-faced. I say this because I saw him act nicely when talking to my neighbor and the maintenance guy for the building, but once my neighbor closed her door, the landlord started verbally abusing the maintenance man. I spoke to my neighbor about the incident later and she said the issue wasn't a big deal and not the maintenance man's fault at all. I've also heard several bad rumors about this company - which I won't mention because I don't know if they're true. But I haven't met many people that like or trust this company. read more

I am not one to post negative reviews for the sake of posting negative reviews, but I truly hope that my input serves to discourage people from renting with Joe Bucci. The only positive review that I can see on here is by someone who simply didn't have any problems and therefore did not need basic landlord assistance - as soon as you have an issue, however, it is absolutely awful to be a tenant with Bucci. By way of background, and not to sound immodest, but I am an ideal tenant. I am a student, living on loans; as such, I paid my rent as soon as I got my quarterly loans - in other words, I paid September-October-November-December all at once, then January-February-March, then April-May-June-July-August. I don't make noise, I don't complain much, I am friendly to my neighbors, I would rather leave alone and be left alone. And, I have put up with a lot, but it's gotten me nothing but trouble. I do have a dog, but I pay $50 extra each month to keep him and, of course, Joe Bucci is perfectly aware of his presence as are my neighbors - there have been no complaints. (1) Cockroaches. Or, as Bucci calls them, "water bugs." After much hounding, Bucci sent an exterminator who told me that he was there to deal with all bugs except cockroaches. So, either Joe was pulling a sick joke or, more likely, he went with the cheapest possible alternative to our detriment. (2) Leaky Ceiling. My ceiling has leaked for the past month. Again, after a great deal of complaint, Joe sent a guy over to look at it and then I heard nothing. I leave messages for Joe constantly and rarely get the pleasure of a call back. (3) Hot water. I'd say twice a month, the hot water in the building goes out completely. To be sure, I understand that stuff happens, but fixing this constant problem should be a priority, though it is unclear that Joe has any priorities other than drinking. (4) "Management." As I said, I paid my rent early throughout my tenancy. Yet, without fail, I would get "past-due" notices in my mailbox and under my door. His management system is clearly in dire need of modernization. (5) Communications with Joe. He has no email and he rarely picks up his cell phone. If you happen to catch him in the building, he will tell you that he'll take care of whatever the issue is and he rarely does. Also, he is usually intoxicated and belligerent. (6) The dog. If you are a dog owner, be particularly careful when renting with Joe. He will blame all problems on the dog. I wish that I was writing this in jest. Cockroaches? Dog's fault. Strange smell that turned out to be a dead mouse in a neighbor's wall? Dog's fault. Leaky ceiling (with no explanation as to how that would be possible)? Dog's fault. He is truly awful. It's not worth it. read more

Was supposed to be renting an apartment from them, at 850 W Margate, but Joe Bucci, was never available and went and rented the apartment from under my leasing agent, even though she called him numerous times to confirm the place was still available. A terrible way to do business. i am glad this fell through so i won't have to deal with this very unprofessional person. and judging from other reviews i am not the only person read more

I moved to a place near Lakeshore and Grace intersection, Joe is my landlord. My lease is now over, and I am moving out soon, THANK GOD! The last year has been HELL. So much has gone wrong, that I probably wont cover all of it, because it would take me DAYS. First of all, he never cleaned the apartment before we moved in ( it was obvious) ( one clue was the dog hair all over the carpet. A few days after we moved in we started noticing we had a few friends, and then a lot of friends... THE PLACE WAS INFESTED WITH ROACHES, SPIDERS, FRUIT FLIES, and BEDBUGS they made you scratch to high hell. The roaches were everywhere, and Joe didn't do much at all to help. he sent someone to put a few roach traps around BUT DID NOT EXTERMINATE... in fact , one year later we still find roaches in the hallways, laundry room, in our kitchen and bath and even in the apt elevator and my bf FOUND ONE IN THE MAILBOX! Our toliet and sink leak, our microwave and stove don't function, the air cond unit spits water and is filthy inside, and every door has rusted off the hinges( including the bath door) (Joe refuses to fix anything... or he claims to be sending someone and they never come) Once the door knob to the front door was so loose it fell off and I was trapped inside the apartment. We froze in the winter because he never turned on the heat until the very end...to top it all off some mysterious leak happened under our carpet (it had nothing to do with us) the leak soaked through the carpet and it was so wet there were puddles on the middle of the floor. It was coming from underneath the floor and it spread clear across the middle of the place ( we couldn't walk without getting wet) to make things worse the place began to mildew and we felt sick from breathing it in. When we told Joe, he said we must of poured the water on the floor with a bucket of water.... ( WTF?) He barges in whenever he wants, demands to come in your place, or bangs on your door. The apartment hallways stink, and he always has construction going outside your door ( saws and tools at hours you are trying to sleep) also, the front doors to the apartment are always stuck and broken. HE DOESNT CARE ABOUT HIS TENANTS.... he is the definition of a SLUM LORD. Our place was never worth what we paid for it, and I feel bad for the person who moves in next. Like the others, I found this place through Chicago Apt Finders , so my advice is to not use them, or make sure you are not in one of Joe's owned apartments (if you must use the service) DO NOT RENT WITH J & B Management! read more

