The only thing management cares about is how much money they can squeeze out of you. The properties are so old and crumbly. Rampant package and mail theft occurs because management doesn't take security seriously. Half of the dryers in the laundry room were out of order for 8 consecutive months. Oh, but management will spend money on installing motivational artwork akin to "live laugh love" in the workout room instead of fixing the things that matter. The only reason I'm giving them a four star review is because of the maintenance engineers and the custodian. They were the best part about renting from BJB. Coming from someone who was a tenant for 6+ years, was it the worst property management company I've ever rented from? No, but dealing with management and the leasing office left a bad taste in my mouth. read more

BJB Properties - BJB management chose to spend money on this instead of fixing the dryers in the laundry room. - Apartments Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If I could rate them -10 stars, I would. To say this company is run by incompetent idiots would be an understatement. I signed a lease for July 1, but was moving in closer to July 15. Near the 15th, I told them I needed to pick up the key, and the company told me "the people who lived there haven't moved out, and won't be." BJB then completely lied to my face and saying they called and emailed me of notice of this, which I'm 100% certain they never did. Their solution was to place me in a random apartment for a month, and after one month, move me AGAIN, to a different unit. Complete messy hell on Earth. This company will and does not comply with basic tenant needs. A year following we asked for a 12 hour extension for our move out, and that was not accepted or respected. This company only cares about money. If you're speaking with Jeff, good luck. He's a monster & uneducated dumbass read more

I signed with one of their Roger's Park locations and would never recommend this place to even my worse enemy. We have been living with mold for nearly a year and have had to throw away so many of our items to combat the issue. The property manager himself tried so say it was no big deal because it was "just white mold" rather than coming to treat the issue (or having someone come do that). Even told us to clean it ourselves despite us not being professionals. There's so much miscommunication that would make someon's head spin even lost one of our payments and tried to blame us that admit the mistake. The walls a thin, you can hear every step the person above you makes, the property manager is never available, and these units are overpriced for such a large amount. Literally pick anywhere else to live and never choose BJB Properties. read more

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terrible experience. awful clarity when asking questions, blatant lies in terms of what is required, and all just to steal the "application fee" which they told me was not denied, but cancelled, which means they get to keep the $300. AVOID!!! read more

DO NOT SPEND ANY MONEY ON APPLICATION FEES HERE. If you're denied or change your mind, they will take months to return your money--if they even return it at all. They claim to mail refunds, but I'm still waiting after months. Now Jesus Chavez says it was mailed weeks ago, yet I've received nothing. I applied months ago and still haven't seen a dime. If this continues, I will file a formal complaint and take legal action. This company is fraudulent and highly unprofessional. I attached emails with dates letting you know how long this is taking. Still received NOTHING read more

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The managers at 2850 N Sheridan STILL do not care about their tenants. I have emailed the property manager three times about the elevators making banging noises and physically shaking. After not getting a response, I finally called and the property manager, Vince, who didn't seem to really care and mentioned that the company was coming out that afternoon. It's been three days and they still have not been out and no response or follow up from the property. If the elevators are new they shouldn't be rattling or shaking like they are. Still management is horrible! read more

I signed a lease for 1135 W Pratt while living out of state and planning to finish school nearby. When I arrived in mid-August, I immediately found a severe roach infestation throughout the apartment. We tried using chemicals and even did a deep clean, but nothing worked, the roaches just kept coming. The attached photos only show a portion of what we actually saw. The unit was completely unlivable, we never moved in, didn't spend even one night there. I reported the issue to management the very next day. The apartment was put back on the market immediately, and I thankfully found a subleaser. Still, I had to withdraw from school because it started just a few days later, leaving me almost no time to find alternative housing. I also paid full August rent for a unit I never occupied, and to this day management has been completely unresponsive about a refund despite multiple calls, emails, and assurances from a regional manager. This experience caused financial loss, and disrupted my schooling. Management shows zero accountability. If you're thinking of renting here, be aware that livable conditions are not guaranteed and tenant concerns are ignored. read more

