HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS LANDLORD!!! S&M was fantastic as a landlord and management company. If you're looking to move to lakeview, their oakdale apartments are fantastic. This landlord/property manager will take care of your needs whenever they come up. Hugo, the maintenance man, was awesome and took care of everything I needed when it came to maintenance. Extremely kind and helpful people. I was extremely happy with my stay at their apartment building on Oakdale. Cynthia Cotto was my main point of contact and she was BEYOND helpful with everything I needed. Thank you S&M for the wonderful service and help throughout my two years at your property! read more

The building I lived in alway filthy. They do not come and clean the They're very nasty The maintenance man is barely come around and when he comes around, he's always doing the bare minimum still missing what needs to be but they go up on the rent hallway. is terrible. They do not care. It's a very high turnover and it doesn't affect them so they continue on not doing anything to keep their tenants. if there is an issue they normally will come right away. I do give them that. read more

do not rent at 1635 W Morse the building has a bad german roach infestation. they did not inform me of any problems with roaches in the building prior to moving in and now after a year with roaches and no extermination they are raising the rent due to "market value comparisons" read more

See all

Building has infestations with mice, bats, moths, carpenter ants, roaches, beetles. Black mold grows everywhere, ceilings leak, and there are structural cracks in walls. Building is 100+ years old and falling apart due to cheap maintenence - every week has electrical or plumbing or other issue. Terribly rude management, only cares about extracting $$ from tenants with raising rent prices and introducing new fees for laundry, storage, ac units, internet, etc. Do not recommend living in any S&M buildings. read more

There is a reason their rent is "cheap." You definitely get what you pay for in their buildings. The building is full of leaks and black mold. If your ceiling has a leak, they will "fix" it by painting over it. If you're lucky, they'll patch the leak instead of just spray painting over it. Never, ever expect them to actually address the source of the leak. The quality of the maintenance is bottom of the barrel. They will never hire an actual specialist (plumber, electrician, etc.) because they're too cheap and they don't care. There is every type of critter living in the apartments: centipedes, carpet moths (they ate through tons of my clothes), beetles, silverfish, carpenter ants, and bats. The laundry room ceiling, which is saturated with water, is sinking lower each year, so much that you have to duck to avoid hitting your head on a pipe. There are countless holes, and leaks, and wood beams loaded with debris that are rotted and ready to fall. That is what is "supporting" the building. They'll slap on a nice coat of paint over the rotting, moldy, pest-infested horror show and hope you are fooled or too desperate for affordable housing to care. Their management is nasty and they only care about extracting more and more money from tenants. If you ever expect them to spend real money to solve a problem, expect a nasty, callous, and vengeful response. They do not care AT ALL about tenants or their buildings. read more

See all

I have absolutely loved living in the Pine Grove apartment that I have rented through S&M for the last year. I ran into a pretty major issue with my kitchen sink just a few weeks after moving in (the issue was with old outside pipes that needed to be replaced) and their team worked as quickly as they could to fix it, calling or emailing me often to check in and see how I was doing or give me an update. How many management companies can you name that contact YOU to check in when you are having an issue? The problem took a couple of weeks to fully resolve, since it was a big job, but their professionalism and kindness during this time was unparalleled! Since then, any small issue I've had has been fixed within 1-2 days, and actually FIXED, not just patching the problem. This is an amazing apartment for a very fair price. I'm so grateful to Cynthia, Diego, Luis, Hugo, and the rest of the S&M team! Thank you for all that you do! read more

I lived in one of S&M's buildings for several years and they are wonderful property managers! Maintenance requests were promptly resolved, and they proactively made several improvements to the shared spaces in my building while I was living there. They also added an online maintenance request system, so I could easily submit a request if a non-emergency issue came up outside of business hours. They are great! read more

Reliable and genuinely good landlords can be hard to come by, so I'm glad my first renting experience in Chicago happened to be from S & M Management. I rented from them for one year and the entire process - from applying for a lease to receiving back the security deposit -was easy and stress-free. Millie is very responsive to emails, so any issue/concern you may have will be addressed right away. I only had one maintenance request and had a very positive experience. Diego responded in minutes and fixed the problem within a couple of hours. Keep in mind the buildings are pretty old and not the nicest looking (you get what you pay for). But we had a lot of cabinet space in the kitchen, plenty of closet space, air conditioners supplied, and a dishwasher. We barely had maintenance issues despite the building being so old. S & M does a great job with making sure the buildings are safe and clean to live in. Would've loved to rent from them again but they didn't have the best options for me at the time. Overall, I had a worry-free and pleasant experience renting from them. read more

