Property management is terrible. Let me assure you, they just want your money and you are just a number. Maintenance would leave broken parts of the hallway laying on the ground in the hallways for months - embarrassing to have friends and family over when they have to step over pieces of the wall fallen on the floor to get into your apartment for MONTHS. SO many of my packages were lost or stolen that I ended up having to get all my packages delivered to work because I was sick of losing money from "lost" packages. Lastly, and most importantly, the security. I still have a video of the security SLEEPING and snoring so loud you could hear it from the doors and elevators. After speaking with the property manager, there was no sense of importance on the matter. He did not care, he was just there to collect your rent check. Security in the lobby is one thing, but to lack security in my own home, too? I had maintenance walk into my apartment at 10 o'clock at night WITHOUT KNOCKING. If NOTHING else, I expect to have security in my own home. read more

We live at the property 4100 N Marine Dr and we love it! We have been here going on two years. Chris has made our life so easy here at 4100 N Marine. When we first moved in there was a few things that needed to be fixed, nothing serious, just a few things that needed to be done. We wrote them all down and sent Chris an email. The next day the engineer was at our place and took care of everything for us. Things that I love about 4100: a) The building is made out of concrete and you never hear your neighbors. Some times in Chicago you end up with an apartment that you here everything your neighbors are doing. Not here b) Extremely dog friendly. There is grass right across from the apartment, so taking the dog out is so easy. c) The balconies are amazing. We never miss a sunrise! Grilling and relaxing on the deck is so wonderful. Our view is amazing. We look over the golf course and the marina! We love it! d) We have never had to wait more then a day for any type of maintenance on the apartment. e) The rent is amazing for what you get. You will not find a place as nice as this for the price. Trust me we looked every where! f) The location. It is the city living with out being downtown. You are right on the bike path, a stones throw to tennis courts, Sydney Marvits Golf Course, Montrose Harbor and Wrigley Field is close, but not to close, where you have to deal with all the craziness. g) Commuting downtown is so easy! The 136 is express bus that picks us up right in front of the building and it expresses from that stop all the way down to Michigan and Wacker. Also the 146 is easy to take or the red line is half mile walk away. The building is not fancy. This is not the Ritz Carlton. That is why they get away with charging the rates that they do. It is clean and well taken care of, just doesn't have a ton of amenities, but the view over the lake makes up for that! We love it here because it is very homey, the staff is all so wonderful, and the roof is amazing to use in the summer! We are very sad to be leaving the building this year. If it wasn't for work, we would be staying! We will miss living here and all the staff! We highly recommend the property at 4100! It is just a nice quiet homey place! read more

Big fan of BJB. We rented in Evanston 4 years and this was a great landlord. Super responsive to any concerns, took great care of the property and very pleasant to work with. The rent was admittedly a bit higher than we thought it should be, but considering how good they were and the fact that they were hassle free I would call it a good trade off. Zumi Topic was our property manager and she was great to work with. Sadly,we are now moving to a condo with a different company as manager and thus will no longer be assured of such great service. read more

Ever since my building has gained our new property manager (Mandi Grandgeorge) I've noticed a lot of positive changes. She immediately had walls painted and the carpets cleaned in all the hallways (plus installed new carpet in the lobby). Mandi is quick with email responses/work order requests and listens attentively to tenant feedback. Not to mention, she makes the tenant feel extremely comfortable when coming to her about their concerns. read more

No stars. Seriously, where do I begin? I am sitting in a FREEZING apartment for the 20th time this winter. My heat constantly breaks and they don't care. I have called too many times to count and everytime they claim to fix it, I come home to find that it is still broken. WHATEVER you do, do not rent from them. I live at 25 E. Delaware and it is the worst. read more

My boyfriend and I lived at 629 W Deming for 2 years and had a great experience. We chose this building because of how clean and new everything was compared to other studios in this price range ($900-$1000/ month). It also had gas stoves which is imperative for me being an avid cook. The management is great- very responsive and willing to help with any issues. Great location, nice building/management, and clean units! read more

211 E. Delaware recently switched management to Katie Barnhart and I am very impressed by her professionalism, promptness, and cordiality. She responds to emails (work order requests, questions about the building, spare key issues) within minutes and always promptly helps you resolve the issue with friendliness and patience. She goes the extra mile to help you and my renting experience at 211 E. Delaware is significantly easier and more enjoyable because of her management. Thank you Katie!!! read more

