I moved into an Evanston building not originally owned by BJB, but they purchased it 3 months into my lease and immediately started renovations. BJB never gave ANY paperwork or official statements about our rent, or our leases, considering we signed with the previous management, I"ve been living in their building without an official lease or any letter or notice at all for months. The construction crews were noisy (as to be expected) BUT they left the building a mess, and there is no onsite engineer to care. They repeatedly turn off water sometimes with notice and sometimes not., this also requiring them to enter my unit during the day like twice a week, which doesn't make me happy. Renovations are also "taking longer than expected," the building manager shrugs off any complaints because she's "too busy with all the construction." There are always workers in the halls and locking the elevator (and leaving it locked overnight) and every time I see them they have this look "oh, people actually still live here?" No one ever answers the phone at the office, and the "manager" works AT the office - not useful. the renovated units are nice, but horrible management totally not worth the experience or the price. There used to be an acceptable bike storage area, which is now a small rack outside the building not even nailed to the ground, its a joke. Thankfully I have plans to move out of this building anyway - otherwise I would loathe to stay any longer. I really do think that anyone in a management position at BJB forgot that people actually still live in my building. read more

Let's start with the positives of this place. There was "free internet and free satellite T.V." There was a laundry room on the property, and a "work out room". It is close to downtown Evanston. That is about it. To be honest this place doesn't even deserve the one star. Living here was a truly terrifying experience. The management is not respectful of their tenants, nor do they communicate with one another. We had no keys when we first got to the apartment (we were coming from multiple states away,) even though they knew a month in advance we were going to be there. The maintenance staff is incredibly rude and ineffective, I was asked multiple times if my husband was home (what does that have to do with fixing a shower?) The hallway reeked of burnt hair, burnt rubber and human waste. The hot water was not hot, merely lukewarm. The water pressure in the shower was non-existent. There was a stench of urine in the apartment (coming from the carpets), as well as sticky flooring (no matter what we did it didn't lessen). There was dust everywhere (due to poor ventilation.) We discovered silverfish in the bathroom, and had to deal with centipedes in the living room and bedroom (yuck!), as well as a plethora of other bugs through out our stay. We could hear the people in the apartment next to us clear as day through a vent (which seemed less like a vent and more like a hole in the wall with a vent cover. The staff was incredibly rude and inconsistent, the only person who seemed to even care about the place was Phil. When we informed them we were moving out, it started a slew of potential tenant visits. Sometimes we were given 24 hour notice, and no one showed up (not even a phone call), other times we were given no notice and they randomly showed up. The internet was pretty slow (not the end of the world, but frustrating enough), and their satellite T.V. periodically ended up having channels removed with no notice. The laundry room/work out area was little more than a couple of treadmills and weight equipment. Only two of the dryers really worked and there was an issue with ants constantly. The building was not maintained, and the apartment themselves were poorly constructed. Our last few days in the apartment there was a storm (the basement area was flooded and so was the "first" floor apartments (we were not informed of this, I discovered one of our bookcases was ruined because of water damage) The management here is horrible, with the exception of Phil. It's a shame that this place was so horrible, it is in an ideal location. I would not recommend this place to anyone, there are far better and cheaper places than this in the Evanston area. read more

I am a grad student living in the 1420 Chicago location. My unit is spacious and a great value. Dina and team have been extremely responsive to all of my needs during my time here which is a nice change of pace from your usual grad housing. read more

My wife and I lived in a BJB property in Evanston for 2 years and had a great experience. BJB communicated clearly and quickly, and any maintenance requests were promptly addressed. read more

