I lived in an apartment managed by Surf Development and they were really helpful for me. Perhaps its because I live right around the corner, but they always were on top of things for me. One time my ceiling fan was broken and making weird sounds, the next day they replaced it with a new one. I just had to give up my apartment because I lost my job, but they helped me with the process of subleasing it. They even suggested someone who was looking for a one room to me, which they really didn't have to do. Thank you so much, Surf! read more

I've been living in my apartment since May of 2008 and whenever there was a problem, Surf fixed it that day or before noon on the next day. They've fixed the water pressure in my shower, unclogged drains, installed new locks, and repaired leaks. When we needed help bringing my new bed up the three flights of stairs, they told us about some movers and the bed was in my apartment within the hour. I've had no problem with my air conditioning or my heat working. The people in the office have always been kind and helpful. When I locked myself out of the apartment, they lent me their keys. I am very happy with my apartment and the people of Surf Development and I highly recommend renting an apartment from them. read more

Awesome!!!! Maureen and the rest of the staff at Surf Development are very helpful and knowledgeable. I just moved here form GA and Maureen made the process painless. I have only lived in my apartment for about a month, but I can say the building is very clean and quite. Upon moving in, my place was re-painted and professionally cleaned very well. I would recommend anyone who is looking for an amazing management/ ownership team as their landlords to contact them for one of their many great places. read more

I've been living in a property managed by Surf since July. This is my first time using a management company in the city instead of a single landlord, and I'm impressed. They are flexible and attentive to maintenance requests and allowed me to move in a few days earlier than my start date. The apartment I am leasing is affordable, HUGE and in a great location. Mary is really quick to answer emails and is very helpful. read more

I had a great experience with Surf! When I moved in there were a couple of things that did need to be fixed, but when I submitted the work orders they were all completed very efficiently. The maintenance workers were always very friendly and the work was always completed more than satisfactorily. I had a great experience will all the members of the office staff as well: I was able to see the apartment I was interested in within a day, they were all easy to get in touch with, and returned messages very quickly. The apartment building was always well-maintained as well as a very pretty courtyard that is very well tended during the summer! read more

I lived in a building that Surf owns for about 6 years. No complaints. No place is perfect but they were also cool and got things done. Why would I have stayed with them for 6 years otherwise? read more

My husband and I lived at the Racine and Addison property for two years - it was a cute and cozy little apartment. The neighborhood is super safe, rent was cheap, and we had plenty of space. The apartment had a bunch of character with moldings over the windows and lots of light spilling in the front living room. I don't know what the reviews below are talking about - Moreen and Mary have been very receptive and friendly when we deal with them. If a drain clogged, we'd call and it would be fixed the next day. Management never set foot in our apartment without calling us first, and I appreciate that. Now, Wrigleyville is a bustling area, so you can expect some weekend parties and street noise, but street parking wasn't as bad as we anticipated. Just be prepared. A high point for us was the Paul McCartney concert last summer, we opened our windows and could hear him crystal clear....add a bottle of wine, and that's a nice Sunday evening. I had my bachelorette party at a Cubs rooftop and afterward we came back to the apartment for gifts and "getting ready" time - we had beer and water on ice on the back porch and everyone mingling - it was plenty of room for us. We would grill on the porch in the summer and use the fireplace in the winter - it was cozy and comfortable. Management were flexible with us painting the walls and hanging artwork. If you put a little TLC into a rental, anywhere can feel like home. This apartment was no exception - we enjoyed living here. We've moved to a quieter neighborhood to work on a family, but I would recommend our apartment to any young couple. It's the perfect size, in the perfect area, at a great price. read more

We have lived in a Surf apartment building since June 2015 and have loved it. We are moving next month as we transition into a condo. From the showing, lease, moving and ongoing maintenance processes -Surf has been great all along the way. Our unit is close to the Wellington Brown Line and all our friends agree the location can't be beat. We've enjoyed the large living spaces and built in fireplace (working, wood burning!). We are excited to become homebuyers but will miss the great times we had living in a Surf apartment building. Enjoy! read more

Surf Development is the only leasing company I worked with for my four years living in Chicago. It was sheer luck that I happened to sign with Surf Development. You hear all sorts of horror stories with landlords, but my experience with Surf Development was nothing but positive. The rent was very affordable when compared to other companies in the area, and the two apartments I lived in were aesthetically pleasing and clean--which I loved. Surf Development was always very communicative and maintenance went above and beyond with some issues that needed to be fixed. I would recommend them to anyone looking to rent in Chicago. read more