Why can't I give zero stars? That's what this company deserves. Save yourself the headache and contact Chicago Apartment Finders instead. At first look I was pleased with the apartment I rented in Lincoln Park- 2046 N Orleans St. The unit was "updated" with cheap materials that were easy on the eyes. Within a few weeks of living there a large bubble of water appeared on the ceiling of my bathroom from the tenant living above me and their toilet overflowing- gross. The problem was apparently easily fixed as I came home from work with a notification that someone had been in my apartment to fix it, thanks for the heads up guys. A few days later I arrived home after a weekend away and find garbage in the form of fast food bags and cups on my kitchen counter. Someone had been in my apartment while I was gone over the weekend. My assumption was maintenance since they were in the apartment a few days prior. Perhaps the job to fix the bubbled ceiling was undone, I have no idea. Funny thing is neither did my apartment manager. I was told that they checked my door (it was similar to a hotel door and a log is kept of people entering it) and they found that at 6pm that Friday someone entered my apartment. They didn't know who and I was told to file a police report. Helpful... Then my fridge broke. I called maintenance about $100 worth of fresh groceries spoiling in a matter of days. Someone came in the apartment to check it and I was told it was fixed. A few days later the same issue... Spoiled milk. So I email management to find out maintenance said the fridge was fine and nothing was done to fix it. Clearly, it was not fine. The fridge was fixed a few days later at a cost of $200 in groceries to me. Then the issue of my towels being shredded in the communal washer dryer. I pulled my towels out of the dryer and it was as if someone had taken a razor blade to them. I fancy a plush towel so two shredded towels cost $60. I wasn't going to sit by. An email to my property manager and 2 weeks later I was told that the machines were finally checked and no issues. I filed a claim and received a check for $20. Not even enough to replace the towels. Lets talk about the time I lost my apartment keys and took a cab to the management office to get a replacement key. I returned home with my replacement key eager to enter my apartment and quickly leave again as I was late to a business meeting (my own fault, I lost the key). I tried to enter my apartment and couldn't. The key I was given was not for my door. So, naturally I call the office and ask someone to come let me in and was told it would cost me $60 to have someone come let me in. Really? I paid the price in the form of $40 in cab rides to get the replacement key. How about you hire people competent enough to provide the proper replacement keys? After a scathing email I finally received a credit to my rent account for $20. Hardly a consolation prize for and additional $20 in cab rides for yet another replacement key and missing my meeting. You employ hundreds of people. Do the right thing and send someone to help a tenant in need. Now the icing on the cake. I had enough, decided it was time to move out and started the sublease process. I obtained several inquiries to my apartment and BJB was kind enough to also help w the renting process I was even told that they would replace my lease with a new lease for the subletter. How convenient! So a subletter that BJB found and pre approved moved in to my old apartment while I moved in to my newly purchased condo happy to be rid of BJB once and for all. I should have know it was too good to be true. After one month of BJB free living I was advised that the subletter THEY FOUND AND APPROVED "moved out of the country without paying rent and I needed to pay for them." Get real. We'll see how this plays out but in the mean time do yourself a favor and stay FAR FAR away from all things associated with this company. read more

Does anyone run this place? I'm at 1135 W Pratt and wish someone would have warned me about BJB. Within weeks of moving in my bike was stolen out of the locked bike storage room. Yes, my bike was chained up to a rack on the wall with a lock around both tires and the frame. When I reported this to Leon Martinez I was told they have video cameras in the hall and someone would review the footage and get back to me. Did they? No. After trying to contact someone about it again and again for weeks I was essentially told the cameras don't actually work and there was nothing that could be done. Cool. So their fine with renting to thieves. Then, the issues with the laundry started. Nothing in this building works! Family Pride, the laundry service, is run by buffoons capitalizing on washers eating your money and dryers that don't heat up. Leon (not even sure of his title, the building manager?), while very polite, tries so hard but is less than helpful. I wanted to love this building so much, I wanted to stay here for years and I do love the surrounding area, but this building's issues are SO not worth the frustration. I will absolutely change my review if/when some of the problems are resolved. read more