After we paid our deposit we got a lease that did not include the TV service we were told was included. They explained that that was not applicable to our building. Two days after we moved in a drain pipe rusted through in the ceiling and started leaking through a light fixture (major safety hazard, I'd say), and they didn't come fix it for almost two days, at which time the entire ceiling plenum had flooded and it took four five gallon buckets just to catch all the water as it drained out over several hours. The entire kitchen had to be remodeled, which they didn't start on for over a month. During this time our kitchen supplies had to sit in the hallway in boxes. A year later, we still have moldy drywall dust falling from between the upper cabinets onto our kitchen counters because they didn't cover anything when doing the work. During the winter, we had registers leak and flood our floor in three different rooms on five different occasions. The register upstairs leaked and flooded the ceiling again and the ceiling leaked over our television until we caught it. The ceiling was repaired three weeks later. Today was the last straw. Our kitchen sink started backing up from use by an upstairs tenant. We had not used the sink for several hours. I called at 5:30 to tell them that someone needed to get over and unclog the sink drain stack before someone runs a dishwasher upstairs and floods our kitchen again. The rude kid answering the phone informed me that "I cannot constitute your sink backing up as an emergency because nothing is flooding." I tried to explain again that it was not a clog in the sink-line but the drain stack, which I'm pretty sure he didn't understand. He just repeated "I understand your concern, but I cannot constitute your sink backing up as an emergency unless there is a flood," and hung up on me. The sad thing is that housing is in such short supply here that this building will never have an extended vacancy, and they have no motivation at all to improve. read more

I've lived at BJB's 1575 Oak Ave. building for almost a year now and will be moving out shortly. Overall, I've had a pretty good experience with them. On the positive side, the location is very convenient, the apartment is very bright and nicely renovated (as are all apts. in this building), they are quick to deal with maintenance issues, responsive via email, and have an easy/efficient online rent pay system. Unfortunately, the apartment is a bit overpriced. This is my first time living in the Chicago area and I didn't know the market very well when I moved here. Having been here for a year now (and knowing what my friends pay for comparable apts.), I know that I'm overpaying by about $75-125/month. When it was time to renew my lease, they upped my already high rent by $45. Knowing the apt. was already overpriced, I told them I would stay if they agreed to keep the rent as is. They declined, offering only to increase my rent by $35 instead of $45. So, that said, you're getting a nice apt. and good service; just be mindful of local price points before signing a lease. Asking for some flexibility on price before signing couldn't hurt. read more

Horrible noise all day for 3 months straight because the exterior bricks were being worked on starting at 7:30 am until the evening hours. NO sleeping...just forget it. No compensation at all on their behalf. Then we got "water conserving" faucets and shower heads. NO water pressure at all, and it takes forever for anything to get warm. Hope you like cold water showers in the winter. Then, to move out...they're telling me I have to be out at 10 am on Saturday the 31st! Why am I paying for a full month's rent? Do yourself a favor and rent from humans, not this faceless company. read more

I have been a tenant now with BJB Properties for over two years at the Greenwood Property in Park Ridge and their level of service is exceptional! Anca is the Property Manager and she is extremely responsive to any issue that may arise at the building and has it taken care of in a timely manner. I also cannot stress how friendly and helpful our Engineer, Maciej is. They do a great job keeping all the units, common stairwells, landscaping, and parking lot well maintained! read more

BJB Evanston is a great management company. I live in Edison Park. Anca, the property manager, is very helpful and accommodating. The engineer, Maciej, is also great. He is on top of it, get's things fixed quickly and is very friendly. read more

BJB Evanston and Zumi Topic are great! Very helpful with subletting apartment. Building is great too!!

Since living in BJB Evanston Apartment on Noyes & Ridge (2253 Ridge) I have realized I've officially been RIPPED OFF! While the management is very responsive and polite, the amenities and price, for the location, are absurd! 1. While they make it seem like a deal that you get free cable/internet included in your rent, in actually you are paying for only 30 stations on the DISH network. The only channels I get are home shopping networks and news networks (until they get that out last weekend). All the stations I don't get- Bravo, MTV, MSNBC, E!, TBS, Big Ten Network, ABC Family, Disney Channel...none of it is provided in "free cable" deal. You are better off renting from a management where you buy your own Comcast or AT&T cable service. And ff you are not familiar with it, satellite television is vulnerable to all weather conditions. So when it rains, no satellite signal, and no TV. 2. All two bedroom apartments cost the same amount on Noyes & Ridge but does not come with the same features. Our neighbors pay the exact same amount, $725/person, but have a dish washer. We don't. In addition, our bedrooms are significantly smaller (recently I found out my bedroom was converted from a dining room hence the small narrow space). 3. If you think you're getting a deal, you're not. Fork up the $800/month and live on Foster&Sherman or on Clarke. NORTHWESTERN STUDENTS DO NOT LIVE ON NOYES&RIDGE IN BJB EVANSTON! read more