My husband and I LOVED our super spacious garden apartment that we rented from Surf Development for 4 wonderful years. Honestly we hadn't planned on staying in that apartment for that long but we really had no reason to move! Our rent stared out and stayed very reasonable over the years, their staff was always warm, pleasant, and helpful, and also the maintenance staff was super knowledgeable and got projects done in timely manner. A work transfer took us out of Chicago, but if not for that we just might have stayed in that apartment forever haha. I would highly recommend Surf Development to anyone looking to rent in Chicago. read more

Surf development is one of the best rentals companies I have ever used. They provide world class service with a clean and very well kept apartment. Whenever I had an issue they would respond immediately. I highly recommend Surf to anyone looking for a nice place to live. read more

Can not stop raving about how amazing Surf is. Maureen and Mary are incredible. They are always on top of everything and very helpful. I was nervous dealing with a management company in Chicago when I moved here because of stories I read and they have made it a wonderful experience. They are understanding and very helpful. If and when I leave my building it will be to move into something larger and I plan on looking with in their buildings. You can not ask for a better management company. Thanks you Mary and Maureen! read more

I have been with Surf Development for 4+ years between 2 different apartments. I first lived in Wrigleyville in a HUGE one bedroom. Maureen was the one to first show me the place and actually let me come see it twice so I could be sure. She was incredibly kind and helpful. A day later, I knew I wanted to scoop it up as it was a huge value and a ton of space for the rent. I was a bit concerned with the application process as I had moved to Chicago to start my own photography business with little credit, and only a waitressing job on the side as I built my client base. I needed a co-signer for my first apartment prior to Surf, but as I always paid on time, I was hoping to be able to rent a place on my own this time. Surf was content to see past tax documents to make sure I was at least bringing in enough income and take to heart the good references from my previous Chicago landlord and the past landlord in NY. After being in Wrigleyville for a year, I was ready for something different. I had originally been looking in Lincoln Park, but Maureen told me they had a building near the Wellington brown line in Lakeview. I saw the one bedroom walk up with a fireplace and exposed brick, and I fell in love with it immediately. Because I had been with them a year already, the process was incredibly simple. I was also excited to be living right near the Surf offices as I could just drop off my rent monthly rather than mailing it. In the 3+ years I have been in this building and the 1 in the previous unit, I have had very few maintenance issues. Whenever there has been one Mary or Maureen have been very prompt in sending someone over to take care of it, always within 24 hours. Because it's an older building, there was a case where the bathroom tiles were coming up, and the minute I said something, they made a plan to replace the flooring. I have had nothing but kind, prompt, wonderful service from Surf Development. The only reason I'm moving is because my boyfriend and I are getting a place together and we want to be in the West Loop and graduate to having our own washer/dryer. ;) They are excellent with communication regarding fire alarm inspections, showings, and any other events that warrant someone coming into the unit. They have also been kind enough to extend my lease a few months when I found a new place that wasn't available right away. I have received nothing but kindness and care from the Surf staff, and I am so grateful to Mary and Maureen for taking such good care of me all these years! If you are looking for a vintage building and really great value in a fun neighborhood, Surf is definitely the way to go! read more

I was impressed with the overall look and location of the property but moving in was a different story. Unfortunately, upon moving in I found my window was cracked and would not stay open. The shower was leaking and the knobs were coming loose, there was standing water and mold in the bottom of the fridge (and with it a bad smell). The smoke detector was supposed to have been replaced two years prior. These are all things I would expect to be inspected before a tenant moves in. With that comes the landlord, who is short and rude over email. I've been waiting one month now for the window to be replaced... when asking for an update the landlord said given the heat, I'm likely not opening the window as though that were an excuse to not fix this issue in a timely fashion. and when I asked about recycling services twice, no reply was given to that part of my email at all which is usual... to ask about a few things and receive a short response to only one of the things i mentioned. Overall, I do like the space. I like the building and the tenants are quiet. However, the lack of service and poor attitude of management makes getting things fixed difficult. read more

I ended up terminating my lease early. Their inability to address fundamental issues beyond the surface combined with fluctuating water pressure and heat issues was untenable. They were nice enough to end the lease without the early cancellation fee and helped pay for movers which was quite nice of them, but it's still disappointing to have been in that situation to begin with. read more

I have lived in apartments my entire life and for the better part of 10 years was a property manager and I have to say, the way this company handles the initial rental and application process is atrocious. While initial calls were pleasant enough, and the tour was fine, after that it was like pulling teeth. I had to continue to ask them what we were supposed to do and how their process works, as some companies want money to hold the unit before processing applications and some don't. I had to go back and forth about 3 times to get that straight, which is unprofessional. Once I had submitted my application I heard nothing for days and it took 2 tries to get any response at all. And it seems that what they do is take multiple applications at one time for any given unit and then decide who wins. That's a pretty subjective and crappy way to handle it, and having worked for 3 different developers in 2 major cities I have never seen this bizarre tactic. Everywhere else I have lived or worked, applications were run on a first-come, first-served basis, with units being held for that person while applications are processed, which shouldn't take more than 24 hours.That way an application is judged on its own merits against an established criteria to avoid any semblance of violations of the Federal Fair Housing Act. This took about 5 days while they showed the space, collected more applications and then sat down to compare them all and choose the tenant they want from the collection. That's just sleazy, I question its legality and it wasted our time. While we were waiting and piecing together how they do things, we had already started to work with another larger company in the city, who does things fairly and with amazing communication and follow-through. If the application process is this prejudicial and disorganized, I can't even imagine dealing with them for day-to-day maintenance issues. read more

