Better off going with a different community. They attract you with cheaper rent but they charge you so many hidden fees and suck out every last penny from you. Very disappointed in the management of the community. The maintenance is terrible and the building management won't pay for a building engineer that can operate the equipment, which results in long delays for major problems. The Air conditioning took an extra week to turn on after a strong heat wave and temperatures hitting over 85 degrees. Do not move here! read more

I lived in HPT for 3 years. First, the good part. Nice view, good location to the U of C and the staff (maintenance and front desk) are very kind and professional. So why 2 out of 5 1 trust nothing you are told. Make sure you have everything in writing because later on it will just be "oh you did not understand it right" or "no way we told you this". Few examples, you pay utilities that are not reflecting your actual usage, when we were considering HPT we were told that utilities will likely never pass a certain $ amount, they were always about $60-80 more. Another example we were told that the increase of rent is likely to be around 2-5%, and it was about 10% increase. 2 this is where they get you. They keep adding all these things you do not need "smart locks" (cause a key is too low tech), face recognition cameras (the one on the main door did not work for over a month and you could not come into the building unless someone was at the lobby). So then when it comes to renew, they added upgrades and such so they have a good reason to increase. 3 smoking. As much as they claim to be a "smoke free" they don't do anything about this. They keep saying tell us if you smell smoking we will take care of this. In reality they say that they can't find where it is coming from and just send out an email every so often. 4 security deposit. forget about getting all of it. $190 cleaning fee (mandatory that no one tells you about when you sign the lease). Of course the crazy amount of utilities will be added, and maintenance charges. Of course, if they make a mistake and don't give you the right amount you will wait weeks for them to resolve it.... Just try to be late on a rent and see how much they charge extra.... 5 during the pandemic they closed the access to all facilities (which is of course the right thing to do), but of course your rent kept covering all those facilities you never got to use. Also it took them over a year to have hand sanitizer accessible for everyone. 6 It is still not safe. We had some violent crimes in the building. They try to be better about it, but basically the responsibility go to the doorman, and there is so much they can do. 7 so much trash outside. This is not HPT fault, a the park across the street + chicago winds, you will be seeing trash all day every day. If you have a dog be ready to hold it close 8 you can hear everything. paper thin walls + vents that carry sounds from other apts. 9 want to get packages? You got to pay $50 per year for a useless locker. USPS will not use it, fedex will not pick packages from it, amazon will usually leave the packages out and the doorman will have to put them in. So it is secure.... sure.... but most providers won't bother using it So you pay a lot extra for a newish nice high rise, but you will end up paying between 100-300 more each month on extras in addition to rent (utils $150, parking and electricity that you also pay on your own) If you must live in a high rise it is a nice building with nice location, but be ready for a big rent increase and high utils. There are bigger and nicer properties in the area for a better price. Oh and best of luck getting the money when it is time to get your security deposit read more

The building and property itself is great. No complaints there. This review pertains to upper management. Managing broker is EXTREMELY rude. Why are people in a people based industry if they don't know how to properly communicate? Thought about living here but was immediately turned off by what my broker told me. She allowed me to listen in on a phone call. Needless to say, I do not feel comfortable living somewhere where the person in charge treats people this way. read more

Property Management and Maintenance teams is awesome, unfortunately they don't manage the building in its entirety. Aimco Properties is horrible. Most of the home office employees are not familiar with the company policy, so when you call you'll receive multiple different answers tot he same question and no sense of urgency to help the tenant. The building is expensive and overpriced for Hyde Park. read more