IThis BJB location had a ton of bad reviews that are now gone..........were there so many that BJB complained and Yelp took threm off? Before I give you my OPINION, some of the complaints that Yelp deleted included bugs/centipedes, flooding in the basement during rain, drains backing up in some apartments, old exercise equipment that is broken/not working a lot, questionable hyygiene ot the maintenace man, ordor in halls, etc. What I've seen is that : They don't wash/clean the outside windows The walls inside are dark orange and the carpet is cheap looking and dark The trash/dumpster is frequently full and overflowing The internet (inlcuded) is nott he fastest and the "free" satelitte TV goes out a lot , especially during thunderstorms Mailboxes are very small and don't hold manazines MAKE SURE YOU LIVE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING or you will wake up or have your studying interrupetd by the trash pickup OR deliveries to the rest home next door. It seems to go one all day. Was not very clean when we moved in--space around kitchen appliances dirty Stove and dishwasher not high quality---obviously very low budget purchases. On the plus side, it is a great location and good neighborhood. Close to school and downtwon Evanston. The rent is about the same as other buildings in the area. Four washers and dryers in the basement. Make sure you talk to more than one person who lives in the building before signing your lease. read more

We just ended three years in a BJB apartment at 1303 Maple Ave. We had a great service experience with BJB. If I called or emailed with a service request, someone was out to deal with it either same day or the next day. Zumi, the property manager, was always very fast to respond (almost always immediately responds to emails). The maintenance person, Beg, was around the property every day and a very nice guy. A great feature about renting a BJB apartment is the hassle you are saved by having your internet, cable (Dish Network, basic plan), and the work out room in the laundry room included in your rent. You don't have to set things up, pay set up fees, etc. and all of them worked well the entire time we were there. Heat was also included and we were warm and toasty all winter long in our apartment. I am really surprised to see negative reviews. We couldn't have been happier with BJB. We only moved because we bought a house! Otherwise, we would have continued renting with BJB for sure. I will continue to refer people to this company because they have been fantastic to work with. read more

We have been living in their 2-bedroom apartment for a year now. What can I say besides "this place sucks"..? In the winter, the heat doesn't come on until it's freezing cold INSIDE the apartment, and it blasts until it hits 85 degrees and then shuts down again, repeatedly. The hot water is milkish white, the place smells old, and it gets dusty super quick and in large amounts because of the lack of any ventilation systems/filters. BJB has no respect for tenants, and never even fixed our doorknobs on bedroom/bathroom doors even though they don't turn or shut properly. (Had to install a latch on bathroom door for privacy) The carpet in the common hallway reeks like piss in the summer, and the stairs outside are icy and dangerous in the winter. The yard is used as a huge dog toilet for everybody's dogs, which is fine, but, why not have a section for people who want to eat/grill without stepping on dog doo-doo? You will never get anything from the management company so don't wait around. So glad to be moving out! read more

I have lived in a BJB Evanston Apartment complex at 1575 Oak for more than 5 years. This is a terrific apartment complex and the management is very responsive and friendly. No matter what I need, they respond immediately. They are concerned about my welfare and the welfare of their residents. They always go the extra mile. I can't imagine a better place to live. read more

The staff is always so friendly and quick to respond for anything you need. They make you feel comfortable when they come in and are always great about communicating if anything is going on. The 6450 NW HWY building is well maintained and the neighborhood is friendly and safe. I've really enjoyed living here and just signed my third lease! read more

BJB is one of the least professional and most infuriating landlords that I've ever had the misfortune to deal with. The building is generally not well maintained, and the management office communicates poorly and rudely with tenants. Will never rent from them again. read more

It was a great experience! The staff at BJB were always helpful, and the property was really, really well maintained. Strongly recommend!

