I am on the board of our 42 unit condo building. We utilized Root for a year's worth of management services. I think we were attracted by the smaller family-run nature of their business and believed that might provide us with more reliable attention. They were really not a good fit for us and in the last few months of service things deteriorated considerably. Both Ron and our property Manager Chon are personable people. Our property manager was good at issuing stern warnings to residents, etc.. but not much else. We encouraged the use of an online database (google drive) for all parties to stay up to date on tasks, issues and even basic contact info or lease information. I imagine their record system looks like the back of a hoarder's car, if they maintain any at all. Our property manager was very good at telling you something had been done when in reality it most often hadn't. There are some very basic tasks we gave them at the beginning of our relationship that just never got past a vague excuse for why nothing had been accomplished. About every month the board would check up on issues that had little to nothing meaningful done. It appeared to be a combination of too much on their plate, no organization, and an inability to use basic modern technology. They failed to notice that they weren't paying our electric bill for the greater part of a year. We received late fees and were on borrowed time from disconnection. We never received an explanation or any comment at all from Ron. read more

Well for starers James C. When I arrived for the showing he was pretty much silent. In general I was taken back by his whole demeanor. He did not give us a pitch at all in regards to the apartment. It was almost as if he didn't feel comfortable showing us the listing. Maybe because he was surprised to see that we were Muslim. My wife really loved the place, despite the encounter. There's a local mosque like 5 minutes away from the area, so I did not mind the location. So after the very disappointed showing. I told him we're interested in the place and how do I apply. He told me he will send a link. So later that day I applied for both me and my wife. He told us how to apply, but he was very vague and short with his response. I sent him a text the same day he told me the late move in date was fine, cats are okay and no pest problem. The next day I followed up informing him that we applied what are the next steps and to also keep me posted. I have a good line of credit. I work downtown in the information technology field. I sent 4 of my most recent check stubs to show that I am very well paid .The rent is cheaper then my current apartment. I don't have a criminal background nor does my wife. He then proceeds to ignore my text all day yesterday. I spaced out the two messages I sent, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It looks like I accidentally signed up for a viewing again. He kept requesting that I come see the apartment assuming that this is a new prospective tenant. I then received an email this morning saying the listing has been removed. He didn't reply to my messages or anything completely ignored me yesterday? On the bottom of the card he gave me, it said equal housing opportunity. Is this what equal housing opportunity stands for? Absolutely not. read more

I use to work at a property management company and Root exceeded my high expectations! The leasing process was smooth and clear with my realtor James. The online portal and ease of doing business (payment and service requests) are convenient and awesome. Danny the property manager does an excellent job! He is extremely helpful, always quick to respond and provides excellent service. I would highly recommend renting with them and trusting them with your property management needs! Thanks Root Reality and team! read more

Michael and the office are extremely responsive to maintenance requests and seem to always be doing things to keep the building itself in tip-top shape. Great management company! read more

Root Realty was great! I've dealt with some pretty awful management companies in my time. Root Realty was everything you hope for in a management company and more. Mike Root was great! He was helpful from start to finish. They were always responsive and helped with whatever we possible needed. It definitely took a lot of stress of renting. Thanks for everything guys!!!!! read more

I was a long tenant with Root Realty. My first apartment was in Lakeview near Paulina el and my last was in Lincoln Park. The owner, Ron Root has always been great to me and very helpful, even answering emergency hotline himself at nights or on weekends and really put an effort trying to help in any situation. When I was living in Lincoln Park, Ana Stefoi has been very great, kind and extremely helpful and personable to speak to and always available to answer questions and she would return calls immediatley. The staff at RR are very easy to work with and I was sad to go after so many years there. Thank you Ron and Ana for taking care of me! read more

The whole experience has been a pleasure. The transaction was fast and easy, our place is perfect. If there is ever a problem my emails are answered quickly. The staff are all super responsive and helpful. They are wonderful and have great properties, I would use them again if I ever plan to move out my apartment! read more

Marc with Root Realty was fantastic. I had to change the time of a tour at the last minute and he was very accommodating. Marc was also very responsive through email and text during the entire process. I highly recommend Root Realty and Marc. read more