S&M is great! I have the best studio apartment and they are so on top of maintenance requests and keeping up with the building. They do a great job of responding promptly and they take good care of the building. The shared laundry space is clean and organized, the property manager is very responsive and they make appropriate updates to the apartment when needed. I highly recommend renting with S&M! Thank you for making my renting experience so enjoyable! read more

Thanks to Rihanna, I can't even write a check to S&M anymore without singing "Nah-nah-nah, come on!" as I sign my name. I've been living in one of their buildings for two years and it's been an uneventful, but positive experience. Millie is great...I've never met Scott. I couldn't pick Scott out of a line up, even if he had a "hi my name is Scott" nametag on. But Millie has been wonderful from the beginning. As long as you're paying your rent and aren't calling them for anything, you're likely not to hear from them. Which is fine. I am fortunate enough to have never had anything break down, so I can't say much about their maintenance crew. They did come in to install my window AC and seemed nice enough. Other than the occasional spider and centipede that like to show up when it gets warmer out, never ever had a pest/bug problem. I only recall them actually coming into my apartment once to spray around. So I don't know exactly what they do to keep pests at bay, but it works. Now don't go thinking that if you rent with them, your apartment will be all modern and uber fancy. No, it will not. But you are going to get a decent space of a decent size for a reasonable price. Speaking of price, I'd say their rent rates are pretty on par with what you'd expect in whichever area you're living in. The building next door currently has a 1 bedroom available for about $250 more than what I pay here, so take that as you will. I am about to move out and trust me, it was no easy decision. But S&M is definitely a company I'd have no reservations about renting from again in the future. Nah-nah-nah, come on! read more

I rented from the 3727 Pine Grove apartment for a year (2012 - 2013), interacting with landlord Millie Ventura during my stay. Millie was kind and demonstrates a high level of professionalism. I ended up going with a studio at around 350 sq ft, smaller than your average living space but I didn't need much at the time, plus the price point was too good to pass up. I chose not to go with air conditioning; huge mistake folks, especially when the summer nights heat the place up to 90 degrees so don't skimp out on a couple hundred for a window unit. There weren't many issues except for the laundry machine eating my money once and my shower drain getting clogged, which both were handled swiftly (refund and unclogged drain) within 48 hours. Package theft was becoming an issue, but she handled the situation appropriately by installing surveillance cameras by the postage. During the final few months of my stay, I did spot a couple roaches and mentioned this to Millie. She set up some traps in my room, so I came home to a couple dead ones on the floor. Better dead than alive, I suppose, but this was worrisome to me so I decided to end my lease, as I have a major phobia of large bugs. I've significantly upgraded since, closing on a couple condos in River North, but overall a positive experience at the Pine Grove residence. From a management perspective, Millie did a wonderful job addressing my needs and turning any outstanding tasks around quickly. Location is prime, only a couple blocks from the lake, with close proximity to Wrigleyville. Thanks again, Millie, hope all is well - Best, Charlie read more

This building was very relaxed, quiet and convenient. Until I noticed 3 huge rats in the basement of the building while I was washing. ‍SMH! PURE DISCUSTED! read more

I have rented with S&M for the past 2 years, in two different buildings. They are the absolute best landlords I have ever worked with. They are easy to deal with, and extremely helpful, they respond to requests timely, and they are extremely reasonable in terms of lease terms/rent amounts. I would recommend them to anyone in the area, and if I wasn't moving out of the city, I would continue to rent with them for years! read more

Scott & Millie are the best. I love my apartment and if I leave this neighborhood, I hope to find another property they own! There was a small problem with my older stove, and rather than repair it, they just put in a new stove!! They also make sure to help me with advice on utilities (phone, internet, etc.) to help me save money and find the best deal. I lived across the street for $300 more a month and moved into a much better building, with MUCH better management for less money. When I decided to rent, Millie even gave me a ride to the management office! They promptly return phone calls, take care of issues and are friendly to boot. Five stars! Five stars! Yay for S&M! read more

After renting for years in NY and in Chicago, I'm lucky to be in a building with pleasant and responsive and management. Repair requests are addressed within 24 hours and the maintenance staff is consciousness about cleaning up any mess. The units are older and little attention is paid to maintaining aesthetics, but everything works and they quickly evict the few problem tenants they have had. I highly recommend renting from this company. read more

Rented from S&M again in 2009-2011 and could not be more pleased. Another pleasant rental experience. Clean apartment, received service needed for any repairs in 1 day or less and received my entire security deposit in full when I moved out. Sad to leave such a great management company. I did however get a bike stolen out of the the downstairs bike rack. My bike was locked by the tire and the tire remained. Make sure you lock your bike by the frame! The was my only bad experience. read more

