Apartment Review for 211 East Delaware Place - Chicago, IL

This is by far the worse apartment building I have ever rented. I moved in a few months ago under misleading pretenses. I worked with Ben Kelsey (leasing agent) and Laura Wallace (property manager). First, I was assured by Ben that he could find me an apartment on a high floor. I received an email from Ben on Wednesday morning stating an apartment had become available on the top floor of the building. According to Ben when I returned the email two hours later that apartment had been rented, however, an apartment one floor below the original apartment had become available. I agreed that apartment would be suitable and we arranged a time to meet the following morning. When I arrived to sign the lease it too had been rented. I chose to confront Ben about the agreement we had made just 6 hours earlier since I felt that his actions displayed a clear sign of disrespect for others. I wanted to make sure this lack of respect was not the manner in which Laura Wallace, the property manager, treated her tenant. Ben continued to express his apologies. Placing blame on the large number of leasing agents and a lack of communication within the office until I convinced myself he lacked a proper education and did not have enough common sense to “touch base” with his coworkers. Ben may or may not have a proper education but as a graduate of an Ivy League school I can only blame myself for not following my gut instinct that this would be the first of many issues. 1. Ben is the only leasing agent for 211 East Delaware Place 2. I had to ask to have my apartment cleaned three times before I could actually move in and after three “cleanings” I still could not use the refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher. They had not attempted to clean inside or underneath the appliance. a. I found a dead fly along with mold in my refrigerator b. Unwashed dishes in the dishwasher c. Cook in the oven d. Mold was everywhere e. The worst - the dead mouse I found under the stove. f. I ended up leaving the city for busy and hired Mary Maids. They were here for two days to clean a very small studio. 3. Cooling is a major issue; however, Laura has decided instead of fixing the problem she has opened the fire doors to circulate the air. 4. The laundry room is in the basement of this “renovated” building. Please note, regardless of what Ben tells you they are not in the process of renovating the basement and the machines are not being replaced with card operated machines. 5. The basement resembles an abandon building and is infested with rats 6. There is quite a bit of false advertisement on the flyers and posted on the site, however, this is common “fluff”. a. In order for the company to use the term “luxurious” they must be comparing the building to the Chicago Housing Properties. b. Please be aware that TV’s cannot be mounted on the wall since there are no studs in the walls. Behind a sheet of drywall is brink. c. Updated appliances only refer to the fact they are stainless steel. The over cannot even reach 300 degrees. 7. The heating and A/C are both run though the same system and they are both included in the electric bill. These are not window units you would find in a hotel room but instead a motel room that can be reserved by the hour. 8. According to Ben, “Subletting is an option. In fact he will help you sublet. Buy-outs are very rare.” This building is starving for tenants. Every weekend since April 30 I have watched a large number of individuals move out and yet I have only witnessed one person move in. a. FYI-As for the one person I saw move in, I overheard her in Ben’s office on Friday. I have always heard redheads have a temper but you will never understand until you see it. Ben may have lied to the wrong girl this time.