I liked the way the manager of the building (Dina) takes care of the apartment issues. They are pretty quick in the repair/replacement. The apartment is very clean and is in a nice location. It is a good choice for NU students. read more

Everything bad said here is true. I have tried at least 5 times to stop by the office during open hours and they just aren't there! Who runs a business like that? I don't understand. Don't rent from them, they don't deserve anyone's business. read more

BJB is by far the worst management company in Evanston and should be avoided completely. I lived in the 1420 Chicago building for 2 years and was very unhappy with the service the entire time. From the beginning they were difficult to contact and unwilling to work with tenants to coordinate moves. You can tell that the management company is trying to cut corners throughout the apartment: the air conditioning units look over than me, the caulking around the tub had mold underneath it, and the walls had full length cracks lovingly covered up by paint that cracked within a few weeks. The office staff is incredibly rude, unprofessional and cannot for the life of them communicate issues that affect tenants such as: rekeying the building, removing your name from your mailbox months before your lease has ended, coding the door buzzer with your name, or repaving the parking lot during your scheduled move-out. The "included" internet and cable were of awful quality, the internet went out so often and the tenants complained so much that they ended up posting signs in the building saying they were "working on it"... but as of the time I am moving out they are still working to get quality service for all units. The cable situation is bizarre, I'm pretty sure it is pirated and BJB is getting a kick-back from some service provider. It is not normal cable from Comcast or DirecTV but some sub-service that doesn't have a guide and if you are a normal TV user you will be quite unhappy with it. ESPN for example sometimes worked and sometimes didn't- unacceptable. All the contractors and service providers are somehow related to BJB employees, and purchasing services outside of their suggested companies is so time consuming or expensive you often lose motivation. Please don't rent from this company, if you are looking for a value building look at 1500 Chicago or 1600 Hinman. read more

My experience with BJB Evanston has been great. Dina, her team, and the building engineer have been very respectful and responsive! I recommend it to anyone who is looking for good value apartments in Evanston! read more

I can't rave enough about Dina (manager at 860 Hinman). My daughter found a sublet in the building and I initially contacted Dina to ensure that the sublet was "landlord approved" since I live out of state and could not help with the process in person. Dina actually answered the phone when I called!! And she promptly answered all (and there were many!) subsequent emails (sorry-I'm a helicopter mom) and provided me with clear answers to my many questions. She guided my daughter through the entire signing process and was kind and accommodating every step of the way! I finally got to see the apartment and to meet Dina in person. The building is immaculate and Dina is as charming and helpful in person as she was on the phone and by email. BJB is lucky to have Dina on their team!!!! Thank you so much, Dina!!! read more

Nice, small, overpriced apartment. Management was okay. Sometimes nice. Sometimes rude. If you like your apartment warm in the winter this is not the place to live. Heaters only turn on like two or three times a day!! A space heater or two will be needed. read more

I lived in a 1BR unit next to Ridge and Noyes. In the beginning, it was trouble to deal with people in the BJB office. Particulary, beware of the woman named Zumi, who is a pain to deal with. The person who showed me around the apt, signing lease, background check everything went smoothly. The apartment is quite nice, includes free directv, and internet. The rent is on the high end, but since it includes these utilities, its kind of ok. Otherwise they did a good job in sending notices beforehand for any showings or moving out etc. So, overall good management. read more

I have been renting at 1 S. Northwest Highway in Park Ridge for the past 6 months. It has been an enjoyable experience for me. The property manager, Anca, is very genuine, helpful and a pleasure to work with. You can tell that she truly cares about the tenants in the building. The apartments are very well done and spacious. My unit was extremely clean, freshly painted and well maintained when I moved in. The appliances are all updated with a full size washer and dryer...which is very important to me. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a great place to live! read more

My husband and I have been living at the BJB Evanston property on Greenwood for almost a year now. We are very happy with the place. Anca, is an excellent property manager - very prompt and professional. The engineer, Maciej, is also excellent and always gets to service requests quickly. Overall, we have had a great experience with BJB Evanston. read more

I'd give them 0 stars if I could. They are deplorable. It's 63/64 in here, they dropped off a faucet in January and have to install it. They don't return calls, emails, etc. August can't come fast enough! read more