I have indeed enjoyed renting from S&M Building Management. The management office answered all maintenance requests quickly. The maintenance men were always friendly and respectful. They quickly responded to help me with minor issues in the apartment, and everything needed was resolved. Thank you for the professional service from the management office during the time I lived there. read more

I lived in an apartment rented from Scott and Millie for two years. I have to say it is the absolute best experience I have had from two landlords yet! They ALWAYS answered the phone on the first try and were incredibly quick to solve any issues that we had. Our rent was incredibly affordable for Chicago and we lived less than a half a mile from the lake shore path! They painted our entire apartment in all of the colors of our choosing (we had to paint it back to white before we left, but it was so nice to live somewhere that wasn't boring!) I also received my security deposit back less than a month after moving out- the fastest I have ever seen a deposit back! I moved to Chicago from Ann Arbor, MI and expected the quality and pricing of housing to be just terrible. I was pleasantly surprised to not only pay far less, but have no problems or complaints. I would highly recommend Scott and Millie! read more

Building is okay, rent is below market price, but Millie shows no respect and is a pain to work with. She is rude and doesn't treat people well regardless if you do everything right. Small issues will become big problems because of the way she handles things. read more

Friendly management team. Maintenance was very quick to address any requests. Highly recommend!

I've been renting a Lakeview apartment from S&M management for about year and a half now. I love it. Pros: -The price is absolutely affordable, and a deal for the neighborhood!!!!! My friends are always asking when I'm moving -Close to just about everything you need (Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart, Walgreens [24hrs] Bed, Bath & Beyond; TJ Maxx, Akira, LOFT, DSW, etc). The list goes on and on. -Building/unit issues are fixed within 24-hours of calling. My ceiling fan was making a loud annoying noise. They came in to fix it, realized it was a lost cause, and then replaced it the following day. I could not have been happier. -Great sized studio Cons: -Older building, old building issues (non-updated appliance; basement laundry; the occasional centipede [they love Lakeview]) -I had some issues in the beginning. I had just moved in and wanted my laundry list of items to be taken care of. They were, however the gentleman that did it clearly used my bathroom and left the seat up. He also dragged dirt in my apartment. However, I voiced my concerns and haven't had one since. I truly love my apartment, my neighborhood and the fair rent price. I've been in the city for quite some time so I understand the competition. I will be living in this building until I'm a baller or until I move out of the city read more

These guys are the greatest. Their apartments are fairly priced and are clean and well maintained. They respond quickly to any issues and/or requests. I wouldn't hesitate to rent from them. read more

The number of stars I would have given if allowed would be a number I am unable to count up to. After having to move on very short notice, Millie sublet my apartment within a week, no penalties, and also got my full deposit back. I had no problems whatsoever with management while living there, and they even let a few late rent payments slide without any penalty. If you are looking for an apartment in Chicago, you can't go wrong with S&M. read more

The management actually has the audacity to respond! So the theme is lying. Very fitting. She said, "After contacting their previous landlord and being given a bad reference, I decided to follow up by researching deeper by doing a social media search (I often do this when an application seems iffy)." Actually, after contacting our previous landlord, she did not receive a response at all. I wouldn't call that a bad reference because that's out of our control. While waiting for a response, it sounded like she got bored and wanted to dig up some dirt on us, so she decided to do a little 21st century stalking. During her frantic phone call, she let us know that after "researching", she learned that I have a pit bull and also that no one would call her back from our previous management company. Our previous management company is so franchised they would never reply, and can hardly keep anyone employed long enough for them to know who we are two years later. She did not ask us if we had a pit bull, she enlightened us! Also, I cannot believe that we are being called liars when she is blatantly lying about everything. This is obviously her defense mechanism. I explained what happened, step-by-step, from the second we walked into their office until the entire ordeal was over. I would not even bother wasting my time to make such things up. Unlike her, I don't have a business that I'm trying to save face for. By the way, she didn't simply tell us that she would refund our deposit. As I stated in my original review, she argued with my boyfriend for a few minutes, and then finally ended it by threateningly telling him that there was nothing that could be done because she had already refunded the deposit. She was not civil in the slightest. As for pit bulls, I defy anyone to define what a pit bull is. Are they registered with AKC? I don't think so. How many breeds are referred to as pit bull breeds? No other breed has such a plethora of sub-breeds. So which one is mine? The truth of the matter is that, like the boogeyman, there is no such thing. How could I be denied an apartment based on hashtags that I have used on my Instagram anyway? It's completely absurd. I have also used hashtags for other breeds that my dog looks like. She didn't care to wonder about that. She has completely made up incredibly random things that I have never even mentioned on my Instagram. "It was clear they had a pitbull from all the Instagram pictures and comments stating they had a sweet pitbull and that he was a pitbull rescue, etc." Perhaps my dog's cut ears (a common problem in Arizona) threw her off, but this is plain fibbing. What she actually said during her last phone call to my boyfriend was, "Your girlfriend said you have a blue nose pit bull." Hah! A blue nose, huh? Nonsense. As I stated in the original post, I loathe the designation of blue or red nose because of the despicable culture it suggests. It's funny that we can have an inside look at what her mind suggests when she sees an image so steeped in propaganda. Of course she won't even bring up that she said "blue nose" now because it's so far-fetched. Finally, the response itself should alert some to their stubborn nature. There is no customer appreciation or listening faculty about this place. They use the necessity of having shelter to help themselves to your money via application fees with no ambition to help others. She was disrespectful in every sense of the word throughout the entire process. From the moment we got there until it was all over, she was completely rude and made us feel alienated. My suggestion: If you're going to lie, I guess you're in the right business. read more

