BJB Properties

I liked my apartment at 2850 N. Sheridan. It was a perfect size for just me. The guys that work the desk at night are great! The maintenance guys are also very nice and say hi to you whenever you see them. For them, I’d give them 5 stars for being great people and doing their job well. That being said… dealing with their management and «corporate» is an absolute nightmare. They will take you for every penny that you are worth. They are heartless. Be very careful when you sign a lease with BJB. If for whatever reason you need to move out before your lease ends, it will be impossible to find a sub-​letter because they will read the other terrible reviews on Unilocal and say «hell no!».
For the 2 years that I have lived there, my dishwasher never worked. They even installed a new one but because the floors are uneven the dishwasher couldn’t be hooked up properly. The furnace basically blew up filling my entire apartment with hot steam. Everything was soaked and not once did management contact me to apologize. Everything was soaked in water ruining everything in my bedroom — books, pictures, an iPad — my mattress and couches were wet for a month! The whole first year that I lived there my floor was under construction and then they replaced our doors with hotel key card doors… Anyone in possession of one of those key cards could get into the building. I could go on and on about how management and «corporate» is absolutely terrible but I think you get the gist. I’ve tried to talk to corporate myself but they were never seemed to have the time to respond to my emails.
Better off finding an apartment privately owned by people who care about people.

Moved into 2850 N Sheridan 5 months ago. Since the move in date one of the two elevators has been broken half of the time. In addition to the elevator either the side door or the entrance door or sometimes both are out of order.
On the brighter note the lobby is clean and when something breaks in the apartment it gets fixed quickly.
Note to the management– you should probably give the residents some what of a discount for having to deal with «your vendor’s parts not being shipped in time» for you to fix the elevator or the entry door systems.

I moved into one bedroom of a 3 bedroom apartment in the Gold Coast in August of 2015. One of our roommates stopped paying rent, and a few weeks later our internet was shut off. BJB Property employees (specifically Mike and Deana) were unbelievably helpful towards my roommate and I. They spent endless amounts of time on the phone with my roommate and I, and gave us excellent advice on how to resolve the situation.

This morning I was notified that BJB wanted to remodel the main level of our complex, and wanted my permission to remodel my unit. They wanted my permission?! We already get a great deal on our unit, and they could easily have just remodeled without my approval. It was exceptionally nice of them to ensure I was okay with what they were asking to do, and work with me on potential future pricing. With such excellent customer service, it is no wonder BJB is such a respected leasing company in Chicago. If you have the opportunity to lease a unit with BJB, I highly recommend doing so.

I live at 424 W Diversey and I really like it here. Close to everything anyone could possibly need, in a really nice area. The apartment has recently been redone and looks really great– everything looks barely lived in even though it’s a fairly old building. My place is pretty small (200 sqft) but the layout makes it functional for my cat and me. Everyone I’ve met in the building, wether they live or work here, are incredibly nice. Super awesome that internet and cable are included in rent.
The only cons I have are that this place is pretty dang small and you can hear the bar next door late some weekends even on the 5^th floor.

DO NOT LIVE HERE!
It deeply saddens me to write this review as I have had such an amazing experience in the past.
I recently stayed in 2850 N Sheridan with the property manager– Dino. I signed the lease without seeing the property as I had been away on military orders and needed a home to return to. On the day of move in, I was overwhelmed by sincere discomfort after meeting Dino where he expressed to me that he ‘threatened his tenants.’ Fast forward a few months later, and I am activated to deploy. Dino refused to terminate my lease. They requested information which I supplied (that wasnt enough), then they wanted a memo proving I was deploying (that wasnt enough), at this point they are still refusing to terminate my lease… therefore causing additional financial cost for me as I prepare to deploy. I have never experienced such lack of support for my military duty and complete disrespect. I spoke with BJBs ‘lawyer,’ Katie Barry, who was incredibly rude. When I asked her why this is a significant problem when I had resided with BJB prior and I had never experienced such conflict. She interrupted me, talked over me, and then said she wasn’t harassing me.
In addition, I have tried to get in touch with BJB corporate to express my concern. I used BJB’s facebook as an outlet. The return comment was to email them. No response when I did.
If you call any number provided for BJB, everyone will tell you they do not have it. I asked Dino for it as I did not feel comfortable speaking with him anymore and he refused to give it to me.
I truly recommend to stay away from these properties. I am happy to confirm any of this information if required.