This is a horrible place to live! I recently moved to Chicago and rented my friends apartment here while he was out of the country for a month. After about two weeks of staying there, I started to itch like crazy, and these welts appeared on my arms. I thought they were hives, and went to the doctor twice, trying to find medicine that would make the "hives" go away. In the meantime, the welts got bigger and moved from my arms, all over my back, and my legs. I looked like I had a very nasty skin disease and it was embarrassing trying to go and apply to jobs around the city! It wasnt until a friend told me that they really didnt look like hives, that I started doing some research about what could be causing the bites. I then discovered that they were bedbug bites, and that every night when I slept I was being eaten. Anyway, long story short, it was a very traumatic experience, and every time I itch I have a fear that bedbugs are attacking me. Please, spare this experience in life. Do not live here!!! Getting rid of bed bugs is a pain, and next to impossible, and is very costly. Oh, and lastly, when I asked the landlord, Joe, he said that he had never had bedbugs before. Yeah, right. It seems obvious that he was definitely lying. Scumbag! read more

Joe Bucci who is the owner of J&B management of 5301 N. Ashland is a slumlord. This building is infested with bed bugs and cockroaches! He will enter your apartment without 48 Hours notification, without it being a serious matter under the Illinois real estate law. It is sad that a building in Andersonville one of the top areas of Chicago would be allowed to occupy in a pristine area as Andersonville. I can only assume that the tenants in this building are afraid to go to the health department of Chicago or they just don't know how to go about it. I am not a tenant or never have been however I have been in the building have seen the infestation, cracks in the ceiling, etc. where the infestation comes through and find this very appalling. There are other building codes which are not being adhered to. It is time for the health department and the Attorney General's office to investigate these violations and for the Attorney General to have J & B managements books opened to them. I believe they would be quite surprised. read more

I am glad Nicole B that you have not had the unfortunate dealings with BED BUGS! These reviews are true I experienced this personally and even after years I am still traumatized. Maybe you are at a newer one of his buildings that has yet to be infected. If he is in that building it will eventually become infested because bed bugs can travel in your clothes while you are wearing them. When I rented at 5301 W Ashland. He would sit in the office in the building and there is no way being in the building as often as he was that he would not personally be transporting these little suckers from one of his properties to the next. After having to deal with these bugs I have done a lot of research on how they travel, what to look for and how fast they reproduce and spread. These things reproduce quicker than roaches and are more indestructible! Obviously if there are this many reviews on here concerning THIS particular landlord there is something going on...that is just common sense. Joe seemed strange but nice to me at first also. Yet once I realized I was sharing my bed with bugs and began to complain he became very nasty. Four stars to this guy makes my skin crawl. I hope other people are not misinformed by your review and end up experiencing the same traumatizing events that I suffered!! read more

I've lived at the same building for over a year (Pine Grove and W Sheridan) and have not had any of the problems these other people are speaking of. There was some bugs last year (mostly because of the weather change), but they had exterminators out like every 2 weeks knocking on doors to look under sinks and in closets. Since then no bugs. I did notice before I moved in that the carpets needed to be cleaned and the place needed to painted. Since I had my mother with me when we noticed this she was able to tell the place had been painted when I finally moved in. Also recently the handle broke on my toilet, Joe came by as soon as possible to fix it and then sent a plumber to make sure everything was working correctly as he noticed the tank was taking a long time to fill up. Overall when I have asked for things to be fixed he is there pretty quick and will return my calls the same day. I see him in the building all time and he has been nothing but friendly often joking and laughing with other tenants. He was also really friendly to my parents when they helped me move in. The only weird thing was when my lease was up this past April/May and I had not received any sort of notice to renew. Because I had decided to stay I just went ahead and mailed in my check for May and put a note in my rent check stating I had not received the lease to renew, within a week it was mailed out to me, rent stayed the same, etc. I do notice there are condo association meetings about once a month, I have yet to go, but the building manager Marcia is good about putting notices if anything is going to happen in the building. I also have yet to meet Marcia. I have talked to a few people in the building who rent from Joe and they don't seem to have problems either. The building is usually quiet, well kept (they vacuum hallways and sweep the front lobby) and most everyone is friendly. Maybe because it is a condo building things seem to be nice than what others are saying about Joe's other buildings, but overall with the location and neighborhood I say its an OK place. read more

My experience at 5301 n Ashland was tragic to say the least. When I first moved into the building like everyone else, everything seemed pleasant, up until about a week after my move in date, when I discovered I had unwanted guest in my apartment, huge cock roaches. I informed the owner Joe of the problem, and he had the place exterminated, which was pointless, because they didnt go away, they got worst. After talking to Joe over and over again about the problem, he began to behave in a very amature manor, and trying to blame me as the cause for the infestation. I had just moved back to Chicago from Atlanta GA, where I had no bug problems, where I traveled here through flight, with nothing but a rolling suitcase, how the hell was an infestation of this magnitude my fault, and a few of my nieghboors were having a simular experience. A month into living at this resident, I started to have problems with the plumbing, and bed bugs which was never taken care of, and one night when I came home from work, I heard Joe yelling at the top of his lungs at one of the residence when he was trying to explain to him the issues he was having with his toilet. I am now a bussiness owner, and I understand the pressures of running and maintaining a bussiness, and I am also a person who believe that people are initally good, and everyone is intitled to a chance, but I must say, if you rent with J&B Management, your in for a rollercoaster ride, and ashame on the Apartment people for not investigating this scum lord and putting uninformed tenants in those roach traps he calls apartments. My net damage were approximately $3000+ for the lost of my brand new furniture and electronics, and also my wardrobe, plus money I put down on a new place, after breaking my lease after five months, which was legally binded by the management and myself. My advice, people, do your research!!!!!!!! read more