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I moved into 2850 N Sheridan in June 1st, and I've been writing this review since June 2nd. This place is a JOKE and I have absolutely hated living here. Even before moving in (this should have been my first sign), Vince was incredibly hard to get a hold of. I emailed multiple times having questions about the unit, and they all went ignored. What management won't tell you is that when your apartment backs up to the alley, the garbage man comes between 5:00 - 7:00am EVERY MORNING (except Sunday). So when you just want to sleep in the apartment you pay for, you literally can't. On top of that, the city garbage guy comes between 9:00 - 11:00am so you absolutely cannot have a moment of peace in the morning. I asked other residents too and nothing had been communicated, and the solution is to "listen to a 10 hour white noise playlist on spotify". The laundry room is absolutely disgusting, I would be shocked if they've ever cleaned it. There's dust and collections on each washer and the dryers are always broken. The ceiling is literally falling apart and has mold everywhere. Each load will run you $1.75, and they only accept cash to put on your laundry card. There was a fire in the laundry room and NOTHING was sent to the residents about why there were fire trucks and the halls smelling smoky. We only knew because a resident took a video and sent it to everyone. Management, pay her for doing your job. The apartments themselves are fine at first, but with a closer look you'll notice holes in the walls, cracks in the foundation, and my personal favorite: dripping water noise and water hammers. My bathtub is literally peeling at the seams and rusting around the drain, holes in the walls, and dead bugs everywhere on the ceiling. When the heat turns on, (which you have absolutely no control of by the way) your radiator will make a constant clicking noise, like two pans smashing into each other, over and over. I have had to submit 3 work orders just this week to get it fixed and nothing has changed. I sleep in headphones every night because they don't do anything to help. Like I said, you have no control over the temperature of your apartment so some days it's 80 and some days it's 60. Really nice!!!! I had multiple spots on my window that look like mold. In a 100 year old building and Chicago weather, it didn't seem that surprising. When I brought it up to Vince, he sent a maintenance man to look at it. At that's exactly what he did, he simply looked and said no that's just dirt but we can have the windows cleaned if you want. I was skeptical that he didn't do anything besides simply look, but agreed to the window cleaning. I bet you can guess, that never happened and I was sick the whole time I lived here. The appliances are older than I am and on the website claims that they're updated. Maintenance even said they don't make the dishwashers anymore and have been rebuilding them because getting new ones are too expensive. I understand that completely, but it's deceptive to advertise a more updated unit when I don't think anything has been touched since the 60s. The fridge or faucet or something is constantly running and when I asked maintenance about it they said "that's just how it is", so if you're not listening to the garbage trucks or the water hammers, you're listening to dripping water. I've had three people tell me (on separate occasions) that 'the lobby is so cute but when I got in the elevator and hallways it was like another building it's kind of gross'. They aren't wrong either, the hallways have stained carpet and ripping foundation, dust and spider webs everywhere, you name it. The "gym" is the same way too, I do not think there is one clean room in this motel. The last thing I'll say is that the walls are also super thin, not management's fault but another thing to have to listen to people's footsteps and conversations on top of running water and clicking noises. I hated living here so much, please do not let the photoshopped pictures online fool you. read more

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The only pro was the location. The listing indicated that wifi and heating were included. Wifi sucked, the neighbor let us use their personal one (they had to pay for a separate provider due to the building's wifi being nearly useless.) The heating system is so outdated, agreed upon with other residents, "winters are brutal." Countertop laminate was cracked and vinyl on cabinets were peeling. Window blinds were very crappy, wood floors are overdue to be replaced as there are cracks and holes, and dishwasher was useless. Property manager we dealt with was rude and ignored myself and another tenant when we asked for her to remove shoes while showing our apartment. Totally disregarded us, if you don't want to just say so. Also, 3 showings in one day and 6 total in a week was not pleasant, especially when two were scheduled for 5 pm. Only lasted 5 months here, not worth the price. read more

BJB Properties Rental Agency will require application fees for each person interested in a unit before disclosing any information about their requirements. Then, they will decline the applications and not offer a refund. Please be aware it's $80 from each prospective tenant. read more

i had an appointment today at 4: 30pm he told me that they has units in addition, sent me a secin emailed lying they were akl full i had appointment on today to look at one of there units read more

Bobby Inserra had the utmost patience working with us, answering our questions and overall walking us through the application process. I would recommend him to anyone looking to rent in Chicago. read more

HORRIBLE experience. I live in 2850 n. Sheridan and have been dealing with cockroaches the size of mice since I moved in. When i first saw one, I started asking around to other tenants who all were experiencing the same thing. management does nothing about it. the staff in the building are helpful and empathize, but there's not much they can do to change it. in addition, I once was stuck in the elevator for 20 mins because the elevator broke and dropped down the shaft. they now have been "fixing" the elevators for months, and we are stuck with one elevator that moves at the at the speed of a snail. all this for an overpriced apartment due to "amenities" that don't work. really I could deal with it if I didn't also have ginormous cockroaches running around. whenever I ask front desk for help, they agree that its a MAJOR problem and that Management is aware and doesn't want to spend the money to fix it. Don't even get me started on the laundry room. If you're lucky there's maybe one washing machine that will run. Can't wait to get out of here when my lease is up, avoid at all costs!!! read more