I have been a resident at 517 W Oakdale for a little over a month now. At first, everything began off to a rough start and it was safe to say I wasn’t very pleased living here. However, after meeting up with the manager BJB was very quick to accommodate to my requests in a timely manner to ensure that I was happy For example, the dials on my stove were difficult to read because they had been worn down and I had issues with my refridgerator. Dino quickly replaced both appliances within a matter of days with new models. In the future, I will not hesitate to recommend BJB Properties to prospective residents.

I had an appointment with John of BJB to see a property that was listed on Craigslist. We exchanged emails a few times before I was able to call him on my lunch break to confirm. Over the phone, his manner was very curt and brusque, but I brushed it off since it wasn’t a face-​to-​face interaction.
However, meeting John at the building (specifically, 1632 Belmont) was terrible. I should have followed my first instinct when I spoke with him. Not only did he seem like he was in a hurry and rushing a friend and I through viewing everything (despite me making sure there was no appointment afterwards, and not even taking that long), he was VERY rude and condescending.
One word, brusque answers for most things, and he apparently thought we were naïve country bumpkins because he was so patronizing. When I briefly mentioned that this was smaller than what I was looking for, John tried to play us like this was what ALL Chicago apartments looked like, which is absolutely not true. He also CONSTANTLY told me that I would be hard pressed to find a better place than this (uh, no — this is a redone ex-​hotel), and continuously belittled me for my budget and said that I would have to sacrifice space for quality at my price range. This is also incorrect — I’ve seen several apartments, for around the same price as the unit John showed me, that was not the size of a postage stamp and still very doable. He went on to «explain the market» to us like we were five year olds.
When I also asked about where this person slept (since there was no bed in the so-​called occupied apartment), John retorted very rudely that it was «not his business.»
This building, while in a very nice area, is not worth the money in my opinion. You won’t be able to fit anything besides a full bed in here, and the kitchen doesn’t even have a real oven. What’s the point of having a diswasher if you’re never going to be able to cook anything to begin with?
Additionally, I don’t plan on having anything to do with BJB Properties ever again, especially if that guy was an indicator of the company as a whole. Apartment hunting is stressful enough without dealing with jerks. Thanks, John, for turning me off completely to this company! I now know to avoid any listings that show BJB Properties as the management company.

I have lived in a 1-​bed unit at the 1157 property for a year. The building is well-​maintained and clean, in an excellent location and has a great management/​maintenance staff. Rent for this property is quite affordable considering the neighborhood (and includes internet, gas, water, no security deposit). My unit is in good shape with a very vintage and quaint feel. No trouble with bugs, mold, etc. The building has a very simple rooftop with an outstanding view of the skyline, an elevator, a laundry room, some workout equipment and bike storage.
That being said, I am moving out September 1. My 1-​bed unit is very, very small for two people. The building itself lacks many amenities that I desire — dishwasher, central A/​C, garbage disposal, updated appliances, bedroom only fits a full size mattress, etc. — and my unit has an odd layout (the bathroom in my unit must be accessed through the closet and I have no counter space at all).
In summary, I enjoyed my experience at 1157 and with BJB! Would certainly be open to renting with them again!

I’ve almost been living here a year now at the 1036 N Dearborn apartment. It’s been a great experience. They changed apartment management at some point but both have been wonderful. They are very responsive and take care of things in a timely fashion.
The location is def what we are paying for. Close to everything! All utilities are included except for electric which makes it a lot easier for us. Internet is available but can be sketchy at times.
The only thing I dislike is the sketchy internet connection at times, the water build up during winter when using the heat, and the caulking coming up (they’ve always fixed everything!)
Overall great place to live. Very convenient amenities. Will def be looking at BJB properties for my next apartment lease and will def recommend them to others.
Thanks BJB Properties!