BJB Partners is the most awful company I have ever dealt with. They promised me new paint, carpet and light fixtures when I moved in and none of that ever happened. They also never returned my phone calls and because they are slumlords who have very sketchy leases my awesome lawyer got me out of my contract with them. I would stay far far away from them. I talked with people in my building and a few were also in the process of getting legal aid to break their leases. If anyone wants more details on this feel free to email me. I would hate for anyone else to get involved with this shady company. read more

Very Friendly, Professional and Approachable. Well maintained and managed property. All team members are very nice specially Property Manager - Andrew Patch (In 6711 N Glenwood Ave), he is so nice and listens and make sure you are looked after very well and all the issues are resolved ASAP. In my case, I had to extend my stay for 1 Month after the lease end date because of my work. He empathized with my situation and did all what he could have done and extended my stay for another 1 month. Looking for something else in a very short time would have put me in grave situation. Thanks to him for going out of his way and listening and understanding the situation I was in. Honestly speaking, If I ever had to look for an apartment in this area again, I would definitely go and live there. I highly recommend anybody whosoever is reading my post to give it a try and experience it here in their property, you won't repent it. I have been to so many states and their communities to live in, but, they are among top ones if not the numero uno. Thanks again BJB for best home experience living here in the property. read more

Yes, this is my second review of BJB in Lincoln Park and nothing has changed from my first. Fortunately I'm on my way out at the end of next month. The reason for this second review is let you know that you have free internet. The provider will never, ever be able to provide it but BJB has included it in the price of rent. Again, you'll never have. I've called and called and nothing gets done. All management is going to do is give you the number to the "provider" who is only there between 9 am and 5 pm. Or, in other words, outside the time most of us are going to realize we don't have a connection. And, if you are able to reach someone at the "providers" office, they will usually tell you that it's not them, it's THEIR high-speed provider who is "working on their line today". Really? They've been working on that line for two months. We were told that this new provider was going to be better and faster, that is why BJB switched. Well, I never had a problem with the previous provider but the new one must be much, much cheaper for BJB because they sure do suck at providing service. Overall, never, EVER, rent an apartment from these people. If you see that a building is run by this company, I don't care how cheap the rent is, it's not cheap enough to make me ever come back here or any other building they manage. read more

My lease was up this month so I want to give an honest review of my living experience at 2850 N Sheridan. I moved into this building back in October 2013, here are the pros and cons: Pros: -Great location, close to everything you'll need. -Renovated hallways and keycard entry -Free cable, gas, water, gym and bike room. - On site laundry room -Rooftop with a great view Cons: -The complimentary internet is very slow, you wont be able to stream netflix, hulu or even some youtube videos, I would recommend you to set up your internet with a different provider. -The first week I moved in I did have a roach problem, luckily management sent someone up to spray. -The bike room will also have roaches but I kind of figured since it's in the basement close to the trash and alley -Rooftop policy: You're not allowed to bring any guest, food or drinks, it's only meant for tenants. They close it at 9pm, which I hope they change that. I imagine tenants would of wanted to see the fireworks from navy pier during the summer, but couldn't since the show starts at 9:30 on Wednesdays and at 10:15 on Saturdays. -Gym- treadmills didn't work; they would shut off after about 5 min of using it. Not sure if its been fixed, I usually run outside now. -Mail/packages- big packages are left in the lobby, not very secured, leaving the lobby by the elevators very cluttered. -NOISE LEVEL. Another thing you would want to consider before moving in here is the noise level outside. Construction has been going on since January across the street and wont be done till 2015. They're building a new section to St josephs hospital and the noise level is very loud Monday through Saturday from 8am- 6pm (sometimes till 8pm). I work nights so this was very annoying. (Invest in sound cancelation headphones if you work nights and sleep during the day) - Renovating process. On December 6th, 2013 the management team sent me a letter that they will be renovation the hallways and apartment doors. They mentioned "the renovation will take place over the next two to three months". This was not even close to that promise. This long process took over 7 months to finish. More than half of that time the hallways had torn carpet and walls that were not a pretty site, A bit embarrassing to have friends and family over. The only explanation I received was a letter that was sent on July 22, 2014 that read "we will be installing thresholds at the bottom of your front door, this is one of the final parts of our hallway renovation, we apologize that it took a little longer than expected" little longer would be acceptable if it were a month behind scheduled, but 7 months was just too much. Living 7 out of a 10-month lease with this nightmare I expected some sort of reimbursement, but nothing was offered. -What I did find insulting is they offered me the opportunity to renew my lease with a more expensive rent charge. I will not pay 1495 for a one bedroom with a view of a brick wall. So overall I would not recommend living here. read more