BJB Properties - Apartments Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have been homeless since July 31st. Now it's time to take legal action. I should have just renewed my lease and been sick for another year. I am also going to get the corporate office involved and hopefully get the manager and assistant terminated. I wanted to change apartments because the one I was in was making me sick and even ended up in er twice. They made me pay 195 dollars for a new application and made my cosigner reapply. Something happened between my cosigner and the property manager and now I am homeless. You can rent at 3838 Broadway but beware. read more

TLDR: not worth the money for ok spaces with bare-minimum resident support; not the worst but I'd look elsewhere ------ They're ok until you actually need something. Then you realize that they apparently don't think you're paying through the nose for service or well-kept amenities. If you find a decent space for a better price but no claim to actual service, you're not missing out on anything skipping this company. Staff was pretty personable but ineffective and often seemed just as clueless and unable to act as residents when I came with concerns about the building, from the laundry room to rooftop. They lure you in with a polished surface but don't expect that quality at any other point in your experience. I doubt if they're really meant to support residents, rather than just prospective residents and higher-ups. Lax communication, service, and security. moldy ceilings, doors that wouldn't close, leaky faucets, chronically out of service 'amenities'; all reported and none acknowledged. Adding insult to injury, they won't even forward or return a package worth hundreds because of a zero liability policy that I only learned of when they said it would have to sit indefinitely . It seems callous and absurd to me to claim 'no liability' on packages that you accept and sign for in your supposedly secure building that people are paying thousands for. If you think the price tag at least suggests reliable or effective service, DON'T. Not worth the money for a mediocre space with such lacking resident support. I'll definitely avoid them in the future and suggest you look elsewhere. - former 1036 N Dearborn resident read more

Not a fan. Moved into a filthy apartment (I'd been told it would be cleaned). The woman who showed it to me said they'd replace the medicine cabinet once I'd moved in. They refused. My dishwasher didn't work and it took nearly two months--and a whole lot of back and forth--for them to replace it. Sent emails with valid concerns over a neighbor and never received a response. Sent an email informing them that someone had been robbed at gunpoint in front of our building and asked if they'd notify the tenants. No response there, either. The dumpster situation was a disaster. Just a real sh*t show. And the carpet in the hallway on my floor was smelly and nasty. After I didn't renew the lease, a series of "agents" started texting me times they were going to show the apartment. I work from home and have two dogs--one of which is not friendly to strangers--so I'd have to leave when they came. I always asked them to let me know when they were done, and they rarely did. Sometimes showings were cancelled and they didn't bother to tell me. I was locked out twice. It turns out I'd never been given one of my keys. Good times. The head property manager was not a nice person either. He was so condescending and argued with me that my dishwasher wasn't actually broken. The only plus about this place is the maintenance man. He's wonderful. I hope they pay him well, but I doubt they do. read more

I was shown a property in Lincoln Park and submitted the application for the unit. The rent for the unit was given to me several times both verbally and written. Three days later, I'm told the rent was "incorrectly listed" and the real rent is over $300 more of what I was originally told. I'm not even sure how a mistake like that happens but OK. The new rent was out of my budget so I let them know I would not be proceeding with the unit and I was told my $276.75 application fee would be refunded (as it should be, considering I would not have wasted my money on applying in the first place had I known the real rent was actually $300 more per month over the number I was given multiple times). 3 weeks later and nothing. No response via email, only after persistent calling. I was told conflicting information - first that the refund would be in the form of a check (and which is why I wasted 10 - 15 days waiting around for it before reaching out to BJB), then that actually, the refund would come via a refund on my credit card (the original payment method). I don't understand how a refund for a measly $276 is this difficult to produce for a large company like BJB. I was looking forward to renting the unit (at the original rent of course), but in retrospect I definitely dodged a bullet. If this is what it's like dealing with the company when I'm not even a tenant, I can only imagine what it's like had I rented from BJB. read more