This is the best management company I ever rented from. Scott and Millie are the people in charge and they are great to work with. Maintence requests were always dealt with quickly, I needed a new stove one time and they brought it in 24 hours. I rented from them for 2 years and I would love to go with them again. They have a lot a properties in good locations. read more

My experience with S & M Building Management was top notch. Millie was so helpful throughout the move-in and move-out process. Maintenance responded to any requests within 24 hours. The 3727 N Pine Grove location was well maintained and rented at a great price considering the neighborhood and surrounding area. Had I not moved out of the city, I would have most definitely stayed with S & M Building Management. read more

They are a great management company. All problems are dealt with quickly. They're very flexible and want you to be a happy tenant.

As predicted, they jumped up to 5 stars. Super easy to deal with, expedient, and friendly. I am looking to move out of my studio now, but I really want to stay with an S&M Management bldg - no hassles! read more

I have lived at the Pine Grove location for a few months now and I only have good things to say! The building mgmt, especially DIEGO, is AWESOME!!! My dog gets nervous/defensive when men approach him but Diego made sure to establish a good relationship with my pup on their first meeting. I appreciated this in case there was ever something wrong with my apartment when I wasn't home, I trusted Diego with my dog. He's always responds to maintenance requests in a few minutes, never over an hour. I had a few problems with my shower and he called the plumbers to come in SEVERAL times until I was fully satisfied. Great management company!!! I highly recommend 10000%! read more

For nine years I have only had one place to mail my rent check, S & M Building Management. Without hesitation, Millie and Scott are quick to attend to any of my needs. Apartment concerns are always taken care of in a timely manner. All of the crew is friendly and the buildings are clean. I would recommend S & M Building Management to anyone looking to live in the city. read more

I've rented with S&M for about 3 years and they are awesome. Anytime we have a service request, it is taken care of within a day or two and all of the employees that I have met are really friendly and helpful. Rent is very reasonable as well. Great rental company! read more

S&M = peace of mind. We've been in our apartment for 3 months now and we have nothing but good things to say about S&M so I've updated from 4 to 5 stars! Millie helped us find a 1-bedroom in a beautiful courtyard building in a great location for $250 less than what we had been paying for a similar apartment in the same neighborhood managed by Planned Property. Millie went above and beyond by negotiating a deal between us and the last tenant, at our request, so that we could move in mid-month. In addition to the more reasonable rent & better customer service, so far S&M has outdone all of our past landlords (been renting for 10 years now) when it comes to the amount of care they put into apartment and building upkeep. S&M re-painted our apartment, put in 2 brand-new ceiling fans, sanded down and re-finished the floors, and thoroughly cleaned our apartment before we moved in. Then, a few mornings ago I called the office to request maintenance work on a few small things that came to our attention in the months since we moved in. Lo-and-behold, the repairs were done by noon that same day- it doesn't get better than that!! read more

Scott & Millie are the best landlords! When I first moved here I originally was living in a building across the street, bat after only 2 days there I had seen cockroaches and drug deals in the hallways and the building always smelled like rotten trash. I was so upset that I had moved into that place and decided to look aroudn for other places since I had not signed a lease yet. Well I read all the awesome reviews for S&M and decided to call and they had a cute little 1BR available for the same price as the nastly studio across the way! I was so happy when Millie said I could move in the next day! They are the greatest and will have any problem fixed within 1 day! read more