I remember upon moving in, i noticed the bathroom blinds were filthy and moldy. I immediately asked them to clean or replace them, as I just moved in and everything should be more or less cleanish. Their response– rinse it with cleaning solution. Really? Just moved in and you leave me moldy window treatments? How much does it cost to replace blinds? $ 10– 15? Or clean it? I really don’t have high expectations for the cleanliness of apartments upon move in, and I usually ended up doing light cleaning before moving in anyway, but this was a little ridiculous and gross.
Also, the «free» wireless internet was also a joke. It was so painfully slow I ended up getting AT&T DSL on my own because I just couldn’t bear it.

Kearby, a «mistake» had been made on one of the leases where it was a 13 month instead of 12 month lease. Yes it was signed, but was an oversight. In my 20 years of renting, I’ve never experienced this. We ended up advertising the place so we could get the month covered. A renter was found, and we stopped advertising due to BJB saying they had someone. We were relieved. Then, without notice to us — we found out later when BJB asked for our payment for the month we weren’t there, that the
renter required a cosigner and did not rent the place. Note: if we had known this, we could have used the extra time to move out. Another renter was found, for what was supposed to be a mid-​month move in and the new tenant decided to move in a week later or so and BJB made us pay his week. We do not rent w BJB.
Bottom line, there was an error on paperwork (an oversight by us and management), but we were made to pay over $ 1200 without living in this place. There was no compromise — even though both parties erred and poor communication.

I recently moved out of the 443 W Wrightwood building after living in a studio there for two years. My experience was generally positive but there were some issues so I figured I’d share my balanced review, since most of those on here are either really great or really terrible.
The good:
1) Location — goes without saying, convenient and beautiful. I loved being able to walk to the lake, to get groceries, to go out, to go anywhere. The street is remarkably quiet given its awesome location. And parking on the street is free and doesn’t require a permit!
2) Maintenance — generally prompt, friendly and responsive to issues. I had a leaky dishwasher that ruined the hardwood in my unit and they were able to replace it all within a week.
3) Doorman — THE BEST!!! I’d give him his own 5 star review if I could. Great at recognizing tenants and letting them into the building promptly so I rarely had to fumble for my keys.
The okay:
1) Management — this declined throughout my stay in the building. Mike H was AWESOME but his replacement Nicole was not nearly as good. Maintenance requests and building-​wide issues took longer to be resolved once she came on board. Our air conditioner covers weren’t removed until mid-​June after several 80+ degree days! The trash chute was also closed for weeks. And the laundry machine replacement took longer than it was supposed to. She also took much longer than Mike to respond to emails and messages. So if I was just rating Mike H as a manager, I’d give him 4 – 5 stars, but Nicole brought this down to a solid 3.
2) Amenities — the roof deck was gorgeous when it was open, but as other reviewers have said, it’s closed most of the time. And when it would open, it would be packed. I really wanted to enjoy it once more before I moved out, but it’s been closed since last fall. As others have noted, the gym is a joke but I pay for a yoga membership anyways so I didn’t really care. The laundry facility improved greatly while I was living there and finally takes credit cards, yay. Also loved that internet and gas were included in the rent, it’s always nice not to have to worry about more bills.
The bad:
1) Heat: The building is super old and not well insulated. I could hear wind whipping through my windows all winter. Even when the building temp was set at the requisite 65′ the temperature in my unit was far below that. I had to use a space heater all winter and it really jacked up my electric bill (which was not included in rent)
2) Leasing agents — my unit was on the first floor and was therefore one of the cheapest ones in the building. Because of this, when I gave my notice to move out, I was HOUNDED with leasing agents blowing up my phone with texts trying to show my unit at all hours of the day with little notice. As I work from home, this was a huge inconvenience. I finally put my foot down and finally told Nicole that I would let her know which times would work for me and she could do her damn job and coordinate with the agents. This helped, but it shouldn’t have been my responsibility in the first place.
3) Bugs and mold — yes, there are lots of bugs and mold in this very old building. Nothing that some well placed traps and spray bleach couldn’t help, but it was still gross. If you are a neat freak, better find a newer building. I made it work because it was the right price and the right location for me.

