Tenant Reviews for 25 E DELAWARE PL

Thinking of living at 25 E Delaware - or ANY apartment owned by BJB Partners / BJB Lincoln Park? DON'T! BJB used to be BJB Partners, then at some point it morphed into BJB Lincoln Park. They've shuffled through office workers and doormen, and the quality of services and building amenities have gone severely downhill since I moved in, while rent has kept going up. I am NOT renewing my lease, and I tell all my friends to stay away both from 25 E. Delaware Pl. and BJB Lincoln Park Inc. First, 25 E. Delaware Pl. is falling apart. The building is old and clearly not kept up well. My ceiling is crumbling apart and there are cracks in the walls. My apartment was "renovated" before I moved in - all this meant was that they put plaster on top of the problems as a band-aid. Structurally, this building might be a wreck. The elevators break often - recently, both were out of service for a few hours during the morning rush hours, making it impossible for those on higher floors to get in/out of their apartments. Second, the leasing company is TERRIBLE. In a professional capacity, I have never encountered ruder people. When I've received notices under my door (yes, under my door because there's about a 1 inch gap between the floorboard and the bottom of the door) because of BJB's accounting problems, I call a man named Al, who 1) rarely picks up the phone, 2) doesn't return calls ever, 3) when you can get ahold of him, he's incredibly condescending, 4) refuses to give information about BJB, and 5) is misinformed about the leasing agreements HIS company has with its tenants. As for the front office in the building itself (which I go to when I've been served with an eviction notice after an accounting error on BJB's part has occurred and I can't get ahold of Al), half of the time, there's nobody there. The office advertises its business hours as regular (9-5 or something similar), but it's been my experience that there's somebody in the office less than 20 hours per week, and never before 11am. The people who work there seem to have minimal working knowledge about the building or its policies, and never get back to me - I have to follow up with them in order to get any kind of information out of them. Also, I have been having a continuous problem with noise in my apartment. This is something you expect, to some degree, when moving into a high rise. However, my problem is less with the awful noise and more with the leasing company's non-responsiveness to my complaints. After 3 months of being awoken and kept up by noise, I was finally able to determine where it was coming from - FOUR floors above me. It's still a problem. The apartment four floors up plays music so loud that it shakes the floors and walls in my apartment, in the middle of the night, early in the morning, and throughout the day. Over the past 6 months, I have been in constant communication with the doormen, office workers, property manager, and leasing company about this, but NOTHING has been done about it. There have been complaints about the same apartment from other tenants as well; you'd think BJB would do something about it. They haven't. The tenant making the noise is in breach of his lease; I'm not one to sue but I thought hard about it here. The people who work in the building are a mixed bag. There's so much turnover among the "doormen" that it's hard to keep track. The maintenance guy is terrible - rude, obnoxious, invasive. The cleaning guy is very nice. The office workers (whenever they're there) are generally on their cell phones all the time and I'm sorry, but I don't have the time to wait for them to finish their personal conversations while I've been trying to get ahold of somebody to help with a building issue for 3 days. Third, the security in the building is below-par: (1) The mail is not secure - the entire building's mail is delivered in the morning, and kept in an open bin in the mail area (which is not a secure room) for several hours until the postman comes back in the afternoon and places it in individual mailboxes. So, for several hours a day, each resident's mail is there for the taking. (2) Packages are stolen all the time - the delivery men leave them in the lobby, where they remain until whoever is working in the office gets around to putting them in the "secure" package closet. The closet is more secure than the mail room, but there are long periods in the evenings when the closet is open and unattended, leaving residents' packages there for the taking. (3) There is not a doorman - there is a person who sits in the lobby several nights each week, but this person is not security. This person is responsible for 2 things: leaving package notification slips on residents' mailboxes when there is a package waiting, distributing the packages when the resident goes to the lobby with said slip, and distributing notices/letters from management to the individual apartments. Because of the package delivery function, this person always has a list of who lives in what apartment. However, when this person leaves the lobby, they also leave the binder in which this list is placed. On one occasion, a person who was not welcome in my apartment (or in the building at all) got into the building, looked at this list, found my apartment number listed, and came up and banged on my door for about 30 minutes straight. Terrifying - thanks, building "security," for providing this person such close access to my apartment. (4) The building requires a key to enter, but it's not actually controlled or secure access. The door is often propped open, and there are so many people going in and out that anybody can get in without a key. Because of the lack of security person, this means that anybody off the street has access to all 17 floors. Of course, this doesn't mean the "doorman" will let your food delivery guy up - they're pretty much the only people who can't get up. Also, the building advertises a roof deck. This burned down long ago. The TV goes out whenever it rains or snows. The TV service is terrible - the selection of channels is the worst, and you can't get your own service because the building's wiring won't allow it. The windows have not been cleaned once over the entire 3 years I've lived here. Not once. The internet is also out half the time and is pretty slow. Also, from the internet the building provides, apartmentratings.com is blocked. The management knows it sucks and doesn't want its residents writing negative reviews...? So typical of BJB. As a side note, a friend leased an apartment in another BJB building, and had to move out because of a terrible mold problem in the apartment. BJB would not let her out of the lease - she had to break it - because of THEIR mold problem. I have lived in this apartment for almost three years; some of these problems are more recent (the cracks in the walls and ceiling, the noise issue), but the overall quality of the apartments has been going downhill for the past 3 years, with the most rapid decrease over the past year. I renewed my lease the first time because I was satisfied with the apartment and loved the location, I renewed for the second time because I didn't have the time to move. I now have the time to move, and am SO fed up with both this building and BJB Lincoln Park Inc., and I will NOT be renewing a third time. These apartments are not a good deal at the prices they're currently at, and because the condo construction across the street is finally done, I expect the prices will shoot up soon (if they haven't already).