Moved to Chicago and moved into this building. Had no problems (unless you count the noisy neighbor) until my mother died and I inherited (2) dogs and the management company wanted to evict me. I had been living there for 1.5 years already and was told by them they would change my locks and have me escorted off the premises if I didn't move out within a week due to "breaking my lease and bringing dogs onto the premises." I figured I would call "corporate" and explain that my mother had just been killed in a tragic accident and I inherited the dogs, but they were unwilling to bend. Not very nice people. Do not rent from them!!!! read more

This company is a joke!! I waited in the rain for 30 minutes to meet the "leasing agent" who was too unprofessional to even call and let me know he was running late. I am in the real estate industry myself and find that unacceptable to keep people waiting that long without notice. When the agent finally arrived, he showed us (there were 3 of us scheduled at the same time) a studio located in the garden which he had previously said via email was on the 1st floor. I am not interested in any garden units as I am currently living in one and not enjoying it, which I had expressed prior to this meeting. The entire building smelled strongly of marijuana which isn't a huge issue to me but literally every floor had a strong odor. We proceeded to go up to the 3rd floor where there was a one bedroom unit available. Once inside the unit we noticed water damage on the ceiling. The agent says "that's been there for about 3 years from an issue with a radiator upstairs but it only take about 3-4 hours to fix and will be fixed before a new tenant moves in". WAIT WAIT WAIT. Who leaves a water problem unfixed for 3 years when the amount of work to fix and repair the issue only takes a max of 4 hours! Way to be a "hands on" management company! Needless to say I will not be renting ANY apartments from BJB Properties and I suggest you don't either! This is the 3rd bad review THIS MONTH!!! Keep looking! read more

I have lived in a Lincoln Park apartment with BJB Properties for a year now, and I think they are great. They have always been extremely responsive to me emails or phone calls. They even came to switch a tiny screen in my shower window that next day because I was worried bugs would come in. They keep the common areas clean. They are good at keeping tenants up to date with papers in the door or mass emails. I will continue to work with them if I can for this upcoming year. 5 Stars definitely! read more

I interacted with Jay Wilewski. He was very forthcoming with information and prompt with setting up an apartment viewing. I closed on an apartment and the paper work was easy. The experience was pleasant and I'd recommend BJB properties and Jay to those looking to for an apartment read more

I moved to Chicago last minute in January 2013 and BJB was one of the first places I found at 3834 North Sheffield. The place is newly renovated and Amanda (office manager) is super nice and always really helpful. The whole building is studios, but they all have nice sized closets and some feel like a small room! The building is right off of the Sheridan red line stop and not even two blocks from Wrigley, so convenient for commuting and going to bars/games. The office always leaves a notice that they are going to be coming into your apartment to change something (new lights or fixtures) or if they are going to show your place to a prospective tenant. I couldn't have asked for a better apartment for my first time in Chicago and I would renew if I wasn't going back to Ohio to finish school. read more

Terrible. DON'T RENT HERE!!!! I would also like to give this a negative rating. There are cockroaches everywhere and the laundry room will not dry your clothes... you better invest in some string to hang your clothes in your apt! I have lived here the past couple years only because I couldn't afford to move out. I should have known better...when I was looking at places someone was moving out and said "Don't do it! There are cockroaches in all the apts!" I needed to move asap and stupidly chose to ignore this as something that was just a problem on their floor. I picked a higher level and found they were right. The roaches come up through the shower and make their way into your kitchen....and even your bedroom! Even today I was heading to work and someone told me they found one IN THEIR BED! Don't worry though...you'll call to complain and they will let you know these are "just Waterbugs". Look up Waterbugs and then look up American Cockroach. You'll see it's actually the American Cockroach. Oh, and they can fly...be warned. I had the most terrifying night of my life when 4 of them attacked me. (One in my kitchen, hallway, bathroom, and living room) There were probably more...as you rarely see the majority of them. Oh! And be prepared to hear every conversation your neighbors have and every tv show they watch. I think the walls are made out of a small piece of paper. I have lived in both 2850 (with no heat and lots of fighting for heat....my room got as low as 45 degrees....so I moved across the street to 426 Surf with the horrible laundry room and disgusting roaches!) To be somewhat positive, the location is amazing! It's only steps to the beach and great places to eat. So, if you want to live somewhere just for the location it's great, but be prepared for bugs, annoying laundry situations, and possibly no heat in the winter. read more