I have lived at their main building 2850 N Sheridan for 3 years now and while the location is amazing, there are a few points that earn this company /​building the one star (would give 0 if I could) rating.
They make the lobby look amazing to draw you in but the apartments need to be updated if you are going to raise the rent each year.
They also use the roof top as a major selling point for the building, however, it is only open Memorial Day through Labor Day. Also, it closes each night by 9 so you can’t really enjoy it if you have a full time job. The worst part is that this year it hasn’t yet opened since it is «under construction», with no one visibly doing any work to it. I was told it would be done for July however when I peeked up there today it doesn’t look as if anyone has even touched it and it certainly will not be done in a week. This means the person behind the desk who told me this information was either misinformed or straight up lied to my face.
I live on the 3^rd floor and overlook the roof of the lobby. I have witnessed workers catch my neighbors apartment on fire because of «rotting wood» in the window openings.
This building should be ashamed of the way it pulls the bait and switch on its tenants and selling them something they have no access to. This will be my last year here and I hate to leave such an awful review but I feel the need to warn people what to expect from this company and building.

I have lived at 2051 N. Sedgwick for about seven months and have had nothing but a wonderful experience with the building and with BJB Properties. The building itself is very quiet, in a great location, and the common areas are also kept very clean. Adam and Denise in the management office have been nothing but wonderful to work with. Adam always responds to emails and questions very quickly and I have never had a problem with getting something maintenance related fixed the same day that I send in the request. Adam even helped me get a snow shovel from the building to dig my car out in the winter! Overall nothing but the upmost of praise for BJB.

Absolutely terrible and upsetting experience. Stay away!!!
I met a leasing agent at the 828 Fullerton building, and he proceeded to show me two different units that I was told were the same price. After seeing both units, I chose one on the third floor and as I started to fill out my application, the agent told me he had made a mistake — the unit I had chosen was $ 65 more expensive than the price he had told me originally. So, I decided to go with the other unit on the second floor — which was less expensive — and verbally told the agent that I wanted to move forward with this unit and also put the number of this unit on my application. Later that evening, I sent the agent my pay stubs and a picture of my driver’s license via email and stated in the subject line that this information was for my application for the unit on the second floor.
The next day, the agent sent me a copy of a lease for the OTHER unit — the more expensive unit on the third floor — and stated that I had put the wrong unit number on my application.
I emailed him back immediately stating that, as I had discussed with him the day before, I wanted to take the unit on the second floor. He responded by saying that this unit had already been rented earlier in the day and was no longer available.
I called the BJB office immediately and was treated with a defensive tone by Denise, who stated that they manage 10 different buildings — essentially saying that these things can happen. I called again and spoke with Adam, who admitted the agent made a mistake and offered to waive my move-​in fee if I wanted to still move forward with the more expensive unit.
Needless to say, I would not recommend BJB to anyone. I was so relieved to have found an apartment, and because of their mistake, my time was wasted and I will need to continue looking.
And, to put the icing on the cake, all of this happened on my birthday — no pun intended.

I’ve lived at 1157 W. Diversey for almost a year now & have had great responses from both building management (Adam & Barb) when I’ve been locked out, had questions, or lost quarters in the laundry. Byron responds quickly to maintenance inquiries and requests.
The location is excellent! Can’t hear our neighbors. Great that almost all utilities are included with rent. Cat friendly! Internet included!
BEAUTIFUL view from the roof!
Only (small) cons: drafty windows, heat can sometimes be slow to get up to our floor, Internet can go out some times, laundry equipment is a bit dated, rooftop deck still hasn’t been renovated (fingers crossed for this summer!)
Overall feel like it’s a good deal for the historic building, location, utilities, Internet, & services provided!

