Tenant Reviews for 4600 N CLARENDON AVE

I moved in this apartment building in March of 2009. I paid for parking 6 months in advance ($125)only to find on several occassions that the "doorman" and management (Simona Darla) allowed others to park in my spot when I wasn't there! I have had problems from the fridge going out and all of my food spoiling to roaches, to garbage pile ups in the hallway (by the elevator), rust, to my front door handle lose, to feeling like the heat wasn't even on. I have talked to other tenants that have experienced some of the same issues! That made me feel better...I knew it just wasn't me being a b'^%h, but at the same time, we pay wayyyyy too much to deal with issues like this. To add, half the time when I go downstairs there's no doorman in sight. Ok, this is one of the things that pissed me off the most...I am never called or aware that I have a visitor until they are knocking at my door. Ok, what's the point of a doorman? And, don't even think about washing clothes here. I have washed my clothes several times only to find that my clothes are not clean when they are done...that is...when the washer doesn't eat up my quarters. And, you have to run the dryer 2 to get your clothes dry, or BARELY put anything in them to work. Simona is the most rude and unprofessional property manager I have EVER met in my life. The last time I went in her office to ask her why she hadn't returned my phone calls in the last week, she turned around to her computer and started talking as if my concerns were not important. DO NOT RENT HERE...management will make you feel helpless. Lastly, the neighborhood sucks! Before you sign the lease, go a block down to Wilson and Sheridan...or even Broadway. I bet you will change your mind.

I was a resident at The Covington for 2 years, and loved every minute of it. I wouldn't have moved out, but I had to relocate to Arizona as my line of business has changed. The management and staff were incredibly vigilante and always kept the property looking beautiful. Simona puts a lot of personal pride into keeping the building in top form. She, Todd, and the door staff created quite a uniquely close community experience there by putting forth energy to understand the tenants and their needs. I miss living at The Covington, and that's one of the reasons I'm writing this review. If you're considering to rent an apartment at The Covington, for sure you've made the right decision.

Myself and another friend moved into this place from Missouri, basically blind. Normally, that wouldn't even be an option, but having spoken constantly to the office staff almost a week straight I became very comfortable in initially choosing this as my apartment when I arrived. I was absolutely right on my gut feeling. The building manager was nice and very helpful when we arrived. Since that time, I have had a very good stay here. If all goes well I will not be moving from here while I work on my PhD. The maintenance is wonderful and very willing to help with any issue, immediately. The doorman are even helping us unload our groceries. Very clean and well maintained building. I would recommend this to people moving down here.

I lived in the Covington for one year, until my lease expired and I moved out. Cons: --Simply, the neighborhood. I came home from work one night and walked by two people passed out in a small patch of grass just north of the building with pills in their hands. Also, I was one awaken by gunshots, followed by a plethora of sirens, two blocks north of the building on Clarendon. --Right across from a hospital equals sirens all. the. time. --I had a bout with cockroaches in my bathroom and kitchen. Nothing like walking in the bathroom in the middle of the night only to find a large cockroach crawling on the counter top...or opening up the sliding cabinet and seeing one in there! Pros: --Cleaning/maintenance crew. They are responsive and they do a good job. --Being that close to the lake and lakefront path --The apartments themselves are pretty nice. Fully remodeled a couple of years ago.

I moved in June 2008 to start my residency at Weiss Hospital. The apartment I got was recently renovated so it was spotless when I moved in. Very nice and helpful maintenance and managenent staff. I am a quiet person, so Covington is the right place for me. I work mostly the night shift and even during the day didn't have any trouble going to sleep due to any kind of noise. Really convenient is the doorman package delivery. Overall, I highly recommend this place .I plan on staying here for another 2 years till I finish my residency.

The new manager, Simona is the reason for which I extended my lease for another year. It's true that the previous manager didn't do such a good job that she does, but this apartment building is so great since she took over the management. She is responsive, friendly, available when you need help, and when you need something fixed, maintenance shows up instantly! I highly recommend The Covington to anyone who desires a safe, cozy home with management that cares about you, and will remember your name!!!