Don't live here please and thanks. It's almost my full 2 years here and the first year was iffy, but the last has been horrible. Jeff specifically is difficult to deal with, as he barely communicates and sounds immensely annoyed when you bring any matter in the building to him. First issue I had was a large roach infestation that was completely ignored in my building. I notified Jeff and the issue progressed for weeks until pest control finally came and after two months the roaches finally went away. Then it became the constant lack of communication; I would request a work service and they would send me an email saying they were coming to do it on this date at this time, but would instead come at a different date and time often walking in on me doing something and having to leave because I was busy. Multiple times washers have broken and they have notified no one in the building; I take all my laundry down multiple flights of stairs, only to realize the machines are broken and no one's been told about it. They have showed my apartment without notifying me of it; they were supposed to text before a showtime, but last month the man who's been showing the apartments in my building literally came in while I was napping and then left immediately once I told him no one had texted me anything, as he had clearly realized how odd the situation was. Overall, I'm looking forward to leaving. As someone else's review mentioned, this place is fine until you need quite literally anything. Doesn't even matter if it's something as essential as washing your clothes or living in a roach free building. Jeff in my opinion doesn't deserve his job as he doesn't manage our property in an efficient manner, but clearly lots of people are allowed to slip through the cracks and provide bare minimum service within property management. Stay safe apartment seekers and away from here! read more

I lived in a studio apartment on 2850 N Sheridan for a little over 2 years, overall the experience was fine and I didn't encounter any major issues until the last few months before I moved out. Pros: Great and convenient location. There are bus stops right outside of the building, plenty of stores nearby and it's very close to the water and bike path. My unit was pretty spacious for a studio and I got a lot of natural sunlight and a great view. I never had any issues with management. Staff at the front desk were always friendly and maintenance was very fast and efficient whenever I had an issue. Cons: There was only ever one main elevator working for the majority of the time I lived there, sometimes it would take more than 10 minutes waiting for an elevator just to get down to the lobby. The washer/dryer units in the basement were really gross, with how many people live in the building they definitely needed someone cleaning them every other day and I doubt if they were being cleaned more than once a week given how dirty they looked. I don't know how the other units in the building are, but my studio was in SERIOUS need of renovation. When I first moved in it was fine for what I was paying at the time, but with rent increasing with every lease renewal there's no way it's worth it to pay over $1200. The unit was always dusty and smelled musty no matter how often I cleaned, the paint on the radiator was chipping off, and all the kitchen/bathroom utilities were old and worn down. Biggest issue and sole reason I did not renew my lease was seeing two big roaches in my apartment in December after not seeing a single pest the entire time I lived there. With how old the building is and how many people are living in it, I don't even want to imagine what is living in those walls. I just know it's a serious problem based on what other residents are saying and I'm glad I got out when I did before seeing more of it. read more

Horrible corporation because of terrible property managers. They don't care and don't listen. Don't lease from them!

During my tenancy at Wayne Ave from 10/21 to 03/24, I encountered numerous issues with BJB properties. While I'm not discouraging or encouraging renting here, I want to share my experience. Despite having lived in the city for 30 yrs nothing prepared me for the challenges at BJB properties. Despite paying for a professionally cleaned apartment as part of our move-in fee, our new unit, a model of new construction, was filthy with construction dust covering windows, doors, walls, and cabinets. Despite complaints and photo evidence to Eric Rice, our property manager, it took two weeks for action. When cleaners finally arrived, they did a hasty job, leaving construction dust untouched. Unjust eviction scare: On our 3rd day, we got a sudden eviction notice, citing noise complaints from another building, despite no prior issues or warnings. Eric Rice, our property manager, couldn't provide evidence to support the claim. After challenging him, he stopped communicating. Management turmoil:Over the course of 2.5 years we had 5 property managers. Not once were we told about the change or did they reach out to introduce themselves. Says a lot about a company. Pest/utility nightmare: Under JEREMY TINKER's management, our building faced severe hot water shortages for months due to an inadequate water tank. I took over 20 ice cold showers during a 3 month period November - January. Despite multiple complaints, excuses were made, and promises of rent deductions were never fulfilled. We didn't asked for rent discounts, they were offered to us as solution and then Jeremy said he never offered that. Simultaneously, we dealt with a persistent mice problem, which required multiple visits from an exterminator. Despite our efforts to address the issue ourselves, the management refused to reimburse us for ($7 worth) of expenses incurred in resolving the problem. Illegal entry: Despite explicitly informing the property manager, Mark Sosnov, that we wouldn't be home for an inspection due to our dog's safety, he and two others entered our apartment unlawfully. Despite my calm explanation of our situation, Mark became angry, claiming he had notified us via email, which I promptly refuted by presenting our response indicating our unavailability. This blatant disregard for our privacy and safety was unacceptable, and had we left earlier, the consequences could have been dire. Negligence of violent neighbor: We endured months of living next to a violent neighbor engaged in illegal activities, prompting multiple calls to the police due to domestic disputes. Despite providing ample evidence, including videos and police reports, our property manager, JEFF ICKOW , failed to address the situation adequately. He ignored our pleas for safety, even when incidents escalated to the point of firearms being drawn. He ignored my emails, calls, texts for months. Only way I could get a hold off JEFF was through calling from a FAKE NUMBER. After months of inaction and feeling unsafe, we were forced to escalate the issue to Jeff's superior, ADAM SCHWASS, who offered no real solution beyond subletting. Feeling dehumanized and disregarded, we ultimately had to find someone to take over our lease in order to leave the unsafe environment. This went on for 7 MONTHS. Lastly here are some other things to be aware of before signing a lease -About 40 units 2 washers -The building wasn't kept up with, most buildings have semi-annual deep cleanings. Not here. -no pressure washing -no window cleaning -no carpet cleaning (hallway carpets) I do have receipts for all my experiences by the way. If you do decide to rent from BJB properties, I'm not telling you to record your conversations with them because that way they won't be able to say they never said something. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT DO THAT. read more