Love living at Hyde Park Tower Apartments. Many people complaining about the price but it is very comparable to similar apartments in Hyde Park. The cost of rent is an economy issue, since Hyde Park houses UChicago, demand is high which drives the cost of rent up. If you dont like the price, you won't find a better deal in this neighbourhood so start looking elsewhere. Secure, clean building. Lots of laundry machine in building (have never had to wait for a machine in my 11 months, plus they have a re-loadable payment card which is super convenient). Front desk and management staff are very friendly and personal. Maintenance is done in a timely fashion, and the maintenance staff are very professional. Parking is slightly over priced, but that goes with the hyde park territory again. Im glad though that they have parking available in the building. Close to amenities: banks, grocery stores, public transit literally right outside your door, starbucks, chipotle, + + + + : anything you need is in walking distance. Lots of units have gorgeous views of the lake, which is amazing to see every day. Cons: And I'm not even entirely sure if this IS a con.. but CURRENTLY there is lots of construction going on. Not a CON per se but it is loud and a little dusty in areas. Elevator delays during busy times due to one being serviced for the renos. Expected time to be finished in Dec 2016 and so far everything has been on time per management updates. Everything that is already completed (new gym, new lounge) is gorgeous. Love all the new renos and cant wait to see the completely finished product. Just wish they had put more equipment in the gym when re-done. A few high quality weight machines as well as yoga mats and **BOSU BALLS** and medicine balls. read more

Hyde Park Tower is truly amazing; the staff, the conditions, the facilities, and the environment is ideal. They are constantly making improvements to modernize the apartments and the complex. I have looked all over Hyde Park to find a complex that is friendly and compatible for dogs; this is the best. The price is steep, but it's worth it for what they provide. read more

I've been a resident at Hyde Park Tower's for over 10 years, and I love living here and proud to call it my home! I enjoy our modern amenities, frequent upgrades, upkeep of the building, and our friendly neighbors. It's beautiful location is in walking distance to the lakefront, park, bus and metra train lines. With the emergence of the Coronavirus, the Hyde Park Towers Team has become our Essential Workers. They show up for work in the mindset for service, adhering to safety guidelines by wearing masks and practicing social distance as much as possible. Our Concierge's have a professional style and manner when engaging our residents and visitors to our community. Our maintenance team does an impeccable job of keeping the building grounds, and the common areas of the property clean and sanitized. They respond to all service requests in a time and professional manner. Our Maintenance Team makes every effort to ensure that residents are pleased with services rendered. Under the current management of Ashley Hemphill, the Hyde Park Towers Team continues to play a key role in my living experiences here. They are ,in part,the reason I have called Hyde Park Tower's home for 16 years and counting! read more

First contact was good, but over a year span things degraded. From start the flat was overpriced ($1600 minimum for a two bedroom, plus charges which easily go up $150), but I was told the rent increase would be small on renewal and the venue looked nice. What a surprise when a year later the rent increase turned out to be $200 a month!!! I had to move out. Among other problems: 1) Office staff is friendly as long as they want you to sign. Once you're a resident, the friendliness drops dramatically. 2) Time responsiveness of the office staff can be very long. 3) Though all payment from the residents are considered late on the second of each month, the security deposit is only given back up to 45 days after move out. 4) Front staff can be quite unpleasant. While I locked myself out of the apartment and went to see the doorman so he would let me in, his answer started by: "Oh maaaaaan, oh no maaaan, we gonna have to start charging you if you keep forgetting your keys, that's not possible maaan". This was the first time I forgot my key in 8 months. In a nutshell: Overpriced Unfriendly after signing the lease Not recommended read more

My husband and I are so disappointed in this place. Their management does some shady things. There are resident meetings every few months that basically turn into a bitchfest because no one is happy. The CEO basically told us "you don't like it here...move!" They like to throw in these fees every now and then & since it says that they can do that in their lease, we had no choice but to pay them. Things like "base energy" and "exterminatiin fee" and they also are making it a requirement to have your rent automatically withdrawed from your bank account. I strongly urge people looking into living there to research AIMCO. read more

You are putting yourself into a big risk by choosing this place! 1) A REMINDER TO U: read every single word in the rental contract, they take no responsibilities for pretty much everything. So be prepared to all kinds of "traps" which will cost you several grands. 2) They recently changed their management, and the new management is very bad. They barely response to any requests. 3) OVERPRICED! They pretty much charge everything they can. The refundable deposit will never go back to you, because they will try their best to charge every penny from it and ask you to pay more! Overall, you avoid this place if you can! read more

As an update to my last review, this building still has issues. Residents and their guests are still smoking on the property. Garbage receptacles are regularly overflowing in the garage. In addition to the ongoing renovation of its older units (drilling and pounding noises during business hours), there is also exterior work on all sides of the building that has started and is expected to last throughout the summer. Apparently water is getting inside the units. Lastly, the only three elevators for the building are being replaced. This is being done one by one, but is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Unfortunately for the current residents, only two elevators are operable at any given time. But if there is a move in or out, we have to make do with one. What makes matters worse, during the day, the elevators also have to be shared with the workmen. read more