Although I am not sure about other BJB Properties around the city, I would never recommend 211 E Delaware Pl to anyone in the market for an apartment. Although the apartment was in prime location (Michigan and Delaware), it was extremely over priced for the apartment issues and horrible management staff.
–When I took over the lease, I was actually subletting through another tenant. What was not communicated to me before I moved in, was that the management company and previous tenant would NOT be cleaning out the apartment before my move in. I moved into a dirty apartment and had to hire a cleaner. There were also lights missing, moldy blinds in the bathroom, blinds missing from a window, etc. It took about two weeks for these things to be replaced/​removed.
–I had my apartment sprayed a total of 5 times in the summer for bug issues. Each time this occurred, I emailed the management office expressing my concern and frustration. They took forever to respond and I had to email them consistently to even get an answer on when the issue could be resolved. I often had to include Gabby, who works at their «headquarters» in accounting to get an answer from the Property Manager. On average, it took about a week-​two weeks for someone to get to my apartment to clear the bug issue. I was promised that «this would be the last time» I would have issues with the bugs, and it never was. Horrible.
–After the 5^th bug issue, I advised the management office that I wanted out of my lease and they needed to find a sublet. They promised that they would help show the apartment and it was months before another Property Manager, Jesse contacted me to help me get the process going (when I was already told by PM Melissa that she would take care of it).
–Doorman was rude and inappropriate. He would whistle at me and my friends when we were in the lobby before a night of going out. I never got my packages on time. I had a book that was shipped to me in July that I did not receive until OCTOBER and flowers from a friend that were already dead when I opened the box. When I walked in to the lobby he would either say «Hello» nicely or «where do you think your going? who are you visiting in here».
The communication with the Property Manager Melissa was just horrible. No one was ever in the office, emails were always responded to late and when I asked for the company address to have a lawyer contact her about the ongoing issues in the building, she advised she «couldn’t disclose that information». Such a joke. Paying $ 1300 a month for a studio with bugs and the WORST management staff ever. Totally not worth it. There are so many other great places in the city to live in for the amount of rent they were charging. Would NOT recommend.

MOLD, BUGS & BAD MANAGEMENT; RUN AWAY FROM BJB PROPERTIES
*On record, Unilocal wouldn’t allow 0 stars.
Whoever said ‘location, location, location’ was not renting from BJB.
My husband & I have rented from BJB for 3+ years in multiple buildings & leases. His 1^st unit was a studio in Lincoln Park (629 W Deming) & he referred me to 443 W Wrightwood. They weren’t perfect but they worked. When we were preparing to get engaged, we decided to use BJB’s upgrade policy (i.e. move buildings as long as your new lease is $ 1 more per month) & got a bigger place in the Gold Coast (25 E Delaware).
25 E Delaware has been awful since day 1. Upon arrival on the date/​time we pre-​scheduled to move in, we were told the cleaning & painting crews hadn’t finished our unit so we had to wait to get in. We had to pay our movers to stand around for 2+ hours until the cleaning crew was out (paying the movers in 15 min. increments).
Over the last 1.5 years in the building, we have had multiple issues with the 25 E Delaware staff. The doorman is very nice but everyone else is TERRIBLE. The maintenance man, Peter, has loudly barged into our unit unannounced at the crack of dawn many times (walking in on me naked in the bathroom 1 time without apologizing). He has also left trails of dirt, plunger/​wet vac/​toilet water, chunks of paint, & other garbage in his wake. Our dishwasher did not work for the 1^st 14+ months we were in our unit & each time he came to fix/​check it, he emptied dishes onto the counter (& never put them back) — scratching multiple brand new wedding gifts. He also emptied our under our sink cleaning supplies onto the middle of the kitchen floor, & left everything out (a hazard to our cat).
Throughout the lease, issues like loud neighbors, mold in the bathrooms, & 2 separate instances of water damage in our ceiling (which had to be opened/​vented/​repaired & let huge bugs in) leaving us with only 1 of our 2 bathrooms & an eyesore in our hallway while we had visitors, occurred.
The last straw was when I got pregnant & issues we reported were not addressed after they were deemed dangerous living conditions by my doctor.
Having been responsible renters, we hoped our complaints would be resolved & that the building would help find another tenant so we could move out & get a suitable place to have a baby but that was not the case.
We sent an email in Oct. outlining our biggest issues & requesting that they re-​let our unit & allow us to vacate. The response we received included no plan to resolve the issues, sarcastic comments using quotes around words like «mold issues», they ignored our request to get out of our lease & didn’t acknowledge our doctor’s concerns whatsoever.
Here are some of the complaints we shared with BJB that were blatantly ignored:
— The elevators in the building constantly stop working, occasionally both at the same time. My wife is in her 5^th month of a rough pregnancy & cannot take 10 flights of stairs when the elevators stop working.
— Our unit is adjacent to the trash room on our floor & there are constant smells in the hall (stronger on the weekends when tenants leave trash in the room) that are not conducive to one who is already fighting nausea.
— While doing laundry in the basement we have seen LARGE American Cockroaches.
— There are little silver bugs that come out of the cracks in the molding & scurry across the tile in the bathrooms & kitchen.
— We have had to catch & kill roaches in our apartment. These bug infestations raise very big sanitary concerns.
— Repairs done to the apartment are sloppy & appear to be cost-​saving in nature. We got flies in our unit & noticed a small tear in the screen. When we reported this we were told they would replace that screen immediately but the screen was just taped shut.
— A mirror needed to be replaced & maintenance broke the mirror. It shattered into many tiny pieces & they did not clean it up. My wife cut her foot, I got small cuts, & our cat got into the glass (cutting her nose) — thank God she didn’t swallow anything.
We continued to pay rent in Nov. & again in Dec. even after we vacated the unit, hoping they would re-​lease it, as they are required to try to do per our lease agreement, but to date they haven’t confirmed completion of ANY of the maintenance requests filed in Oct., they have shown the unit 1 time, they apparently cleaned & painted the unit (without telling us they would be entering the unit), & they are insisting that we continue to pay, even though they confirmed they we turned possession back over to them.
Now we are faced with a decision, plead our case & possibly face collections for the rent due through the end of our lease — or continue paying over $ 2200 per month to an utterly irresponsible & terrible management company with awful, persistent maintenance issues.