Make sure you check internet connection in EVERY Room prior to signing the lease!!! We rent an apartment whose living room is right beside the street, and the Internet barely works in that living room. The wifi signal is weak in one of the bedrooms as well. It is really frustrating that BJB never told us about the weak wifi signal in advance, and they have absolutely no solution for this problem, but only told us to get internet service from another provider and pay for that by ourselves. read more

This place had so many bad reviews, Yelp had to erase them all and start over in Fall 2011 !! After living here a year, I renewed despite the problems.. Make sure you go to bottom of this page and READ FILTERED REVIEWS. Overall, not too bad. Pros-- -great location - relatively quiet - management seems to be making an effort --Diverse population- -Gay friendly, grad students, married/single, retired, etc Cons-read on........as i said, all were deleted there we so many --they aren't hardwood floors---just a decall type thing they put on whatever is below Most units not carpeted. - complaints about silverfish and centipedes - the "exercise room" needs updated....the universal equipment is old and with some parts frequently out of order...not much equipment- - Dishwasher old and noisey - Mailboxes too small for magazines or large envelopes - Outside windows seem like NEVER cleaned - Flooding of basement whever there is a big rain and they don't replace the damanged/'moldy carpet - During one big rain, the drains backed all the way up to the fiirst floor and flooded several aprtments/;hallway - Maintenance people need deodorant--smell lingers after them in elevator or apartment - Garage celing leaks--if you park your car in here, it may get dripped on - Halls and carpet are not bright - - SOUTH side of the building next to the alley--trash pickups, deliveries to the rest home next door, employees sitting outside in summer smoking, leaf blowers, etc.............very noisey if you live on this side ---the satellite tv , though free, goes out during thunderstorms read more

Very poorly maintained. Lived there for 2 years and had a horrible experience, nothing ever get fixed. One summer the light was off for 2 weeks!!! read more

We lived in 1303 Maple Ave for 3 years. The only reason for moving out was buying a house. Otherwise, we wouldn't move out. The apartment was spacious (3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms), clean and well maintained. The building also had a nice fitness and laundry room, good size storage and bike room. Also, the rent included heat, water, free internet and cable. The management company was very responsive to every single request we submitted. Zumi, the property manager was extremely nice, very cooperative and helpful. I would definitely recommend living there. read more

The apartments are nice but the management is a disaster. When I renewed the lease they said the new laundry room would be ready by the end of the month (July). It is November now and there is no new laundry room yet. The old one has only two machines, one of which is always broken. There are two towers in the building, and we are supposed to be comfortable with one washing machine... I have complained several times and every time they promise that the new laundry room will be ready soon. Another example of how the management works here: I went to their office on Saturday to let them know that Comcast was coming on Monday; so that BJB could send their engineer to give Comcast instructions. Monday morning I called and they said the engineer was coming. Well, they never sent him. So I called again and they tried to explain by phone how the installation should proceed. They had no idea of how the apartment was wired. The connection they said they had did not work. Thesse are just a few examples of how they deal with problems. I don't recommend this company at all. read more

I've been living now for the biggest part of a year at 1575 Oak Avenue and I have been totally satisfied so far. The most buildings in the nice part of Evanston (i.e. south to Noyes, east to Ridge, north to Dempster - or eventually north to main) are old. However, they aren't old in a beautiful romantic manner, but in a fu***d up one. 1575 Oak Ave poses an exception as it's a relatively modern building with decent apartments. The neighborhood is great, there's laundry in the basement, a small fitness studio, free internet and free DIRECT TV. All in all BJB charges a pretty good price given the fact that one only has to pay electricity aside. Given the price, the extras, the size of the rooms and the fact that 99% around is way older this building deserves a decent review. What is more is great property management, they are really responsive. I've never waited longer than a couple of hours for inquiries to be answered and maintenance work to be done. In emergency cases (my fire alarm went crazy one time) it's a couple of minutes. Overall I've been really satisfied with living here especially when listening to friends telling what's going on at other places in Evanston. read more