No, I won't be livng here. Havng barely gotten my questions about the property out of my mouth, I was interrupted and spoken down to.. and I am now offically pissed off! Never got the chance to ask about lease terms because he was hyper , condescending and rude. I have money to spend, and it AINT going to be here!!! For people moving out of state and under stress you think these rental agents would be a bit more professional. I would not pay my money to anyone if they act as if they are doing you a favor. What a crappy experience!

Do not live here! The previous postings are accurate. This past week, both elevators were out twice. It usually happens at least once a month. That makes the building a 17 floor walk-up. A woman on the 17th floor had to stay in a hotel because she couldn't climb the stairs. The post office leaves our bins of mail out in the mail room/lobby until they feel like distributing it. That means anyone, residents or patrons of the dry cleaner and nail salon, can help themselves to everyones' mail. I've had several packages stolen. The management is rude and truly just doesn't care if the building is maintained or cleaned. I've had a few "eviction notices" because the management office screwed up (they switched 2 numbers in my rent in the accounting office) and thought I hadn't been paying my rent in full. I came home and found eviction notices on my door. The errors were theirs and they never acknowledged that they'd made a mistake. The cable doesn't work when it rains or if it's windy or snowy...The "free" internet is so slow that I pay for a personal wireless account with ATT. Do not make the mistake I've made!

This place is the worst ever. There are bugs crawling in my apartment everywhere, the water faucets do not work and building management never responds to any complaints. I signed because it was cheap but learned my lesson. Stay far far away!!