It just keeps getting worse. Because they accept packages for approx. 4 buildings they now have a rule that if you don’t pick up your package in 3 days, they send it back. They also have shceduled apt entries 4x in the last month. First for ac removal when it was still 80 degrees out. Yes the nights were chilly but there is no airflow in these apartments therefore ac is needed. Second was to inspect the locks before the city (I think) inspected the locks. Now it’s the annual inspection. It’s poor planning on the mgmt’s part. They could have done all this in 1 – 2 entries (excluding the city). Dino’s only response was he gave sufficent notice per the lease. Well that’s true but have some common courtesy. He wouldn’t like it if we entered his home 4x. It’s a huge inconvenience to work around their schedules due to poor planning. I’m so over this place. Even the doorperson has commented about how the residents hate the management. I would leave but I’m just waiting on a personal situation to change before finding a subletter.
A couple months ago they entered my apt without notice, for pest control. They drilled holes into my wall in the kitchen and then left all the drywall dust and caulking in my sink for me to clean up. I was FURIOUS. I had personal items laying out knowing I would pick it up when I got home. Apparently, the management and pest control saw it all. I don’t trust this team. You never know when someone will be in your apartment.
Every time I see a person filling out an application I want to tell them to stop and go find something else, it isn’t worth it.

I lived at 2850 N Sheridan Rd for a year and it was a total nightmare.
First, there was a roach problem in my apartment. I bought roach traps out of my own pocket and set them all throughout the apartment. No matter what I did and how clean I was, they kept coming back. I believe the sink had a leak damage left behind by the last tenant and the moisture attracted roaches.
Second, I had a lot of serious issues with the management company and the leasing agents. They would show my apartment without my permission/​notice and barged into my apartment twice while I was still home — I was working from home at the time. They would also knock on the door during weekends with prospective tenants. I confronted the leasing agent and he claimed that the front desk had notified me, which was a lie. I emailed Dino, the main person of contact, but he never responded to my emails. I then confronted the front desk, to which they told me that their policy was to alert tenants through text messaging and the number they texted to wasn’t working. Not professional.
Third, some amenities advertised were not always available. For example, heating was not consistent during the winter time — there would be multiple situations during the night where the heat would be shut off and did not turn on until the morning. Another example is the internet, which is shared between floors and is often not usable during nights when everyone is using it.
On the positive side, the front desk staff have been great about handling packages. Additionally, the location is great as well. Overall, I would not rent in this building again and do not recommend anyone else to live here.