We've been with BJB Evanston at the 1576-1598 Oak & 1100-18 Davis building for six months now. Maybe things have improved a lot since the bad 2009 reviews, as we've been really happy with our apartment and the management. Our apartment is in great condition, very clean bathroom, updated kitchen, nicely painted and well kept living area/bedroom. We moved here from out of state and the staff was very helpful in coordinating the paperwork for us. It was a little cold at the start of winter (we emailed the staff about it) but now our apartment seems plenty warm (it's January - granted it's an insanely mild winter with no snow, so I can't attest to a true Chicago winter yet). We got a couple of space heaters just in case, as our electric bill is pretty low here, shouldn't be a problem to run them if needed. We did need a few small repairs after they did a routine inspection and while it did take a few weeks for them to get taken care of, they did get to them and did a nice job (new sink in the bathroom, etc.) -- and none of our issues were pressing so I wasn't bothered by the wait. Like Ryan G. they were very quick with repairs when we first moved in too. Zumi is great and very helpful. Nice neighbors and quiet, professional building. read more

i never have had such a bad experience with a leasing company my whole entire life! bjb apartment leasing agency is the worst of the worst companies known to people! as i was signing a lease with them and i had questions about the lease, the so called manager called "zumi" gave me an attitude and was fresh with me. i was debating at that moment to hit the pavement and run from signing the lease but, i gave her the benefit of the doubt and it was just a short term lease. a few weeks before move in date she told me i could move in a week earlier then my move in date but, that was a lie! i had to call off work and cancel my movers 3 times because they kept on lying to me about the move in date because she never got around to having someone clean the apartment like she said she would! so 2 days before my move in date i called up and asked zumi "the so called manager" if i could get my keys that she promised me and she said i would have to wait one more day to start moving in my things because she has not gotten someone to clean the apartment yet. i found it kind of weird because she has had about a month to have someone go clean it and she could'nt be bothered with it. so when i asked her why it was'nt clean yet, she gave me an attitude again and told me that "she was doing me a favor by cleaning the apartment" before i move in. i thought that's what they where suppose to do before you move into an apartment that smelled like dog poo ans cat piss. wow!!! i have never been so insulted in my whole entire life! so after living there for a week i got a second degree burn on my back side on the radiator in the bathroom that did'nt have a cover on it. wow, a) what a fire hazard and b) what a safe apartment to live in! so that same day i went into the office and told zumi what happened and she gave me a snotty remark by saying, "it's not her problem and she did'nt care! so i asked her if i could speak with the land lord or if she could give me the number to there corporate office and she said, no, i'm not going to give you the number and i should find it out myself! at that point i felt like she was hiding something from me. so i took another route and called up there insurance company to tell them about the dangers of the radiators not being covered and they were a big help. the following day i got a call from zumi because she noticed that their insurance company was filing a claim. this is when she decided to play the "angel" and decided to get me into the office to apologize to me. she told me that she was sorry has been extremely rude to me since the get go and she was going to make sure that she could get radiator covers for the radiators in my apartment! so obviously being the person i am, i gave her the benefit of the doubt again. so i called her a few days later because (i had nothing else better to do because i could'nt walk or work for a few weeks because of the second degree burn that i had on my back side) i had to ask her about the radiator covers and to my surprise (saying that in sarcasm) she didn't pick up my calls or return any of my calls for a few weeks. when i finally got a hold of her she said she was taking care of it. so as a month went buy i had no radiator covers and was freezing in my apartment because a)it was the middle of winter and b) i called up the maintenance guy to come to turn down the heat on the radiators because i didn't want to burn myself again. so finally, after a few months later i finally got covers on my radiators. wow, talking about quick service!!!!! 3 weeks later zumi calls me up (obviously because she needs something) and ask me if i wanted to extend my lease and she gave me the option to do a month to month lease up to six months and i said, i would think about it and get back to her. so i called her up two days later to asked her that i would like to do a month to month lease she proposed to me because i don't have much free time to move my things out now and look for a place because i'm really busy at work now and she said she never said that to me. wow, what a shocker with lies, once again! so, all in all, i am happy that my lease is up and i highly recommend not involving or associating yourself with anyone from this company (especially zumi) unless you want to be "locked in" in a night mare of a lease for a year. if i could, i would give bjb and zumi a "0" for stars if i could but, it wont allow me too! so good luck to everyone and i hope you never deal with this leasing agency that will "lock you in a lease for a full year) that is full off lies, attitudes and headaches. thanks! read more