You will not find a cheaper apartment in the area than at 25 E. Delaware. The studios are dirt cheap, but if you rent one, it will be for the location and the location ONLY. The studios have a single window that faces a brick wall. No view whatsoever. But, the apartments are cheap and the location is great. Two blocks to the red line, on multiple bus lines, walking distance to Rush St bars, Michigan Ave, etc. The laundry room is adequate, there is a nail salon on the second floor, a tailor/dry cleaner in the basement, and Cru and Goddess and Grocer in the building. The gym in the basement is small but convenient--a treadmill, two ellipticals, a bike, and a weight station. The photos of the lobby and "coffee room" that the building advertises on websites are misleading. Most of the lobby was converted into Cru when it came into the building. Now there is a tiny mail room, an office for the building manager, and the smallest of lobbies. Two elevators, one of which goes to the basement, and one of which is often broken. I have never seen both broken at the same time, however. The office woman can be rude, but is usually nice. The night doorman is very nice. The maintenance man is one of the rudest people I have ever encountered, but he gets the job done. The guy who does upkeep is very nice. I have not had luck getting my wall internet to work, even though the building supposedly includes it. I steal wireless signals instead. The cable is free, but weird. If it rains, is particularly windy, or snows, the cable will go out. There are a handful of HBOs, but there is no Disney, Bravo, or FX. You get what you pay for, I guess. The "hardwood floors" the building advertises are laminate wood. Still better than carpet, though. There are a lot of students in the building. Most are Loyola, some are Northwestern. Generally, people are very considerate. Pets are allowed, but I have never had a problem with pet noise. The apartments next to the elevators (##01 and ##09) will hear the elevator sounds all day and night, but you get used to it. The biggest problem I've had is electric--on several occasions, the electricity has shorted out. I guess it's an old building, and can't handle multiple things being plugged in at once. My overhead light/ceiling fan has not worked since i tried to turn it on and watch tv simultaneously almost a year ago. A plug in my kitchen has never worked. I would call to have them fixed, but it's a problem I assume would take time to fix, and alas, I don't want to deal with the rude, condescending, even mean repair guy. Anyway, I renewed my lease for another year, so clearly don't hate the place. It's fine for what it is, which is NOT a luxury rental, but an urban apartment centrally located and decently upkept.

I had an agreement to move to Delaware Towers this year. That never happened because no one was in the office the day I came to sign the lease and view the unit. I left a message and did not receive a call back until Monday. I was suppose to review on a Friday and move in on Saturday. No call on Friday...No call on Saturday....Monday!!! If you can't communicate with management before you even move in then what makes anyone think they can communicate with them when things go wrong. NO THANKS!!! What is really a shame is that I read the ratings on here before hand and I also had a co worker that had to sue the complex to get out of his lease because of poor management as well as poor maintenance...I still try to give them a chance. I was jaded by the good rent prices but don't go for it. There is a reason why these prices are so low.

I have a love/hate relationship with Delaware Towers. I will break down my synopsis of the building, and the subfactors below: After 10 months at Delaware Towers I have to say that my experience is one of bittersweet proportions. There are many things I like about the place, but inversely, there are many things I don't. Floor plan: The floor plan of the building, to me, is irrelevant. That is not something I am too worried about. I do like the garbage drops at the end of every hallway. They make it easy to dispose of garbage without having to run out in the cold. Each door has at least 30 coats of pain on it. Although it looks pretty bad, it does blend in, and you really need to concentrate to notice it. The elevators often break down, and are very noise. Often times, a dial tone pings through the air, like sonar from under the ocean. Overall the design is a B- TV: Let's just say, if you like watching black screens, or screens that display a message about trying to reconnect to the satellite, this is the place for you. This happens very often. There is free HBO, which is nice, but it is not worth the headache of sitting during blackouts. Rain - no tv. Snow - no tv. Sun - sometimes no tv. Also, you will often find channels that are frozen for days. Overall: D- Maintenance: Although, in my experience, maintenance is quick, the problems I have experienced are terrible. The Bathtub backs up all the time and spits out dirt and rust. It is awful! Often times, the water will sit for 30-45 minutes before draining. Also, they leave your door wide open after they visit. Not good. PROBLEMS: F QUICK RESPONSE: B Heat/Air: The apartment is always freezing. If you run your heat all day, you will get a massive heating bill. If you don't run the heat you will be frozen in a week. Overall: F Noise: This is the best part of the building. There is never noise, and people are considerate of others. Overall: A Safety: Although I feel safe in the Apartment, the whole world knows the door code. During the summer months, the door stands wide open. The night doorman is very nice and does a great job keeping the wrong people out, and keeping the smokers away from the entrance of the building. Overall C- Staff: I havent had much experience dealing with the staff. I did however get a letter in the mail saying I owed money rent. After 3 days of calling, I got that cleared up. (I didn't owe any money, and they acknowledged their mistake quickly.) However, on a couple of calls, people have been exceptionally rude. Overall: D Mail: The mail has never been a problem (that I know of). Overall A Overall: The location of this Apartment is great. In 3 minutes I can be at the John Hancock Center, Rush/Division, Watertower Mall, or other great locations. I like the fact that there is plenty of quiet, and my neighbors, so far as I know, are nice and friendly. I also enjoy the fact that management isnt always hovering over you and bothering you. That being said, I do believe that they need to replace their accounting department, fix their piping and air conditioners, and change their door code. Although I do feel safe, it has little to do with the effort that has been given by the management team. The woman in the office is friendly, the doorman is friendly and the repairman is also very nice. However, there arejust too many problems occuring here for me, in good conscience, to give a recommendation.

