College Rising Company

Horror story.
I could tell you how rent was overpriced for being a tiny room in the shitty side of west chicago or how my roomates both said how Chris had kept the deposits of two different past tenants when they moved out, even though the new tenants that took their contracts were both made to pay new deposits… and other dubious things. However, im only going to talk about my personal experience and the things i know FOR SURE:
I needed a room to live in for 7 weeks while on my internship. I was told that the carpet would be clean before i moved in. I was made to pay 2 months in advance and deposits for the room AND furniture (a month and a half worth) AND $ 50 for a credit check and «application fee.» (also in advance), when i moved in the carpet was still filthy. I was also told i would have a parking spot: however the other tenants were using it and i was told by the landlord he had no way of enforcing them using my space (yet he owns the building?)
The AC was shut down for 5 days during the 4^th of July week. At one point it was over 103 degrees inside my room and had to sleep naked in the floor with 2 fans pointing at me, still woke up completely soaked. Throughout this ordeal, i called Chris on 3 separate days and left the landlord voice mails on 4 occasions (he never picked up the phone). One of my roomates ended up fixing the AC because neither Chris or the landlord ever showed their face.
2 months later when it was time to get my deposit back, he tried to charge me for the carpet! (thank god i had taken pictures proving how shitty it was before i moved in) but he still charged me a portion of the «cleaning» fee for the rest of the apartment even though i was living there for only 2 months and he knew, (through his repeated impromptu surprise visits, that i was not responsible for the filth in common areas) that i wasnt responsible for whatever mess he charged me for (he knew i was gone working 8 to 7 and that i left to stay at my girlfriend’s for the weekend).
Not to mention he told me i would have my deposit back when my time was done. I was worried about this specially because he made me pay him so much money in advance before moving in. Well i moved out after he had inspected the place and called him about it he said he didnt have enough money and that he had 40 days to return my deposit anyways.
ONE MORE THING: He had a penchant for arriving unannounced to either «check on us» or «show the room». I told him several times over the phone and through email that i was really upset about him just barging in waking me up whenever he wanted and without notice. One time i wrote him an angry email about it and 24 hours later he came in to show my room while i was in the shower.
Conclusion: This guy is a crook, I even tried to be nice to him but my experience with him was just absolutely terrible. Would give it «minus» stars if i could. STAY AWAY.

Chris was very helpful in the mission to find a place here in Chicago as we were moving out here for graduate school. He made it very easy assembling multiple options to view as we had to drive from 4 hours away! When we chose a place he also got the landlord to drop rent by $ 50 a month! I highly recommend this company.