Tenant Reviews for 525 W Oakdale Ave

Don't do it unless you like shotty buildings with roaches and incompetent staff.

You know you have a great appartment when you are counting down the days to when you can move out with months left on your lease. Besides the elevator working sporadically (no joke it did not work for 2 weeks straight at one point), very thin walls coulped w/loud neighbors, and cockroaches it was a place I could not wait to leave. Management is effectively useless.

My mother both lived and actually died in this building. While she was living there, we called the cops on the building manager more than once. The building manager had not only cut off my mother's phone line from the doorbell so that she could not get any visitors, but she was also stealing my mother's mail. While living in this building, the sewage also backed up into her apartment causing her to have to move into another apartment. The management company did NOTHING about ANYTHING at all! To make matters worse, when my mother died in the apartment, the building manager said that she had been to my mom's apartment on the Tuesday of that week.....really shady because my mother died the monday before that. The management company also did not follow protocol on how to deal with a criminal investigation in the building.

I have been here for two years and I cannot believe how badly this place has gone downhill in this time. They 'remodel' units by adding a cheap dishwasher and some hardwood floors, and then they feel the need to charge more than many one bedrooms in the area that are similarly constructed. I am constantly told by friends that its ridiculous for me to be paying 900 dollars a month for the studio I have. I have no view, the dishwasher is only big enough to wash the amount of dishes for one day, and I can't even run the air conditioner and the vacuum cleaner at the same time. They have the bathroom and everything in the main room on one circuit. Plus recently, it has been ridiculous. We're on our third office manager in 6 months(probably because they are tired of dealing with the problems here), and apparently there is a major cockroach problem in this building. I found one myself in the kitchen sink, and when I got the maintenance man up to my apartment, the first thing he said "Why didn't you tell me before," which I responded "because this is the first time a cockroach has been in my apartment." The following day, they had a sign up sheet for the building on the office door for the exterminators. So far, over 20 people have already signed up, and someone wrote "in the hallways and stairwells" also. So I guess the cockroaches are everywhere. But today is what set me over the edge. Without any notice or consideration from Horizon Realty, they have arbitrarily raised the prices on the washers and dryers. No notice, no notes, nothing. They took the washers from 1.25 to 1.75, and the dryers from 1.00 to 1.75. I mean seriously, WTF? This is a huge jump and pretty much a big F-you from Horizon Realty to their tennants. I cannot wait to move out when my lease is up.

Okay, I will do my best to keep this short. I have lived at this location since early 2007, and in just over two years, I have lived in four different units in this building... for the following reasons. Had a one bedroom on the SECOND floor, and within the first four months of living there, everytime it rained, the toilet and bathtub would regurgitate sewage so much that the toilet looked like an errupting volcano, and the bathtub literally overflowed (the bathtub holds several gallons of water mind you). Since this was the 2nd floor, I was appalled by this, and it happened three times within the first four months, and the only solution the first time from Horizon was free carpet cleaning since the water had escaped from the bathroom and drown the entire hallway, bedroom, living room, and even out into the hallway. Then I went into the underground garage to see what the ceiling looked like under the bathroom, and the drywall had collapsed onto the car parked under it. By the third time this happened, Horizon graciously let me move to another 2nd floor apartment on the other side of the building for the same price for rent. Problem solved. (Sadly, I saw another person had moved into the same apartment within two months so it was probably never fixed) A year in the next apartment was fine, but when my lease was up I decided to move into a newly rehabbed studio. Price was a little cheaper (although still ridiculously priced for a studio with no sunlight and a view of the dumpster), and I had hardwood floors. But the shower was a nightmare because if you turn the cold water down, it got COLDER, and if you turned the cold up, it got scalding hot. Not a good way to wake up. Unfortunately, I did not stay in the apartment long, because the person living above me also had hardwood floors, and she must have been on drugs because she was up until 12-2am, stomping around the apartment, dropping heavy objects, rolling things around the floor. I reported to management, and the tenant denied everything, so Horizon did nothing about it. I began calling the police on the tenant, and I could hear the police knock on her door, but she would be quiet and not answer it, and then start with her noise again when they left. The end result forced me to move to another studio, at the same price rent, where I still have no view, but a little sunlight, and a quiet upstairs neighbor at night. My only beef now with this apartment is someone smokes outside my window once an hour all day and night and it blows right into my apartment. Disgusting...