I made an appointment with Kathy to view an apartment. I waited for her for 30 minutes, but she didn't show up, didn't call to cancel or anything. I tried calling her three times, but no one would answer phones. I left messages, but no one returned them. This is definitely the most unprofessional management company I've ever encountered. read more

****Update - I just got my Security deposit back from Surf. They refunded my rent (about a month and a half of rent). This was more than I was expecting, and more than they had promised, so I'm giving them an extra star. While I'm sure the whole situation could have been avoided if they had been better about it in the first place, I do appreciate that they tried to remedy the situation for me.**** I signed up for Yelp just so I could write a review for Surf. I lived here for 2 months before I got bed bugs. I went back and forth with Surf for three months trying to get rid of them. Finally when my neighbor came over to complain about our lack of heat (they don't heat the building during the weekdays) I told her about the problem. She informed me that the apartment below mine had had bed bugs before I moved in. Because Surf forgot to mention that, the exterminator thought it was an isolated case, and the problem had enough time to spread through my apartment so I had to throw out almost all of my furniture - 2 couches, my bed, rugs, dressers, vacuum cleaner, and MUCH more. They let me out of my lease, but they won't reimburse me for any of the damage to my property. Their excuse was that they can't be 100% sure the bugs came from the apartment downstairs. Also, when I was trying to move out and negotiate where to leave my keys and what my settlement would be I could not get the Property Manager to return my calls. I called every single day for over a week until I finally got ahold of her. I had the same problem with electricity the other poster - no keys to our fuse box when a fuse blew on a Sunday morning. Also, the entire apartment was on one fuse (except the refrigerator). One day my bathroom sink started spewing mud. In my opinion, the people who work there are all very nice. They are just not helpful at all. They also have no problem lying to you. When I called to complain about the heat they said I was the only one in the building who had - when I talked to my neighbor she had been calling almost daily. They also told me that I was the only one who had seen bed bugs - when they knew they had been in the building before I even moved in. It's truly just not worth it to rent from them. I don't think that they do anything illegal or that you could sue them for, they just don't make your life easier. read more

I lived here for 2 years. I can't say I hated it by any means. My place was good sized, and affordable. It was in a prime location. The problem is the building was so old and dirty. At night, cockroaches would lurk on the patio. I only found one or two inside though. However, when I was moving out, my buddy helping me thought he saw mice in my apartment. I thought I saw them one time too, but if they were there, it was a recent development. The shower/bath had tiny bugs that lived in the wall or something, so that was kind of nasty. The positives: Mary would listen to my concerns and sent out maintenance that day almost every single time. Whatever the problem, she tried to fix it, and never tried to charge me for it. I probably would've stayed, but I was ready to leave Wrigleyville and a guy moved in below me that played loud music 24/7 that shook my apartment. Mary didn't care, and she said there wasn't much she could do. In fairness, I'm not sure I'd care too much if I were her either. It's probably legal and she could find another tenant pretty easily I'd imagine. So overall, it was average, hence the 3 stars. read more

I needed a place quickly and thanks to Maureen, easiest & quickest move I ever had, she's the best! Today I did laundry and had an issue with one of the machines. The repair guy arrived within 30 minutes and was reimbursed my quarters without even asking. Normally I am always cold and I freeze at places where the heat is included in the rent, but not in this place, heat is great! Maintenance guy is really friendly as well. Everything is a bit old and not perfect, but the price is right for East Lakeview. read more

I lived in a Surf Development property and had a wonderful experience working with this company. The entire staff is helpful and easy to work with regarding any issues or questions. If I had an issue it would be resolved within 24 hours and I never experienced any problems. I would definitely recommend renting through this company, Thanks for everything Surf! read more

I lived in a Surf apartment building for 3 years (947 Oakdale) and they were fantastic. Very friendly, prompt with maintenance (of which there were very few, mostly clogged shower drains which happens in an apartment with girls), and great at communicating. Maureen especially was wonderful, and I would absolutely recommend renting through Surf! read more

