Tenant Reviews for 1220 N STATE PKY

I cannot emphasize enough how awful my experience was at Canterbury Court Apartments. It was nothing short of a nightmare. From the moment I moved in, it was clear that this place was a breeding ground for misery. Let me walk you through the long list of grievances I had to endure: 1 Insect Invasion: The bugs infesting my apartment were monstrous, with some being bigger than my thumb. It was like living in a horror movie! The pest control was not sufficient in ever resolving this despite that I always had washed dishes and never left food out. Disgusting and unacceptable! 2 Draftiest Windows Ever: If you enjoy feeling the freezing winter air and hearing the constant whistling sound of wind gusts, then this place is perfect for you! The windows were so poorly sealed that I might as well have been living outdoors. It was impossible to maintain a comfortable temperature inside. Furthermore, the windows and blinds were broken and the windows didn’t even have screens. 3 Incompetent Rent Payment System: The management messed up my rent/AC payment not once, but twice! They accused me of not paying and caused unnecessary stress and confusion. Their accounting system was sloppy and unreliable, making it impossible to trust them with financial matters. 4 Ancient Appliances: The appliances in my unit were ancient relics from a bygone era. The sink faucet was so worn out that it wouldn't turn off, resulting in a near-flooding of my apartment. The lack of basic maintenance and updates was appalling and put my safety at risk. 7 Astronomical Rent Increase: The apartment was marketed as a "discount studio" with the claim that "many students live here." This misleading marketing tactic led me to believe that the rent would be reasonably affordable for a student. However, the reality couldn't have been further from the truth.To add insult to injury, the rent skyrocketed by nearly 40% within a year. This unjustifiable increase left me struggling to make ends meet. It's clear that the family-owned business prioritizes profit over tenant satisfaction. In conclusion, I strongly advise against renting at Canterbury Court Apartments. The experience was nothing short of a living hell. The bugs, drafty windows, incompetent management, ancient appliances, lack of amenities, sky-high costs, rent hike, and much more made my time there unbearable. Save yourself the agony and look elsewhere for a decent place to call home.

Lived here for around 6 months in 2019, in a one bedroom apartment. Location is great, right next to the lake. Also really nice you can get a short term tenancy agreement, and a furnished apartment. The wifi/internet is fast. Staff is really nice, especially the janitors. The manager not so much, she's quite the witch. However, the whole building is very old, which is nice for atmosphere, but as everything has been very poorly maintained, it all feels very dated and is in quite poor condition. Windows are single glazing and rattle, wind blows right through the cracks, as does street sound. Heating in winter is hit and miss, you really don't want to be home during daytime, as it's freezing cold then. Woodwork hasn't been painted in ages and is rotting and falling apart. Kitchen is tiny without any ventilation, and impossible to keep clean with nooks and crannies everywhere. Bathroom was falling apart too, silicon sealant coming loose everywhere, everything very worn. You get cooked by the shower when another apartment turns theirs on too. Also, upstairs neighbours are very 'present' when they're listening to music or getting some action. And really, the furnishing is a bit of a joke, very cheap quality, plus you have to get everything else (pots and pans, hoover, bed linnen) yourself, and throw it away or bring it to the thriftshop afterwards. Another thing that I didn't like is the strict door policy. You can only enter via the doorman/woman, who has to buzz you in. They know everything of you, what you do and when, your guests. Speaking of guests, you cannot have them for more than a few days a month, or you have to pay $100. In this sense, it feels more like a hotel than your own apartment, not a lot of privacy. If I were to live in Chicago again, I'd look elsewhere.

Except for the "city noise" the apartment is great. Nothing fancy, no bugs or rodents, and everything works. I could not believe some of these prior poor reviews but I give them an A+ for what they offer.

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE.... a total nightmare.. I only moved here because I couldn't find any available short term lease apartments during a specific short stay period ( 2 months ).. the place is the worst that I ever lived in through my entire life.. overpriced for absolutely nothing.. The management and front desk staff are rude and stupid...We rented the place before actually seeing it.. When I first entered, I felt like throwing up.. there is nothing good about it... The apartment is old, stinky, disgusting and the furniture is a JOKE!! do you actually call it furnished?! The kitchen is even a bigger joke.. There is no ventilation and you feel like suffocating ... the bathroom is creepy and everything there is dirty, old and falling apart!! I would rather live in the street than this place.. DONT LIVE HERE

I was yelled at by Joan in Management for asking about a rate increase. Bear in mind that I paid the deposit for an apartment a month ago after being informed of certain rates. When I called again to ask some questions, I was told that the rate in question had increased by 100% and I would now have to pay the new rate before moving in. Upong asking about the rate increase, Joan got combative over the phone. I'm sure this is illegal. I was told of a certain rate and I paid an expensive deposit to hold an apartment, with that in mind. I will be taking this up with BBB.