I haven't had any issues with BJB Properties when I leased a property with them. Everytime I placed a maintenance request, the property management ensured the issue was addressed within the week (if not within the next day!). Everything was web-based (payment of rent, and maintenance requests), which made everything very convenient. The property manager always answered his email as well, so I had no issues reaching out if I had any questions! The only complaint I have is the building insulation, which the company couldn't really do anything about. Winters were rough! read more

BJB is your typical predatory, price gouging, evil rental company. They'll charge you wayyyyyy too much in rent knowing damn well when you move in that MAYBE one or two of the amenities they so proudly advertise will be in working order. You will immediately have to put in several work orders upon moving in. For me, the worst was having to get my bathtub resurfaced because upon my move in the tub was chipping everywhere and I had to arrange for me and my cats to be out of the house for a whole day so they could do what they should have done before I moved in. Be sure to check for cable boxes in your unit when you move in, BJB left two in my apartment and then shut off my internet for not physically carrying them to their office in a completely different building when they're the ones that left them in there. If they advertise a "rooftop" - take that with a grain of salt. It will either be under "renovations" for the duration of your lease or it will only be "open" for maybe 3 months of the year - and even then the door will probably be locked 50% of the time. Nonetheless they will still charge you an insane amount for your tiny apartment and try to justify it by citing the amenities. As far as laundry, expect no more than 1/4 of the machines to be working at any given time. Don't bother reporting them as not working because they will not fix them. As far as packages, don't expect yours to be safe. BJB will let your packages just sit on the floor of the lobby instead of making sure they get put in the secure package room. If they advertise a gym or "fitness room" in your building don't expect more than two treadmills and an exercise ball. Still, they will use this to charge you an arm and a leg for rent. Additionally, you will be given a key card instead of actual keys which is already annoying, but you WILL have to get a new one many times throughout your lease because it will just stop working and you'll be locked out. To quote verbatim the person I talked to at the front desk, "I'm shocked when these things last more than a couple months." All in all, if you sign with BJB you will almost CERTAINLY not get anywhere near what you're paying for. Avoid BJB at all costs - you can easily find a much, much better bang for your buck elsewhere in this giant city. If you sign with BJB it will be all buck and absolutely no bang. EDIT - dont know why my location says East Lansing - I'm talking about BJB in Chicago read more

Update: Ownership claims the exterminator found "no evidence of rat activity" in the unit when clearly a worker below admitted there was AND I have pictures. They still wanted me to live there and pay rent. These losers sent my last months rent to collections luckily I have a great support system. Working with a lawyer still to work this out. DO NOT OCCUPY BJB. THEY DON'T HAVE THE RENTERS BEST INTEREST AT HAND. They think rat infestations make for habitable living spaces for their tenants. read more

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Moved into their Rogers park building 3 months ago and have dealt with a handful of issues. 1- lack of hot water. For months. During Chicago winters. It has not been fun. Have reported this multiple times to my property manager which resulted in one visit and the rest of the times I don't get a response. Regardless, the issue is still on going. and other tenants are experiencing the same issue in my unit. 2. A mice issue. They did bring out an exterminator right away though the feedback he gave them regarding what holes to cover were ignored to the point that I fixed the holes my self and they refused to refund me the $10 for the materials I bought. Which was no big deal but just tells you how greedy of a company they are. read more