I've lived in three different BJB Properties (in three different neighborhoods) and have had a great experience in all of them. The apartments are large, fairly priced and the staff is really great. Whenever I've had any questions about or issues with my apartment, the property manager, Mike H., has responded immediately and answered the question or corrected the problem. read more

BJB 211 E. Delaware property is such a great location with beautiful apartments. I always felt safe. Very fun area to live. I recently needed to find someone to sub-lease my apartment. BJB Properties was wonderful to work with through the process. Jay Wilewski was extremely helpful in making sure that all my questions were answered in a timely manner. He was very friendly and always available. He really helped relieve the stress of my recent move. All paperwork and viewing was handled by Jay in an efficient manner. He was very understanding and truly a pleasure to work with! read more

I lived in a BJB property in Evanston for almost 2 years and was generally happy. There were some delays when I was moving in (they were still painting the place when I was scheduled to move in and never finished cleaning), and a fire alarm would go off about 2-3 times a year. Other than that, I don't remember any problems with the management. The common areas (gym, laundry, lobby, hallways) were generally well-maintained. When I wanted to move out a couple months early, they quickly found me a subletter and made the whole process very easy. read more

Terrible management company. It is dirty, poorly run, the door person is never there, packages are lost, they don't send rent reminders, and just try to get as much money out of the tenant as possible. There has been multiple instances of someone smoking in the building, peeing on the floor/in elevators, and packages "missing". read more

100% agree w/ anon. Incompetent is the best adjective for them, along with total a-holes. Horror stories from the building: - Radiators leaking and flooding bathrooms - Contractors stealing furniture that the leasing office had agreed to keep in a unit 1 week beyond the lease (and then the leasing office saying they can't do anything about it; not even sorry) - They 'lose' a lot of packages, sometimes being stolen by family members of the building managers who were discretely being allowed to unofficially live in the vacant units. Once you show them a signature for the receipt, it's amazing how fast they 'remember' what happened to your package - Heat and electricity regularly going out sporadically and for no apparent reason - Workers coming and going into units all the time and somehow always tracking dirt in and not cleaning it up - The place is always under construction... try complaining about the 7am drilling on Saturday mornings and they essentially tell you 'too bad' - Only about 50%-70% of the washers and dryers are ever working at any given time, and without signs, so you end up losing a lot of money since you don't find out they're broken until you've already put your money in - The place is kind of disgusting and always dirty - The trash room is always overflowing into the lobby (and the attendant smells) - The people answering the phones in the leasing office are quite possibly the dumbest, rudest people you will ever encounter in a professional setting And don't be fooled by the trees and benches they put in the lobby. They only put those out during the weekends in which they are doing a lot of showings. They yank those out of there (and probably take to another building) when they're not showing the place. read more

I recently moved into 1036 N Dearborn, and I could not have had an easier move. The property manager allowed me to park in the ally behind the building and I was able to bring everything in through the back door right into the freight elevator that could fit everything that I brought. He was very helpful when explaining everything that I had to do upon move in from setting up electricity to having my cable set up for me(for free!!!!). The building looks great and so does my room!! I looked around at many different properties and I could not find a better deal for the size and the location! read more

I rent at 443 W Wrightwood and have had a decent experience so far. I have a great view of the lake and Wrigley from my unit and havent had an issues with heat or AC. My kitchen is very small but very functional all my appliances have performed well and that isnt always the case so I do appreciate it. Our rooftop is closed for the summer and there is not a date set for it to re-open. It would also be nice if our buildings gym got a weight set since all we have is cardio equipment. I am hoping that I will not see an increase in my rent since the garbage chute was closed for 6 wks and I had to travel down 13 floors with my garbage and also the hallway carpets and apartment doors are dreadful, they really need to spruce things up interior decor wise. One of the biggest amenities ((rooftop)) has been closed the entire time I have lived here and since anytime I need a repair done it is done in the sloppiest way possible. I have a top floor corner unit and would assume such units would be taken care of but I have the worlds worst finishes in my kitchen and have an awful paint job throughout my entire unit. It is obvious it was not repainted or deep cleaned before I moved in since there were cats in the unit when I toured it and all 3 of my radiators are caked with cat hair and dust, not to mention how filthy the kitchen was upon move in. I also put a request in for a new kitchen ceiling fan in NOVEMBER and I am still waiting on them to install it... read more