I have lived in this building some 7 years plus, and although I'm sure many of the below negative reviews have some truth to them (at least insofar as the then on-sight manager is concerned), ALL of that has changed. Horizon has made a 380 degree turn for the better with the addition of a brand new, highly professional, friendly and courteous staff. The building is kept impeccably clean (thanks to the new two-person cleaning team), repairs are made on the same day as the request (thanks to our great new building engineer) and, of course, there is the very friendly and helpful Erika, the new on-sight manager, there to greet and serve the needs of the tenants every day except Wednesdays and Sundays. So, if you are looking to locate, do not be scared away by the below negative reviews. Come check out the new Horizon. I'm confident you will be glad you did so.

This is a great building. It is a great location. Horizon was more that great when I was moving in. I have a huge apartment for the area. The office manager is also really nice, and works hard to provide the tenants with great customer service.

I feel the need to post a more recent, and better, review as many of the others are very negative - but also outdated. I moved in June 2008 - Florence no longer has anything to do with this complex. When I viewed the 1 BDR/1 Bath I was renting, I asked them to replace the carpeting. I ended up getting brand new hardwood floors, and they re-did the kitchen at the same time! So I got a new stove/microwave/fridge, granite counter tops, and new cabinets. I'm not sure if that is commonplace, but I am definitely getting value for my place, given how nice it is. I've seen them installing new hardwood floors (same as mine) in at least 2 other units, so I get the impression they are upgrading each with turnover of tenants in 08/09. I don't pay for parking, though I have snuck in a few times, as street parking in the area sucks (I got <i>another</i> $50 ticket today for not moving when street cleaning was going on). The area is really nice, my unit is really nice, and the manager(s) are quite helpful. I've never had a problem here, and enjoy it very much. My only complaint is the thin walls/floors. As other have stated, you really can hear everything. I have on numerous occasions felt as though someone was actually in my apartment walking/talking, which is ridiculous. However, I can't do anything about that - if its a deal-breaker for you, then be warned! Otherwise, enjoy 525 W Oakdale. I'm sure there are nicer units out there - but for the area, cost, and the fact that I made the decision in 1 weekend like most people do out of college, I'd say I made out OK.

This place is positively frightening. Florence, as stated in several other reviews, was an absolute nightmare. It was worse than living in a dorm. Guests arriving late at night were threatened and yelled at. If your laundry was not finished at 9:59, the room would be locked and your clothes left for the next day. I could go on for some time, but your best off reading the other reviews. I do not belive that she still works for Horizon, though, so that problem may be alleviated. Horizon is another headache. Apparently their staff and lawyers have never read (or sadly don't understand) the Chicago Municipal Code, as it relates to showing apartments (although neither have the apartment showing realtors in the City). On one occassion, they showed my apartment without any notice (which resulted in me getting locked out). The Horizon mamanagement and attorneys then informed that they did not need permission to show my apartment. They then proceeded with about 8 all day open houses in a two week period. The CMC clealry states a landlord must (shall) hive 48 hours notice before entering and a tenant cannot reasonably deny access if such notice is given. But don't expect them to understand or respect that rule. So if you decide not to re-sign your lease, be prepared for some constant, unauthorized interruptions. (note: Google Chicago Municipal Code for some nice landlord/tenant remedies) Last, but not least, the actual building. It's a great location, but the building is structurally a dump. The walls are paper thin. For the first two weeks, I woke-up constantly thinking that the person above me was actually walking in my apartment. The rest of the stuff--no view, bad smell, grungy carpeting--are all pretty obvious, so you really can't complain that you've been duped. Hope you read this before you rent.

I've lived in this building for over 3 years. When I first moved in, it was a great deal; spacious 2 bdr and 2 bath wtih diswasher for a reasonable price. The place was always quiet, clean, repairs were made in a timely manner, and it was overall a good place to live. Despite the negative reviews, we got along great with building manager, Florence. However, there is a new manager at the headquarters who is HORRIBLE. She doesn't care about the residents at all. The equipment in the fitness center is falling apart and they refuse to fix it. People get stuck in the elevators all the time and the building refuses to fix the problem. Also, there aren't enough washers and dryers so if you try to do your laundry in the evenings, you're usually stuck waiting for one. The walls are also paper thin. If my neighbor gets up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I know about it. But the worst part is that they are raising the rent like crazy. Our apartment is NOT worth $1475. Not even close. They also fired Florence and now no one can get their packages. This place is a disaster. Unless it miraculously turns into the place I first moved into 3 years ago, I would look elsewhere.