I moved from San Fran to Chiicago. The people a Surf were great. They spent a lot of time with me. I really love my place and they are quick to respond to any of my issues. They have been flexiblw with my lease renewal. read more

I have had a positive experience with Surf. They respond to maintenance requests in a timely manner and have provided a strong level of service. I have no complaints. read more

We have lived in our building for almost one year. So far it has been nothing but problems! When we moved in our screens fell out of the window and the painters, painted over the dirt on the walls instead of cleaning them! We have had to report them to the Alderman due the heat issues, right now it is 62 degrees in our apartment which is way below the legal limits. We have called them multiple times on the heat issues, as well as other issues like leaking sinks. Each time we call Mary has been very very rude to us, she even told us "What we think doesn't matter". They have come out multiple times but never seem to fix the issue completely, they just fix it so it works for now and than we end up calling again and again. As I said we have reported them to the Alderman, who gave them a 2 week window to fix our issues, which clearly has not worked. We have had to plug in 2 space heaters for the majority of winter, which obviously makes our electric bill very high. At this point we are thinking Surf will be receiving our electric bills until they heat is fixed! I would suggest anyone looking into renting from Surf search the Cook County court records as they have had multiple cases against them in the past. Read the following link: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Surf+Development+Corporation+chicago&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Surf+Development+Corporation&hnear=0x880e2c3cd0f4cbed:0xafe0a6ad09c0c000,Chicago,+IL&cid=15085960115562245948 read more

I just moved into an apartment managed by Surf, and I am so impressed with how prompt, cool and organized they were! My apartment was freshly painted, and everything that I mentioned that needed to be fixed were fixed an hour after I called. they always follow up and see how things were completed and just to inform me. I've lived in multiple apartment comlpexes in Chicago for about 6 years, all managed by different companies, and Surf is the best management company I've worked with. read more

I have lived in a Surf Development Property for a year. Maureen and Mary have been very helpful and accommodating. When there have been maintenance issues, someone has always been out within a day. When we had issues with loud neighbors, their lease was not renewed. If I was staying in Chicago, I would always stay in a Surf property. read more

I just moved into my third apartment with Surf Development and have had positive experiences each apartment. I haven't had much occasion to call regarding repairs but each time I did they were taken care of promptly. They have always flexible with lease terms and rent increases were minimal. read more

I would recommend renting from surf development. The building inside and out is clean. Anytime we have needed maintenance they have fixed the issues promptly. Maureen had been great to deal with. read more

I have meant to write a review for Surf for so long, but am finally remembering to do it. If you have the chance to live in a Surf building, do it! The staff are so amazing, especially Maureen and Mary. I have been with Surf since I first moved to Chicago in 2011- through a few buildings and different apartments- I will always work with Surf over anyone else because they have totally won my loyalty! Maureen is the sweetest, kindest person there is. When my Dad got sick earlier this year, she would always ask how he was doing and get updates. I have in the five years here moved out of Chicago for brief stints but always have come back, and always come back to Surf because they are so great. They will always answer your phone calls, maintenance requests are followed up on usually same day, they return emails promptly, and help guide you through the process of renting to easily. They have been so flexible with me in some crazy life situations, always helping me out in ways other people wouldn't. They are truly lovely, kind people-- rent from them if you can! Also, the apartments are great! They are always kept up well, and I get compliments from friends all the time. And you get great value! Every apartment I've ever seen has been very fair market price-- plus most buildings have utilities included and heat, which is awesome. I live in a beautiful vintage building from the '20s on Lake Shore and Belmont-- great area and again, very reasonably priced. Love this company, love these people. Maureen is someone who has known me now for five years--how cool is it that you can say you've had a great working relationship with your landlord/management company for so long? They have truly earned my loyalty-- wouldn't live in any one else's buildings. Choose Surf! :) read more

I really enjoyed renting from this company and wish they were in every city I moved to. I was in a bind while looking for an apartment due to the fact my roommate and I decided to part ways 2 weeks before our lease was up. I frantically looked for a place on CL, and happened to come across an apartment from Surf Development. I went to the showing unsure if I would even be considered for the apartment (my credit wasn't great, but I had a cosigner). Upon arrival I was met by a nice young lady that showed me the apartment. To make a long story short, I wasn't sure if I was going to be staying in Chicago long term, so I asked about a shorter lease. Now, I can't say that they will do this for everyone, but after running my credit and background check the lady at the office told me that they would do everything they could to help me out. I ended up signing a 3 month lease (which turned out to be exactly the right amount of time). They made the move-in an easy and simple process. I did complain that the blinds were old and needed replacing. They had their maintenance guys come out same day to fix them (I also had him tweak the toilet because it would run a bit after flushing). I honestly can't say that I've had a better experience renting an apartment. I'd grab an apartment with them again in a heartbeat given the opportunity. read more