I had a great experience renting with S and M Management. I rented with them Aug 2012 - Dec 2013, and if I wasn't moving in with someone I'm sure I would've stayed longer. The main reasons I've been happy: - They were very quick to fix all problems. I had a few small things in the bathroom and kitchen that needed to be fixed, and they replaced them within a day at no charge. - The building is generally nicely maintained. Over the year and a half I lived there, they redid the laundry room and the back entrance - The rent was very reasonable, and I only saw a very small increase after my first year. I had a studio at 656 W Oakdale. The apartment itself was actually a great deal, and had a separate kitchen and walk-in closet. - They were very accommodating when I told them I had to move, even though it was the middle of winter. We quickly found someone to take over my lease and everything went smoothly! Overall I highly recommend them if you're looking to live in Lakeview/Lincoln Park! UPDATE: one more reason to be happy. I received my security deposit refund quickly and easily, within days of moving out. read more

Scott and Millie were amazing! I lived in a 1BR/1BA in East Lakeview for 1 year and had no complaints. The courtyard was pretty and the buildings were quiet during the week, but we were still close enough to Wrigley to be entertained by the rare drunk person passing out in the lawn outside of the door on the weekends or after a game. It met my "young professional bitter about leaving the fantasy world of college for work" vibe, perfectly. There were a few maintenance requests, as the building I lived in was older, and both of them were fixed within 24 hours of contacting the office. The pilot light on our stove was inconsistent, so instead of sending someone to fix it over and over again - they put in a new stove! Move out was also an excellent experience. EVERY SINGLE TIME the apartment was going to be shown, we got a call 24 hours in advance. When first moving to IL, I tried Chicago Apartment Finders to get an idea of the different neighborhoods and areas. I felt terrible walking into places when people obviously had NO notice that we were going to be there. It actually became a pretty big concern when later finding a place and I am happy to say that it was not something I had to worry about with Scott and Millie. The calls gave me time to stash any valuables or embarrassing items and to clean up...which I'm sure is a win-win for everyone. When the final days came, we scrubbed the apartment and repainted. You're always hopeful to get every penny of a big deposit back, but it is easy to become jaded after moving in/out of a handful of apartments...you quickly realize that companies take whatever they can. The move-out instructions simply state to clean your place as if your favorite relative or best friend is moving in after you. So, we kicked it up a notch and the apartment was cleaned as if we were trying to sleep with the new renters. It partly worked. When we got our deposit back - it was in its entirety. With interest. This is what inspired me to start a Yelp account. I highly recommend S&M Management and had I not moved to the depths of the desert, I would have gone out of my way to rent with them again. read more

We just moved in about a week ago. I sent an email to maintenance this morning about our shower and someone was at my door 15 minutes later, ready to help. They fixed our shower and our outlets all within an hour. No issues and extremely timely. It was SO timely, that I created a yelp account to write this review specifically. 5 stars! read more

I rented from SCOTT AND MILLIE and did for 8 years. Scott was very mean to me and Millie was always "I know my stuff and you're the stupid one" attitude!!! Very snooty and walked about with a complete "bloody nose"! They harassed me constantly and every Summer they had A/C rentals for $150/ season which was a complete RIP-OFF! If any kind of work I needed they would come in without me knowing it and leave my belongings all over the place. I'm sure they would say I was always late for rent...well if you are reading this review I can gladly show my paper proof and show that I wasn't in flying colors. At time, the only freight elevator completely went out and neither did Scott/Millie give anyone any kind of notice as to when the elevator would be fixed...in fact the elevator was out for over 90 days-more like 120 days. Finally, when I sued them for having a refrigerator going out, they didn't replace it unitl 5 days later. The thing that was so unbelievable is the fact that Millie came to court and she lied to a judge - I was there and heard it all! She told the judge that everyone got notice about the elevator - sure we got notice--about 120 days later after the fact! read more

After reading the reviews here on yelp, I was expecting S&M to have some great people. However......let's say some people here are really nice, but Millie is very rude, and she is not a reasonable person. Anyway, I was very disappointed...... read more

Rented here for a year and was extremely satisfied. Millie and Diego really know how to take care of tenants. Maintenance requests are addressed in a very timely manner. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a place to rent. read more

My experience with S & M Building Management has been nothing but great. Our landlord, Millie, is always very responsive in any situation. Any maintenance request we enter is completed in 24 hours or less. It is a small management company and it has that "small-town" feel - you can tell they really care about their tenants! Coming from a small town and moving to the "big city" it was a great middle ground in comparison to many of the high-rises and other management companies that we ran into. The location is unbeatable and rent is entirely reasonable. The only issue I've ever had is the laundry machines not drying the clothes entirely and having to pay twice - but that is expected when it isn't in-unit laundry. I'm happy to have signed with S & M for our 2nd year! read more