Its 80 degrees now. And supposed to be 94 degrees soon. No air conditioning, and air conditioning will not be there for almost a week longer. Not that anything broke down. This is policy here. They charge you for central cooling, so that the staff sits in a nice cool space, while you boil in sweltering heat. read more

The only value to living in Hyde Park Tower is the location. Otherwise, I can say that this was one of the WORST places I've ever lived! I can't begin to list the problems, but here are a few standouts: 1. there were ceiling leaks in my apartment on three different occasions; 2. the building's boilers broke down on three different occasions - leaving the residents withOut heat for hours; 3. a mouse got into the apartment; 4. consistent fluctuations in the building fees (I referred to as assessments) that increased my monthly rent by $150 - 250 (I could never get a clear answer from the management company about how the fees were divided among residents); 5. the elevator broke down frequently - forcing people to climb the stairs in a 20+ story building. You should review the lease CAREFULLY for details not directly revealed by the management company. I lived in the building for only one year - and it was the WORST! read more

"My main issue is that the property is advertised as smoke free but the smell of marijuana is regularly in elevators, on my floor, seeps into my unit through vents, and in the garage. Having a small child, that is something very important to me. Also, management is very quick to try to serve a 5 day notice if payment is a few days late where most other properties have a 5 day grace period before late fees are incurred much less a 5 day notice being served." read more

On our building tour, we specifically asked the manager if there were any additional fees per month that we would be charged, as we had read previous building reviews with unhappy tenants. The manager said there were additional building fees, but they are generally around $50. Over our 15 month lease, these bills have ranged from $88-$140, averaging $117 per month. These fees are mainly for common area heating/cooling/electricity. One month our "trash fee" was $17. These fees are just absurd. This doesn't include the separate electricity bill we pay to a private company or cable and internet. Whatever it is that controls the heating and hot water frequently breaks down, as we have lost heat and hot water several times over 15 months. Our window was leaking, literally soaking the carpet and making the wall bubble. We didn't care about the aesthetics, but wanted to inform the maintenance staff in case there was a bigger problem that needed to be dealt with. The maintenance employee literally just cut the piece of wall out and re-plastered it, without ever attempting to fix the actual problem. Just a bandaid for a larger issue. Our window even grows a thick coat of ice (on the inside!) throughout the winter. The elevators had never worked properly since we moved in, some times we had to push the door shut so it could function. Over the Christmas break, all three elevators broke down for several days. Now, one month later, only two of the three are functioning and they are worse than ever. The doors always need to be pushed shut and the display to show which floor you are on does not work in one. Who knows why the third is still not functioning. After we moved in and paid our pet deposit and dog rent, we were informed while walking through the lobby that dogs needed to be taken out the back door, beside the dumpsters. There was constantly broken glass and garbage everywhere. Many times I found shards of glass on my door mat in my apartment from my shoes after taking the dog out. After a couple months, the back door stopped working properly. Our FOB wouldn't work and the door would jam. Several times we walked all the way to the back door, then found that we could not get in, and had to walk back to the front, only to receive dirty looks from the door man. Once we were told just to keep knocking until we could be let in. I pay rent, and my dog pays rent, there is no reason we should have to face all these issues. Aside from the bathrooms and kitchen, there are no ceiling lights, so lamps are necessary. Our refrigerator didn't have a handle so it was very difficult to open the door with wet or full hands. Some of the door men are fabulous and extremely friendly. Others are cranky and don't so much as look at you and say hello, let alone buzz open the door for you if they are "busy". Sometimes they can be very strict and almost make you feel unwelcome in your own home. We were happy with our individual unit and our view of the city, the park, and the lake. However, after our 15 month lease is up, they wanted to raise our rent by 15%, almost $200 more per month (plus dog rent, plus parking, plus "additional fees"). It's just not practical, nor is this building worth that kind of money. Management changed several times over our 15 months rental period and we could never get help when needed because the policies changed each time a new manager was hired. We moved out at the end of our lease and wouldn't suggest the building to anyone. read more