Don't rent from BJB. Don't do business with them. Don't even consider it. They do not care about their tenants. Read the other reviews, I'm not the only one. I lived on the top floor at *2046 N. Orleans* for 3 years. The first year, the ceiling started to leak anytime it rained. After a few months of back and forth, no response, etc., it finally got fixed, only for it to happen AGAIN this year. It's an old building and these things understandably happen in Chicago, but the way it was handled was absolutely awful. The leak caused a major inconvenience. For 2 weeks, I had to stay at my parent's house in the suburbs, and had to commute in and out of the city for work. At other times, storms that would come through without warning in the night would keep me awake for hours, as the dripping into the buckets was so loud. The response I always received was that the contractors could not look at the roof while it was raining. Completely understandable, but there were plenty of days in Chicago in May and June where it did not rain. It most certainly did not rain every single day of those months, and the roofers could have inspected the roof. I worked with the property manager Nick Marnos, who--while he was respectful throughout the whole process--would tell me I would be receiving updates, but would not contact me with anything unless I initiated the calls to him. This went on from May 1 until today (almost two months). When I first reported the leak, he assured me that I was "the first person out of all his buildings to report, so I am the priority." Then, after nothing as resolved, the new response was, "I am managing a ton of other buildings besides yours and cannot handle this. You were not the first person to report, so someone else is in line in front of you." Regardless of this, I am a paying customer of this company and would expect to be treated as such, not being told that there are other buildings to worry about besides mine. That is not how a company should do business and treat their tenants, especially those who have paid rent on time for the past 3 years. Items of mine have were damaged from the leak, including my bed skirt and mattress protector (see photo). On top of all this, I didn't know what substance was being leaked from the roof because it was a brown, sticky, smelly substance (see photos)! They claim below it is the "brown paint trim," but the paint trim is WHITE, not brown. I was not told this until after posting this review. It smells absolutely terrible. The frame was also partially detached from the ceiling, looking as though it could fall down at any moment. All of these factors were a potential threat to my health, and technically made the apartment unlivable. To make matters worse, I was in the process of hopefully renewing at the end of June. Since I would not renew until the leak was fixed, they proceeded to show others my apartment WITH THE LEAK, TOWELS, AND BUCKETS EVERWHERE to new renters. This REALLY shows how much BJB cares about their tenants. They don't. They just want someone in and out ASAP so they can collect the rent, even in an unlivable unit. After all of this, I was hoping to receive *any* sort of compensation for my damaged items and not being able to live in my apartment (again). My request was very reasonable in my opinion, as I was only asking for 2 weeks to be refunded out of the month for the time I literally could not live there. I was obviously denied this, which is why I'm slamming them here now. Other problems: - Old building mildew smell has permanently affected my clothes, bags, mattress and other items, and has even translated to my car. - Centipedes. Lots, and lots of centipedes. - Sewage smells coming from sink, toilet and dishwasher - The elevator hasn't been inspected since 2002. Pretty sure that's illegal. Happy to provide photo evidence if someone wants to see. read more

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I recently moved to a BJB owned building and upon moving in my unit was not completely ready. It was dirty with a handful of actual dust bunnies and the floor was so grimy it made our feet black walking around. More importantly three faucets were constantly dripping and it took over a month for maintenance to come fix it. In my experience so far maintenance is incredibly rude and they prioritize speed of work over quality. Additionally, the management staff are a bit slow and inconsistent in responding to any email or text correspondence so it's difficult to communicate before move in, but they're very helpful if you go directly into their office with questions. So far a bunch of staff services seem to be run on a below average level unfortunately, but I'm sure it's different for every BJB property. Luckily the rent is fair and the staff besides maintenance are at least very nice, but if any more issues come up with the building or staff we may have to consider not renewing our lease next year. It's only been a couple months, so I still have hope for a better experience. read more

I am moving out of a BJB apartment, here is a checklist BJB sent to me. Excuses me? I am responsible for cleaning the apartment to a move in ready condition?! Otherwise I am paying $520 for BJB to clean it for the next tenant? So what is the $250 move in fee for? Stay away from this super cheap property, then you are away from trouble. It doesn't worth your money. I have never stay in an apartment that makes me uncomfortable like BJB. BJB management, can you please tell me how much is the charge for moving out cleaning on average? read more

