Tenant Reviews for 18 E ELM ST

The internet is abysmally slow. I routinely have to use my phone's wifi hotspot during the day to get my work done. Do not move here if your income depends on good wifi during covid. Forget about streaming anything in high def.

Some of the units in this old building were designed as apartments, and some were clearly not, since it is a former hotel. My apartment, for example, would be fine as an hotel room but is bad as a apartment. It is comically small for the price, even compared to other studios. Additionally, the heating/cooling of apartments is poor, since they removed the apartment's boilers to put in a fitness center. All apartments just have old window units for all h/c. Expect to pay at least $20-60 every month during the winter. Apparently people don't want to pay that, since last winter some pipes burst on the 5th floor and they just vacuumed without repairing the ceilings or carpets. Laundry facilities are fine. Trash pickup is included, but clearly inadequate - disgusting mountains of trash fill the small room every week, to the point where you just have to toss your bags in from the door. Security is good at night, but the back door is usually propped open during the day to air out the nasty trash room. Management wants to put money into wine bars and yoga sessions for tenants, but not basic services. Avoid!

New Management and redesign make this building a gem! I moved here last year (2016) and it was ugly, not very kept but decent. Just google to see the old photos, it was very dark and spooky looking. But now, wow! It's totally modern and I'm very glad that they treat tenants that have lived in the building before the remodel with respect and gratitude (didn't raise my rent much compared to what the units are now renting for and all the beautiful updates). New doors that use Key-Card access, brand new everything! Pretty safe building and location is awesome. Free internet, free DirectTV (although they took away Bravo ugh!), I have not seen any rats, rodents etc at all which is great and laundry room is ample and brand new. Only caveat I have is it'll be nice if they stepped up security a bit. Not that I feel unsafe but coming home late at night, it would be great for the doorman to be around longer (he leaves around 12, arrives at 5). If he stayed until 2am and was a bit more vigilant that would be great. It would be something I'd even pay extra for! Mandi really did a good job updating the building and I plan on staying here as long as it stays this good and my rent doesnt increase much.

The aprtment lets in a lot of cold air in the winter. There was actual frost inside my apartment during a relatively mild winter. The lobby often smells like something has died in the walls for no apparent reason. The internet often goes out. The complimentary cable initially included TBS, USA, BET, MTV, ESPN, CNN, Discovery, E, TLC, Bravo-- ya know the most basic channels that are expected in any cable packages. This year, NONE of these and many others are no longer included which mean BJB does not infact include complimentary cable. The only reason to live here is the location.

I have lived here for several months and I really can't complain. I'd rate the place overall with a B . It's an older building, but the price can't be beat for the location and the amenities. The grounds are kept cleaned and the place feels very secure. The Pros: - All utilities included - New DirecTV satellite connection (with ESP, MTV, Bravo, CW, and all the good stuff) - For the location, rent is pretty cheap - I never hear neighbors' noise from the inside - Laundry area is small but there's always a free washer and dyer - There is a doorman that receives packages for you - Guests may be buzzed in from my cell - Location is excellentn (probably the best pro) - There are two major grocery stores less than 3 blocks away - 1 block away from the beach - 5 minute walk to Michigan Ave and the Hancock Tower - Several major bus stops within 2 blocks - 2 CVS and 1 Walgreens less than 3 blocks away The Cons: - Sometimes when I get off the elevator, I can hear a noisy neighbor playing music, but once inside my apt I hear nothing. - Laundry is $1.25 for load - There is no guest parking for when my friends come out of town - Although well maintained, the building is a bit older - Cabinet space isn't very ample - No pool

The elevator in this building is ALWAYS out. Parking is a nightmare. You have to have a city of Chicago sticker which costs over $100 per year and in addition you need a residential parking permit which cost more $ and allows you to park in certain areas without being ticketed. The really bad thing though is from Spring until Fall there is street cleaning twice a week. If you do not move your car, you WILL be towed. The problem is that if you didn't find a good spot the night before the street cleaning, you will probably have a hard time finding one the day off. In addition, you have to purchase guess parking passes for visitors or they will be ticketed. No one in the rental office is forth coming with this information when you are inquiring about moving in. The cable television is free, but excludes several popular stations. The rental office leads you to believe that heat is free however, it's not, it's electric via a wall unit that serves as heat and A/C.

Imagine this: a Friday night and you're bored and drunk in Chicago. You could spend hours riding up and down the elevators at Elm since they are ALWAYS F****** BROKEN!! It's pretty much pointless as it stops on floors 2,5,7, 9...etc etc...and this cheap---- management won't fix it. The staff are in general rude and have their noses stuck in their air like this is some luxury residence. FYI- it's not. The only thing that makes this place bearable is the fact that it's in a nice neighborhood. I suggest this as a temp residence while you look for a nicer place.

Management- fix the elevators...its been 2 weeks and they go up and down all night long! Stop being cheap!

this is a great deal.....and guess what YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET.... I would not refer the son of ----- to live in this hell

This is the only building I have lived in since moving to Chicago, and it was perfect when I first moved in. At that time ALL utilities (including electric) were included. The location is great, and my apartment was really cute and a decent size. However, over time it has slowly gone downhill. I still love the location, the front desk staff and maintainence are very helpful and always do what they can. Violet no longer works there, and I'm not sure who the new guy is. About two years ago they started to charge everyone for their own electricity, the heat was always very low in my unit so I had $60 bills every month from having to use a space heater as well. Now they have put in these heat/ac window units and tenants are responsible for all of their heating and ac costs. The free cable isn't all that great either. You get HBO and some special ESPN channels, but you don't get channels like E!, FX, History, Bravo, Lifetime, etc. Also, the cable goes out whenever it storms or even if it's a really windy day. I also have had a problem with cockroaches, I haven't seen any for about a year now, but for a while I was having to put traps up and have them come exterminate every so often. It was really gross and embarassing when people came to stay with me and a giant bug was crawling across the floor. My dishwasher backs up all the time, and there has been a couple times where I didn't catch it right away and the dirty water ran out all over the kitchen floor. I have also had problems with my carbon monoxide detector going off constantly. I finally just bought my own, and unplugged the one in the apartment because it was clearly faulty. There is no longer any front desk people on duty past midnight, and there is no one around on Sundays at all. If you get locked out, you have to pay a $50 fee to get let back in. The smoke alarm in the hallway by the laundry room is always going off because of the steam/heat from the dryers. There is no sundeck, which just about every building in the area has. The elevators always seem to be down, and the laundry room is pretty small and gets really crowded. I have been looking at other buildings in the area, and there are much better deals out there. I always feel safe in the building, but I have noticed some newer tennants that give me the creeps a little. I could go on and on, but overall I'd have to say that this place isn't as great as many of the other buildings in the area. I hear they are offering really good deals though, because so many people have been moving out recently. So, if you can tolerate the small issues, and they give you a great price, I would say go for it.