Root Realty took over ownership of our building mid lease. We were extremely please with the service and professionalism they provided us. We had a few bumps in the road and our concerns were all validated and quickly attended to. Thank you. I would happily rent with your company again. read more

Loved renting with root!! Never any problems, maintenance was very prompt. Spencer was amazing and always available to answer any questions! Would rent again in a heartbeat! Also the online direct deposit was super easy for paying rent. read more

Root Realty is easily the best experience I have had with a property management company and/or landlord in my renting experience. They are very accommodating, responsive and helpful. I had to move due to personal reasons and they did everything in their power to find a new tenant to take over the lease. Throughout the whole process they kept me informed, which is all you can ask for. While renting, they have a very easy to use web portal for payments. They make it really easy, can't recommend them enough! read more

I am rather upset with my experience with Root Realty. We had a verbal commitment from one of the lease managers that the rental would be ours. All we had to do was apply online. I applied online and voila.....The apartment was 'just booked' by someone else. So not only did I lose out on an opportunity to live in this great apartment, but I donated my application fee directly to their pockets. There is no chance they ran the background check as my application was entered when the apartment was not available to be rented. I requested a refund however, i have not received a response from them. I was subsequently #ghosted. Please message me to provide a refund or a charitable donation form for my taxes. read more

Some time ago I paid a visit to Root Realty located on Belmont Ave in Chicago to inquire about the availability of buildings for sale ; I was interested purchasing and was capable of a cash purchase. I met with the owner (Ron Root) and we discussed my requirements and purchase capabilities. He informed me there was a large inventory meeting my criteria and that he would be ringing my phone off the hook with available listings. More than a few weeks later I had not received ONE call referencing any available properties. I phoned Ron Root and basically asked him one question - what happened? After several empty explanations as to why no calls had been forthcoming, Mr. Root cited that he had more important projects to consider and did feel compelled to proceed with the property searches he assured me he would be initiating on my behalf. At that moment it became painfully obvious to me that Mr. Root had made the decision not to provide me with any information or contract to sell me any available property in his current inventory. He blatantly demonstrated this attitude by not informing me that he was not interested in doing business with me and by not calling to inform me of this decision. The treatment I experienced from Ron Root of Root Realty in light of the fact that I had the capability of making a cash purchase was most amazing. At best the treatment I received was dismissive, unprofessional and downright shameful. At worst - and as I suspect - it was a not so subtle message that when it comes to the ownership of property - certain people NEED NOT INQUIRE. Captain Ron Wright (American Airlines, Ret) read more

I saw an apartment that was advertised as free heat on Zillow. We went to see it in person and it looked great. I asked if the heat was included because in apartment shopping, you forget what all the different ads say. Michael Root said it wasn't, but he didn't seem to have been in the building for a while or know about the water damage under the sink or whether or not bikes could fit in the storage units or if they had a bike room. When we applied online, we again saw on Root Realty's own site that the heat was free. It took from Friday night through Wednesday morning for our application to be processed. Upon finding out we were approved, we asked for confirmation about the heat and he said that he's been having a bunch of mixups with third party sites stating wrong information in the past six months. I said it says on Root Realty's site there is free heat. He said there isn't free heat and I should've known there wasn't because he said so orally. Beware about what you're getting into when you apply here and ask more questions in writing in advance! They don't seem to process applications over the weekend, which can leave you in a difficult position, and in our case, they didn't have accurate information on their own website for what they are contracting to offer. read more