The experience here was average. The maintenance man, as described in previous reviews, is abosolutely horrible, hostile, and extremely rude. Although he did arrive immediately after being requested and did fix the issue, he proceeded to yell at me for something that was not my fault. The studios are very small although they are very clean - I never saw one bug of any kind when I lived there which was very good and the wood floors and appliances were good. The showers are nice and the water warms up very fast and the price for a studio in that location is not bad. The internet was good and it is nice that internet and TV are included. There is very little natural light but this is not necessarily a bad thing as it becomes very easy to sleep and it is peaceful. The apartment need to be maintained better - the fan was very dirty and there was dust all over the place. Some of the electric outlets did not work but I was unwilling to ask for further help because I had absolutely no intention of dealing with the maintenance man. The other staff was average - at times, they could be slightly rude but generally they were helpful with signing leases, moving out, etc. The location is great, the price is affordable, the temperature is good, and the lack of bugs is great, but overall, it was an average experience.

My husband and I have lived in this apartment for a year and blindly signed our lease renewal for the forthcoming year. We chose the building the apartments are kind of cute, we liked the hardwoords, and the rent was within our range and the location close to the hospital (where my husband works). I should have known -- I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! -- from the beginning how bad the management company is, but you always kid yourself that it won't be that bad. Well, they are. The first two months they told us we hadn't paid our rent, which we had -- and showed them the canceled checks. The second time they simply served an eviction notice. Our internet was supposed to be turned on when we moved in, but it took an entire month to get it working. Their "contactor" insisted it was our computer, when in fact the wires in the walls weren't working at all. None of the staff speaks English well enough to communicate with the residents, and the maintenance man is beyond tempermental. He's downright hostile and rude. I won't even begin with the utilities. Just today we were told that we owed the last two months of electricity or it would be shut off -- only we never received a bill from anyone. Trust me -- even if you've never had to interact with the managment at your apartment before, you will now, and it's not worth the headache.

The studio apartments are really nicely outfitted for the price and the area, although there is no natural light so it is depressing and you can't keep plants. All of the utilities are payed (including satelite and internet) and the in unit a/c control is a bonus but they say they will be charging electricity soon. The staff will ruin the experience for you... my apartment was given away out from under me before I could resign although there was a verbal understanding, so no excuse. They painted and cleaned around me as I had to move all of my belongings in the halway to move 14 stories up. Then the man taking my apartment proceded to yell at me and management told him it was all my fault... although the man could have taken the other apartment that they were throwing me into. I had to pay the same amount of rent and lost a whole closet and the appliances were all older. I've been in another building in the area and I know that the conditions in this building are unacceptable; especially since it now has a hole in the side of it due to construction permit issues. Overall I'd say stay away, you'll be happier paying a little more down the street.