First things first. They deserve Zero stars. I am not evaluating their properties, that aren't that impressive to begin with, but I am evaluating them, their Management Company. If you want a business that doesn't care about doing anything for you while you are renting from them then by all means rent for these inconsiderate business men. The old buildings are decent for being so old, they own a lot of properties, and the prices are reasonable, however, I would rather pay extra to have a management company that worked for me and not against me. They are in it for the money not for the service, not a quality I look for in a management company, especially when dealing with something I am supposed to be calling 'home'. Keep in mind that most people aren't going to love an apartment from bjb...how could you? They are cheap, to refute this is denial! But you also realize this when you agree to live there, you know it isn't the best, but you like the idea of Internet and cable included at a decent price for a studio, which is where I lived. And you say to yourself...its temporary and it livable. And if you have no complaints about yes their drains suck that cuz nat problems and yes their kitchens suck and yes the cable tends to go in and out and the Internet connection even when hard wired sucks, then live there isn't horrible. Afterall, it is cheap. By the way I was at 1939 N Lincoln. AMAZING AREA. But when it comes time to actually having to deal with management. A complaint or any issue you have, or asking for 2 days past your lease to move out since we all work for a living! They are rude, defensive, and say they are a business and will not bend for anything because that is "bad business". I am a business women...NO bjb you moron it is not bad for business, to work with a tenant to try to help them any way you can as long as it doesn't conflict with any other tenant is NOT bad for a SERVICE BASED BUSINESS!!!!! You are here to service your tenants - THAT IIIISSS YOUR JOB! If you can, if you are tied between a non bjb property and bjb....Go with the non bjb...you should never have to deal with rude, crafty, inconsiderate people when it involves your place of living. read more

If you work with BJB Properties, try to work with Andrew Patch! He was such a great help, made sure we were positive we wanted to sign an apartment, and answered all questions we had. Also, he was very responsive to emails/calls and was very nice! read more

"To all considering to rent from BJB BEWARE!!!! This is the worst experience I've ever had and unfortunately, it just started. DO NOT RENT FROM THEM! The management company does not care about their tenants at all. I've had cockroaches in my apartment ( and I'm ridiculously clean) since the day I have moved in and called 4 times total, every time I see one and they have done nothing. Keep in mind, I've only been living here a month! GROSS!!! The property manager is rude and disrespectful, so if you like being treated that way then this company is perfect for you! I have 2 of my own air conditioners sitting on the floor of my apartment right now,because they charge $30 a piece to install them regardless if I do it myself without them. What a rip off! I have lived in this city for 7 years and never had such an AWFUL, TERRiBLE, DISGUSTING experience. This is a waste of money, you can do better. DO NOT RENT FROM BJB EVER!!! FAIR WARNING!" read more

i lived in a studio that was WAY to small for the price I was paying. They offered one month free and at the time I could not pass this up. I will have to agree with all of the negative reviews. This place is absolutely INFESTED with cockroaches, it's disgusting. The ceiling of my apartment was slowly cracking and stained from water damage. At one point they were doing work on the building, and the worker's tools were so loud I couldn't hear my TV that was 6 feet away from me. The entire staff was rude except for one of the security men, and I was constantly getting late payment notices even though I DID actually pay my rent on time every month. They are a terrible company. Don't get a place there. read more