So I am a resident in this building and have been living here for a year and am a little surprised at all the negative reviews. I moved here in May of 2007 when the building was undergoing significant reconstruction and there were a lot of angry people who had to leave because of increased rent, but to be honest, it costs money to make better apartments and this is a huge city, there is rentals available at all economic levels. I used to live in a ------ basement by Thorndale and Broadway and paif 400$ a month. Got a better job and wanted a nice place and let me tell you, brand new floors, rehabbed hallways, a gym, track lighting and a full Lakeview for an 800 sq foot place for less then a thousand is AWESOME. I have friends over all the time, they love the place, its easy to get to work cause there is like 6 different expresses buses (144, 145, 146, 148, 135 and 136) that stop right outside the building (you can check this out yourself, its a fact) and if you go PAST broadway (the area by broadway and Wilson is ghettoish) you will find a ton of nice restaurants on wilson itself as you get closer to Clark. The management of the building is efficient, they listen to maintenance complaints and usually fix things on time. There were a lot of problems with management when i first moved in, there were a string of incompetent managers (one of them promptly lost two of my rent checks), but the good thing was that they didnt let this continue and the manager now Kenyon works hard to take care of the building and tenants. At the end of the day, my positive experience doesn't mean that you will definitely have one too, BUT atleast go see the place before you make up your mind. Don't read angry or happy reviews and use that as your decision maker, see the place, look at the units and the bus networks and you will be impressed.

I would not move here. I moved in on June 15. Upon entering my apt on the FIRST night i spotted a roach in the sink. I thought it might have been an isolated incident but when I went to clean the cabinents out there was traces of them everywhere. I was told by the leasing agent that the building used to be low-income housing before Horizon Realty took it over and that some of the previous tenants moved out shortly before I got there and that is probably why I am seeing roaches. Nonetheless Kenyon made it seem like I was the only one experiencing these problems, she told me that I was the only one having this problem! She is full of it. 90% of the tenants have or have seen roaches in the building. And this includes the common areas (laundry rooms, hallways, lobby), not just individual units. I would definately stay away from this place. I am weighing my options now. Trying to figure out how I can legally break my lease.

I lived in this building when it was managed by Hunter Properties. They were awesome property managers. You couldn't ask for a more diverse tenant population--- all income levels, ethnicities, ages, single people, families, GLBT, straight, etc. Most of all them friendly and respectful. Because of the concrete floors and walls, you could hardly hear any neighbour noises, even loud music had to be very loud to get a complaint. I loved the building's 1960s architecture with the lobby's concrete and glass designs and the building's slightly unusual angles. My studio was huge and had lots of storage space. It was perfect for me. Although some elements of the building and apartment needed upgrades and the former maintenance man didn't do squat (and barely spoke English), I was still getting a great deal and happy to live there. I stayed there for two years. During the last 9 months of my lease, Hunter sold it to Horizon Realty. That's when all the sh**t started. Horizon were rude, relentless and shady. They had illegals doing their construction, got into trouble with construction permits, went through 3 or 4 property managers within a 6 month period and planned on having all the Hunter tenants kicked out to bring in more gentrified "professional" Lincoln Park types (I'm working on a Masters degree by the way). They told us we could renew our leases for an upgraded apartment. Even with the upgrades, these greedy b**tards were charging $815 and up for a studio... in UPTOWN!... near the hospital on Clarendon and the halfway hotels and crack dens on Wilson Ave!! Charging Lincoln Park prices in Uptown! WTF?! I had been paying $600. No amount of hardwood or stainless steel or granite or panoramic lake views could constitute those prices. The only people they could get were obviously naive out-of-towners who knew no better. I would never rent, own or lease any property from Horizon Realty. They are mean greedy a**holes but then again their owner/CEO is one of the "chosen people" so it stands to reason.

I moved into a newly renovated apt,i love the place where i live as long as dont have to deal with management.She is extremly rude and unprofessional.AND THE FITNESS CENTER THEY CLAIM TO HAVE IS OF NO USE ,MACHINES ARE ALWAYS BROKEN AND WHEN U COMPLAIN THEY GIVE U ATTITUDE.