I first decided to contact Root Realty not to long ago, after reading all these wonderful reviews about the quality of their service, attention to detail, and responsiveness; and therefore I felt that this company would be a good fit for our property management needs. I had reached out to Root and the various other vendors we were interested in receiving a quote for providing their service via an e-mail which provided background on the building, a list of services we were interested in receiving, and the date by which we must receive their submission (the RFP was open for one month). Shortly after sending out the initial notice I began to receive e-mail/phone responses from most vendors wanting to schedule some time to perform an initial walk-thru and also state their interest on securing this opportunity. As the weeks went on, I would continue to periodically send out e-mail/phone call reminders to vendors who have not yet responded. In the end Root was the only vendor not to respond to multiple e-mail's and phone calls placed to their office. However, if I was lucky I did get to speak to someone who would tell me that the owner of Root would be returning my call shortly since apparently he is the only one that handled these specific types of service requests. I would like to suggest that you consider hiring another person if you feel too overwhelmed by the work load, since it has been months and I have yet to receive any direct response. I would also like to add that if a client has to work as hard as I did in order to obtain a quote, then I can't help but wonder how much work you must lose out on because your office never submitted a quote in the first place. Nevertheless, I gave them two stars since I never received a quote or had the pleasure of interacting with them on some level so that I can at least render a more detailed judgment of there service. For those of you who use Root as a service provider I say, Congratulations for gaining there attention long enough to be able to establish a long-term working relationship. read more

Root Realty has been great so far! I'm amazed at how easy it has been and I love my apartment. I had a laundry list of things I wanted fixed when I moved in and they had someone out here to fit every picky thing I wanted to be fixed. They even ran to Home Depot (I think it was Julian?) To go buy new light fixtures for the ones that weren't working. I'm a happy tenant. read more

We've lived for four years in a building managed by Root Realty. We find them to be professional, responsive and considerate. They are all we would expect, and more. Ana, Julian and Mike Root have all been a pleasure to work with. I would recommend the company to anyone. read more

Easiest landlords I have ever dealt with. Fair and efficient...Ron and everyone in his office are very attentive and want to make sure we are happy. read more

My experience with Root Realty was truly wonderful. I lived in their building for 3 years and was pleased with how quickly they responded to any issue. My heat went out on a very cold day and they had someone fixing it within the hour. Mike, Ron, and Daniel were always professional and courteous. 5 stars. read more

I'm very pleased with my experience with Root Realty. Quickly responds through email and maintenance requests and pleasant to communicate with. Had to move out a bit early and the subleasing process was smooth and painless. Appreciate their professionalism and would happily refer to others. read more

I've dealt with quite a few property management companies in Chicago when renting an apartment and Root Realty is BY FAR the most reliable and accommodating in addition to being a pleasure to work with. If there is ever anything that needs to be addressed, they are easy to get a hold of, quick to take care of an issue, and always, always follow up. I have recommended Root Realty to many of my friends as working with them has made renting an apartment in the city a lot easier than I've ever experienced before. read more

I leased a property from Root Realty for 4 years and I am sad to go! They were very responsive, always pleasant and always very helpful! I would recommend them to anyone and I am not suprised that there is not one bad review on here! I love Anna, she is so amazing and I am glad I was able to get to know her!!! read more

I have been a renter for 10+ years and have lived in many different apartments. Among all the property management companies I've dealt with, none compare to Root Realty. The entire team is friendly, professional and responsive (yes, I called a property management company responsive!). Maintenance issues are resolved almost immediately and painlessly. Definitely the best around. read more

I lived at a property managed by Root Realty for my first two years in Chicago and boy do I miss them! The property manager was incredibly responsive and helpful - he always resolved any issues or questions we had in a more than timely manner and always seemed happy to do so. Additionally, the property was beautiful and very well maintained by Root Realty. If you're looking for a property managed by high quality and helpful people then definitely look for a Root Realty managed property. Trust me, the adjustment to my other property manager has been rough. read more

Root Realty has been the best property management company I've worked with. They are responsive, attentive, and get all work requests taken care of. Michael took care of me when looking for + applying for the apartment I rented and Anna went above and beyond during the time I rented and had to sublet. You cannot go wrong with Root. read more

Excellent company to work with. Organized and responsive. Great website for convenience. Would recommend to others.

Root Realty stands out among Chicago area property management companies. It is a family owned company that is operated with great integrity . Everyone at Root Realty has always been very responsive to any issues or questions that arise, even on evenings and weekends. I would highly reccomend Root Realty to owners looking for excellent property management services at reasonable rates. read more