Unfortunately I can't give 0 stars. Half the time the new key card system doesn't work and you can't get into the building. Now they are putting in air conditioning units (which should have been done before people moved into this freshly rehabed building) and they have left a 2x4 foot hole in my wall all the way through to the exterior of the building. They left my apartment in disarray and haven't addressed the hole which still doesn't have an air conditioner in it and this is now day 4. Each time I've called the building manager he never calls me back. I will never rent from this company again. read more

this is the worst company in all of chicago, and probably the entire world. i lived at 443 w wrightwood and the minute i moved in my studio on the first floor was infested with roaches. the building was not well maintained, thus roaches made a nest in the first floor's garbage shoot. they spread everywhere. in the pipes, in the walls..... the entire first floor is infested with roaches. it is absolutely disgusting and the management is even worse. andrea, the manager of the building, was very unhelpful, extremely rude and unprofessional. managers are supposed to help their tenants with any problem. little did i know, andrea was the mother of all the roaches. andrea would not let me out of my lease. she gave me absolutely no options, and said that i had to live with it. i'm almost prety sure she is also racist. they were bringing exterminators everyday to fix the problem only to look good, however even after 20 days of me living there, the roaches still existed everywhere. they were pretty much living in my walls and still wander the hallways till this day. i put an add on craigs list about my apt because i could not tolerate the roaches any longer. i finally found someone to sublet my place. keep in mind that i had already paid for the first months rent the first day i moved in, although i only stayed there for half of the first month. also keep in mind that, i did not sleep there every night because i was too afraid... so i would stay with a friend and come back to the apartment everyday and see more roaches. so technically i never really lived there. i took pictures of every roach i saw and have over 100 photos. when i found someone to take my apartment (god be with him) the property "manager" andrea said that they are doing me a favor by letting me move out and is not refunding me one penny. they are dirty thieves, the corporate office was also behind all of it. i also heard from reliable sources that BJB is the worst company in general. They have roach problems in most of their buildings and i've read that people hear mice in their walls. sorry for such a long post...just letting my frustration out. they are terrible. everyone else who have good things to say about them....it wont last. and the only reason i gave them one star is because yelp wouldnt let me post without marking one. ps: monica works with bjb. she is their realtor.... she is actually a very nice woman and wanted to help me.... however andrea has authority over her so if she helped me in any way she would have lost her job. monica, you need to get the hell away from andrea and work for a respected company because your better then that and andrea is not worth a minute of your time. read more

I've lived in the 443 W. Wrightwood building for 2 years and my experience has been a positive one. The BJB staff is great and is very responsive to maintenance requests or any questions. I would recommend renting from BJB. read more

BJB Properties is over-priced and incredibly inconsiderate. They have been doing construction on the building for weeks, drilling the walls so noisily that it is vibrating the walls and my bed. I can't sleep, I can't be awake -- simply can't even be in my apartment during the day. And yet, they don't care. They do not care at all about their tenants. I can't stress that enough: THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR TENANTS. The noise is literally peaking at over 80 decibels. I can't even hear myself think. BJB might seem like a decent landlord for a time, but if anything ever comes up, they will not help you. Seriously. read more

Well, I'll be honest - I was very nervous to move into this building because of what I had heard about BJB. BUT...the apartment I found was waaaay cuter and not to mention cheaper than any other apartments I found in this area. Why would I pay more for a shitty apartment? I have found positives and negatives of this building. Positives: -Overall, I haven't had any major problems with the management or the apartment. -It's nice to have a workout room in the building. -Moving in was much easier than I had anticipated. I was able to double park because it's on a one way street, and was able to reserve an elevator and wheeled cart to move my stuff. -Like I said earlier, the apartment looks nice. It's renovated and is a pretty good price for this area, with all utilities included except for electric. -The area is great to live in. Any store, restaurant, or other entertainment you want are very nearby. -I haven't had any problems with bugs, mice, leaking water or any other disastrous situations. -Dishwasher and air conditioning. -There is a "doorman" who hangs out in the lobby most nights. I'm not sure why exactly, but I'm sure he could come in very handy in case you forgot your keys or had some other kind of evening disaster. -I was able to have my cat without any kind of pet rent or pet fee, which is awesome. Negatives: -Although the apartment is renovated, it's obviously done as cheap as possible. Laminate vs. hardwood floors, cheap-looking cabinets (but at least they look updated). And not to mention the bathtub has obviously been pretty neglected, although it's definitely not worse than any other bathtubs I saw while looking at apartments. -The maintenance guy is not good. He IS good about coming within a day or two of your complaint, or even the same day sometimes. But when he does come he rushes in and rushes out. He has been to work on my sink twice already, and it is still leaking. I've also had to have him work on my bathtub drain several times because it kept clogging up. I finally bought my own draino because I got tired of him dragging in his vacuum to unclog it (yes, he uses a vacuum). Needless to say, it gets annoying having to keep calling him up here. -The free cable and internet suck. It's awesome to get free cable and internet, but I would rather pay for internet than to have to deal with a shitty signal and slow load times. It's annoying. -This apartment is SMALL. Yeah, I expected it in this area, but it just needed to be said. -Do not get a studio on a lower floor. I'm on third floor and I never get any sunlight in here, thanks to the brick wall outside my window. What a view! -The rooftop deck that BJB advertises is nonexistent. There is NOT a rooftop deck, even though their website and ads they place will tell you there is. -I don't think my apartment is very insulated. It gets pretty hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I don't mind it being hot in the summer because the air conditioning works pretty well, but the electric heater (which is just a window unit) does not keep my apartment warm. My feet are always cold, and I always have to wear slippers to keep them warm. It's also annoying listening to the air/heater running all the time or sporadically turning on and off. -The apartments are pretty soundproof next to me, but the person above me must be very clumsy. It is so loud hearing things being dropped, doors being slammed, partying and all kinds of noises from my upstairs neighbor. Luckily it doesn't bother me too much. Okay so this post was really long. Overall I don't mind living here - the negatives aren't really terrible, but they can be annoying at times. read more