I've been living here for the past 5 years, Great location ! Awesome employees I just love it here, great price also.

- Close to CVS, Walgreens, Jewel - Close to a lot of BARS (rush & division is 30 secs away, a lot more bars and restaurants 1 block south. - 2 blocks from Red Line Train - Overpriced for very old building, small apartments, depressing feeling

This is a really decent short term rental, if you don't mind living in a place that's like an old dorm room. The good: (1) Location. Convenient to el, groceries, easy walk to everything the city offers, right next to thriving bar/restaurant scene (a plus and minus). (2) Security. Conscientious, if somewhat eccentric staff at the door who know and watch everybody. (3) Well-maintained, although threadbare. A couple of times, an elevator went out of service. It was fixed the same day, even on Sunday. Same thing with a broken washer in the laundry room--fixed very quickly. One minor maintenance issue in apartment was also quickly fixed. Common areas were clean, although very worn. NO bugs. Not even spiders. (4) Short term lease. These are hard to find in Chicago. I was able to arrange an 8 month lease over the phone. (5) Furnished, for an extra $100. The furnishings kind of sucked, but met my needs. Saved the hassle of buying and moving in stuff. (6) I had a great view. The bad: (1) Not luxurious. Not even close. As I said, it was like a dorm room. But I've lived in nicer places that were far less well maintained. It's the only apartment I've ever had in many years of city living in various places that had absolutely no bugs and no maintenance issues. (2) Close to nightlife and the bars. A plus for some, but a noise issue when you want to sleep, at least on the Division street side of the building. (3) Staff may be mildly annoying for younger people. They keep an eye on things, making people sign in, asking questions, etc. Fifteen or twenty years ago, when I threw lots of parties and had lots of noisy out of town visitors, I would have found the scrutiny annoying. It didn't matter to me now. For me, they overlooked the limits on numbers of guests and days stayed, because, I suppose, my guests were well-behaved children and middle aged relatives.

The Goods: 1. Great location! Close to bar, shopping, restaurant, and even supermarket. Two blocks from the CTA train and a block from bus stop. Walking distance to Mag. Miles and all the great shopping. And also just a couple blocks away from the beach. In the heart of the Clark & Division~ 2. Tight security, door lady/gentlemen remembers everyone and isn't afraid to ask question. They have to buzz you in to let you into the apt. I felt safe in the apt and the apt is adjacent to a lounge which is lit. Coming home late in the late is ok, plus is it steps away from Clark & Division which always have tons of people and police patrolling. Apt is also in Gold Coast of the rich, hence great neighborhood to stroll in. 3. Tents are either elderly/college kids/young professional. Everyone is friendly and courteous. 4. Option of short-term lease (Min 3 Month) and furnished apt. The Bad: 1. $50 for guests that stay past 3 days and two guest limits only! That is just unheard of. If I pay for the apt I should let anyone that I want to stay over. 2. The place is old which does have its charm but it is OLD (and seems dusty and dirty). Carpets need to be replaced really bad, overall furniture need to be completely replaced, walls need to be painted, and the place need a really good scrub down. 3. Really small kitchen don't expect to be able to cook much. 4. Cheaper rent can be fund around the area for more modern & cleaner rooms. 5. No parking, expect to pay another $220 for monthly parking. (One parking garage across the street but can only park outside on the deck)

As everyone says the location is very good (although during the summer weekends the bars overflow with drunk 21 year-olds prone to screaming fights at 4am in the alley.) As a runner I deeply appreciated apt's proximity to lakefront and Lincoln Park, can't be beat. Some caveats: for short-term renters like me, the apartment is a bit bare-bones. Other business-traveler sublets supply linens, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, garbage cans, etc. Having to go get all this stuff for a one-month stay is a hassle. No screens on the windows, and air conditioners cost $150 extra in the summer. I didn't get one, meaning that I kept the windows open, and had lots of company in the form of mosquitoes, gnats, and random other winged insects I couldn't identify. Televisions supplied for I think $150 as well, which I also didn't pay. No wifi, free or otherwise, in the building. I wasn't familiar enough with Chicago to look farther out, but if I had to do it over again I would probably look for a furnished sublet a bit farther out, on a train line, that would certainly be cheaper and likely much nicer.