I've lived at Hyde Park Tower Apartments for about two months now. Prior to moving here I lived in various high rise apartment buildings in the South and West Loop for the past seven years so I have a lot of experience in dealing with high rise apartment living. I have to honestly say I haven't been this happy with an apartment since my initial shock of living in the loop in my first high rise building. Some folks have complained about the price of HPT all I can say to them is move into the loop and I assure you will appreciate the value you get at HPT. Aside from saving a lot of money moving to HPT I can finally live some place where not only the residents are very cordial but the security staff, maintenance and the extraordinary support you get from the leasing team makes me love coming home everyday. Security is not taken lightly here. My first week in the building one of the security personnel at the front desk (stationed as soon as you enter the front door) stopped me to ask was I a resident as he had never seen me before. Initially I was irritated but quickly changed my mindset as I recalled in my previous building security was also at the front door but folks would just walk right past them without a word and have access to the entire building. Not at HPT! If Security doesn't know you they will stop you (politely) and find out who you are your name and your apartment. Now when I see the security guard that stopped me he greets me with a smile and calls me by my first name. I'm typing too much but I will end with this comment, if you're looking for a secure, friendly, quiet and economical place to live please come to HPT, good location, great people and a peace of mind you don't get from many high rise buildings. read more

The only reason this gets one star is that the neighborhood is great and the apartment building is just steps away from public transportation. As the previous poster states, this building is extremely overpriced. The $1600 is actually for a one bedroom which they call a 2 bedroom because apartment features a den that doubles as a living room or bedroom. On top of that, you are charged common area maintenance which fluctuates month to month. THe costs range from $80 to $120. Some of the charges are ridiculous. An example would be charging for gas use when the stove is electric or "cooling" costs that was as high as $60 one month. I rarely turned on the air in my own apartment. When the property manager was questioned about some of the line items they couldn't provide an explanation. The offsite mangement company was contacted and the response was "I'll have to get back to you.", which of course they never did. I made the decision to move after about three months there. Add a parking space( a must if you have a car in Hyde Park) at $150 to $200 a pop and your monthly outlay is easily over $1800! Stupidly, I signed a 14 month lease, which I since found out was illegal. 12 months is the limit. I paid $300 deposit. When I moved out it was quickly apparant that I would never see that deposit again. Your unit is to be professionally cleaned. If not, they charge $140 ( to clean a small one bedroom, mind you). The carpet has to be professionally cleaned, if not, the cost is $60. So you pay for getting the apartment move in ready when most mgmt companies figure that in their rent costs. I was then informed I would be charged for residual CAM costs for the mystery charges I previously mentioned. In the end, I was nickled and dimed for another $45 bucks. Most of the door and maintenance staff were friendly and helpful. However onsite managers are changed there as often as folks change underwear. I was there for a year and saw at least three different onsite managers. The company that manages the place needs to be replaced or they will continue to lose good tenants. They can do so much more in gving tenants the opportunity to meet one another or try to connect tenants to all that's happening in Hyde Park. My advice would be to look elsewhere for an apartment with better value and managment that doesn't look to fleece its tenants. read more

Im a longtime resident of Hyde Park Towers, and each year the management of the building, customer service, and upgrade in amenities gets better. There is a true sense of community among its diverse residents and the HPT team! The office staff, concierges, and the maintenance team are professional, friendly, and extremely helpful. Its beautiful thing living nearby public transportation, lakefront, parks, stores, and restaurants! I truly love being a resident and proud to call HPT my high rise HOME!!! read more

"I've lived in Hyde Park Tower since the beginning of March 2015. I really enjoy living in the building. It's quiet and the residents and office staff are very friendly and helpful. One of the things I like most is that they take resident security very seriously. They are sure to call before allowing deliveries or guest up to the apartment. And they also utilize the live camera in the building for your safety." read more

Hyde Park Tower Apartments is a wonderful apartment community! The management staff is phenomenal and the building has just recently had beautiful renovations throughout. Choosing this building for my family has been a great decision. read more

"The service I received from maintenance was INCREDIBLE! They fixed everything in a timely manor and even left I delicious bag of popcorn! They think of everything!" read more