BJB Properties - Apartments Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

NEVER rent from these people. On top of the properties being complete dumps they have horrible service. The entire building smell like cigarettes and the bathrooms are filled with mold which they inevitably will just paint over after your lease. They use key cards to access the building and apartments which will suddenly just stop working and you will be locked out. Probably nobody will answer when you call and then you can either wait an hour and pay money to get back in or drive an hour to be handed a new set of cards (which will also just stop working one day out of the blue). read more

I lived at 426 W Surf st and DO NOT LIVE HERE. The building is roach infested. Even when they had exterminators come and spray, they would still come back and be flipped over on their backs. Even though they weren't crawling around anymore, it is still absolutely disgusting. I had other neighbors complain of the same issues in their units as well. It is very disturbing to have roaches in your apartment and the management had very little empathy or sense of urgency for it. I saw roaches literally come from underneath the molding which lets me know that they are living in the walls. Upon moving in, there were gnats in the bathroom and this issue continued throughout my year living here. It was gross and I do not know where they were coming from. In addition to this, the freight elevator was broken for weeks and instead of trying to urgently fix it for those moving in and/or out, they just sent an email saying that people should take the stairs. I'm sorry but it is AWFUL to make people carry heavy furniture down several flights of stairs with no sense of urgency or compassion for the residents that need an elevator to move in or out. Also, the kitchen appliances are awful. The fridge and oven are terribly small. They advertise this building as "vintage" but in reality, it is just really old and they don't care for their residents. You can find a much better place to live with way better amenities for the same price. read more

Pros- The building (3141 N Sheffield) was gorgeous and the maintenance guy was incredibly kind and responsive. Building was well-maintained and the company was reasonably responsive to any issues like a blackout or heatwave. Cons- The employees were rude and actively hostile- it was almost funny how cartoonishly mean they were. Any question was either ignored or met with contempt. They have no idea what's going on and will snap at you if you have to remind them of something. Thankfully you only have to deal with them at move-in and move-out, so if you can handle a few jagweeds then I say it's worth it. read more

I'm currently living at 2850 N Sheridan, there is a generator in the building that is insufferably loud and sleeping next to the sound it makes is impossible. They also use cards instead of keys which most of the time just simply don't work. Try to avoid this place if you can. read more

I lived in a BJB properties building at 839 W Diversey for 2 years. The apartment was fine but in winter the radiators in the unit were a nightmare! I woke up several times a night with what sounded like someone hitting the radiators with a crowbar. Me and others tenants complained to management. They said a company checked it several times, but the issue wasn't resolved in the 2 years I lived there. Towards the end of my lease, they started charging me late fees even though I dropped my rent check off early every month at the box located at 2850 N Sheridan. I texted Sara to dispute the erroneous late fees on 6/8 & 8/31. I emailed Saharsh on 6/14 & 8/11, copying Sara and Jeremy, with final attempts on 8/23 and 08/31 by text. None of them responded or even acknowledged my dispute. Because of this unprofessionalism, I didn't renew my lease. Today, I received an email from a collection company for $179.75 for these completely false late fees. You need to make this right BJB. I paid my rent early or on time every single month. Prospective tenants need to run far, far away from BJB Properties. I am so glad to be done with this company!! read more

Hey thanks, for the reply. I would have to disagree with your cookie cutter response. Every management has its policies and rightfully so. I just disagree in the manner your manager (Dino) explained the policy and I repeatedly requested to retain a copy of BJB Renewal Policy. The way Dino explained and of course its all hesrsay, but I clearly understood through his condescending tone. That I would need a cosigner "Even if I renewed for the next 20 years!" So, I requested to see that in writing in the BJB Policy. I am requesting to retain the policy that Dino repeatedly stated with a condescending and unprofessional mannerism. That I may take to the Department of Veteran Affairs and Department of Housing and Development if any of my rights as a disabled combat veteran were violated. In closing, I respect BJB Policies and I have been a responsible tenant while residing at this location and fulfilled the monthly obligations, and voluntarily paid in advance for rent. I affirm the statement above and please direct me where I can get a copy of your renewal policy. Thank you. Regards read more

I've lived in many different apartmen complexes and always felt like the property companies were the worst. My favorite thing about BJB is that they don't have a bunch of hidden fees and charges. when I've had a maintenance issue they responded right away and the maintenance guys are super friendly. never had to deal with stolen packages either. read more

Terrible customer service providing inconsistent and contradictory information during the application process. I have decided not to rent mostly due to this experience. Despite this, the holding fee that needed to be urgently paid based on ever changing timelines has not been refunded to me. I am not a fan of the BJB way. read more