WORST company ever to deal with! I had 2 appointment with them to look at an apartment and they ditched me on both. Not even an excuse or apology either. If they can't commit to SHOWING a place how can they MANAGE your apartment!? There are so many great apartment managment companies in Chicago. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THEM! read more

This is the WORST property management company by far. They clearly have ZERO idea on how to run a competent business, which is proven by the amount of vacancies always in their buildings. They are LIARS and tell you anything so they can take your money. Nothing EVER gets done, most things are broken upon moving in and dont expect to get it fixed quickly, my internet and horrendous "included cable" was broken for over a month and half. When asked about it they lied consistently with nothing being done. AWFUL, wish I had known how AWFUL they were before moving in, especially when shown the unit I supposedly signed a lease for was extremely disgusting and different from the one I was shown. Luckily they were able to put me elsewhere with of course charging me more. TERRIBLE COMPANY DO NOT RENT FROM THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I live in 1036 N Dearborn, it's a building from BJB PARTNERS.. Please don't move here, you will hate it.. it's old and dirty, the property manager can't help you with anything.. I am counting the days for my lease to end and run out of here!, I honestly rather to live on the street! the same thing but with the only difference that you don't pay a rent.. I will describe this place with one word CRAP... read more

IT was hard to decide what rating to give 2850. When we first looked at the apartment..we absolutely loved everything about it. My roommates and I looked at it during the peak season when the weather was great..roof was open, etc.. Eventually...we realized that AC wasn't provided..it was HOT. God awful hot. The toilets make weird noses and the hallways are really creepy looking. However, the new building manager is actually doing a lot to improve everything in this building. The lobby was completely redone, as well as the workout room and the laundry room. They are better with teh wireless (TV is SHIT though..definitely get comcast or something).. The location is amazing but I think BJB vharges too much for what they provide. Heat from radiators... I know it's an old building..but come on. And air conditioning...definitely necessary. Most of the staff are pretty friendly! There's just this one sales guy that creeps me out read more

I just recently signed a lease for 4100 N. Marine Dr. The apartments there are super nice!!! And the best part is cable and internet is included in the rent! There's A/C and separate thermostats for the bedrooms and for the living space! I'm renting a 2 bed, 2 bath and both bedrooms are Queen sized bed, plus a dresser & another piece of furniture sizes with PLENTY of closet space! Another plus about BJB is they do not require a security deposit! Just a move in fee. Ours was $200 for a 2 bedroom. The kitchen has new maple cabinetry along with a dishwasher and the kitchens already come with microwaves! I rented with BJB a few years back at 2828 N. Pine Grove and didn't have any issues with bugs or the leasing company or the maintenance. They have even added a great feature of paying rent online! No more waiting for Snail Mail and writing checks!!! The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because we haven't officially lived there through our entire lease yet, but I'm sure it will be 5 stars. Michael and Jennifer in the management office were AMAZING!!! They were both so nice and so helpful! The original apartment we wanted wasn't going to work with our move in date, but Michael was so nice and kept us updated the moment other apartments came available! It was such a great and easy process! We're looking forward to enjoying our gorgeous view from our apartment along with many days spent on the roof deck this summer! read more