Be very careful with any positive reviews with BJB Property. Vincent , the property manager, is grossly incompetent and unprofessional. They have active live squeaking rats in the walls. The kitchen cabinets actually fell off the wall and damaged a lot of items. It's been months now that only 1 out of 2 elevator works. The elevator would break down from time to time, but now we think it's finally died. The only difference with BJB Property is that you're paying more for management that ignores you and doesn't take your calls or complains when you do call because you just can't learn to live with the squeaking rats in between your walls or the rats and roaches that run around in the building. According to management, the rats are coming from the small lawn in front of our building and they are tunneling into the building. 1 year later I guess there's nothing much they can do about it....because exterminators don't exist apparently. The first year, the first front door of the building would not close all the way for weeks. A homeless man made his way inside the building and slept there for the day. Thank God the second door to enter the building actually closed. Months later there was a rat running around in that same room and there's no other way to enter the building so youd have to stand there trying to open the second door with the rat looking at you while sitting on top of the radiator. Month later, another man made his way inside the building and the mail room and stole all of tenants packages. We were emailed about it. Maintenance department is wild. Despite telling these people to please call before you arrive for any type of issue, these people ignore your multiple request will just show up to your apartment unit. Females be careful. read more

I lived at 18 E Elm for 2 years. PROS: The location is unbeatable. Cute street, close to downtown, grocery store, lakefront, red line, coffee shops, bars and restaurants. I will miss the location. The reception was always friendly, my emails were answered promptly, and maintenance was nice and fixed my issues very promptly, usually the same or next day. Laundry room has ample machines and is usually quiet during the day. My apartment had big walk in closets and great natural light. No pet fee! CONS: There is a false sense of security. The "doorman" logs packages on the days he is there, and then promptly falls asleep. I've had to wake him up and interrupt his snoring to get my package! Definitely doesn't make me feel safe. During COVID sometimes packages were left fully outside of the building. They had another good doorman who left. 1 bedroom size apartment in the corners are realistic. However, corner apartments that have doorways on an angle can't accommodate some furniture. I had to reorder furniture that would fit in the apartment but not through the corridor entryway. The studios and other one bedrooms are comically small. Poor insulation. I spent over $150 per month in summer and winter trying to cool or heat. My trade off for having more windows. I even tried to put film on my windows to prevent leaks. My apartment always mirrored the temp outside. So if it was freezing, so was I. The garbage room can pile up and be disgusting. I partially attribute it to the residents, though, who don't properly bag items. Some people never wore masks in the common laundry room and were rude. But most of the residents were nice. My apartment was not updated and has very tiny appliances (need special pan for oven for it to fit!) They promise your apartment is deep cleaned before each move in (they call it a quick turn). Well, it was definitely quick because my apartment was filthy when I moved in. I scrubbed the oven 4 times and it was still dirty. I don't think it has EVER been cleaned. Parts of the bathroom were filthy and Uncleaned too. Overall, I think you can find better for the price in the gold coast or more up north. I liked living here for the most part because of the location but I'm excited to move on to bigger and better buildings. I found a new building for only $100 more that is larger, has central air, bigger kitchen and a balcony. read more

It seems you can't update a review that has been updated so here is a fresh one with more bad news. I will start with the good news..after the majority of 2020 with no laundry the laundry room is finally fixed. They did raise the prices which was painful after months of no laundry and they left us without a table, surface, or counter...to fold laundry or even set your basket anywhere but the floor. The workers have been using our foyer/common area as their trash can for weeks I will include picture. Now for the kicker, there was a fire this morning@!!!!!! I could smell fire and text a few neighbors and as more and more of us smelled it we went to investigate. Out back where the original fire originated there were workers clearing debris off the roof and Tom one of our residents tried to talk to them about the fire smell and there was a bit of a language barrier but they did finally understand and locate a smoldering pile of debris. I don't know if they started it or what. But now the hallways are filled with that scary and all too familiar smell of burning. read more

BJB Properties - When BJB is working on your building expect your foyers to be their trash cans for weeks. - Apartments Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Update: The BJB management is still good. However, I would advise those moving into one of the older BJB buildings to inquire about the electricity (there is not enough power in my apartment to run more than 1 air conditioner, leaving the unit nearly 90 degrees all summer) and also cockroaches. Several reviews here mention roaches, and I've had the same issue. Management does come and spray, but unfortunately it's only a temporary fix as the problem is at the building level and giant roaches just keep coming back through pipes and spaces in the walls. read more