Tenant Reviews for 1040 W GRANVILLE AVE

I have not lived there for over two months now but I get chills down my spine when I think about that place. For the price it is really not worth it. 1. Cleanliness vanishes when you get off the elevator.The floor I lived on smelt so bad I had to hold my breath from the elevator to my door everyday. There were some serious smokers on that floor and it just stayed in the dingy carpet. 2. Staff is terrible- the main front desk staffer is the rude. I am sure she thinks she is just doing her job, but no when you are rude to the people in the building you are not doing yout job seeing as it is the tenants you work for. She does not understand customer service much less common courtesy. 3. Expect to get your bills on time but when they owe you money you might as well forget about it. I am still waiting for my deposit. In general this place is really bad and overpriced. I went to my friends apartment just down the road she was paying atleast $100 less than I was and her place fabulous. Please save yourself the trouble do bother.

Let me begin with full disclosure by stating that I have never lived in 'The Sovereign'. During my visit there I had read positive and negative things about this location on this site. I walked in with an open mind and saw how fantastic it looked in the lobby. It had nice clean floors, there was someone staffing the front desk, everything was very clean looking! As I approached the front desk I informed the lady working there that I was here 30 minutes early for my appointment to look at an apartment. The first sentence spoken to me was "Wha-ssyo name?" (Writing phonetically, of course) I was instructed to go over to a corner, fill out some papers, and wait for the manager. The waiting took 25 minutes. ('m not holding this against them, I arrived early and the manager may have been busy...) I noticed that they did make guests sign in (I believe I also saw them check identification) before entering the building. We walked through a reasonable looking hallway (A bit dingy, but not by much) through a seemingly labyrinth like complex. Much of this feeling came from the dim lighting of the hallways and the stuffy hot air. The hallways were very large and open, but felt small and cramped due to the atmosphere. A heavy heavy smell of fresh paint overpowered the passageway as well. (Apparently painters were repainting a room) Upon entering the 1 bedroom apartment I was apprehensive. Being the first apartment I've seen in Chicago (Now I have seen over 20) I did not know what to compare to. I will say that the walls looked as if instead of ever being cleaned, new paint was slapped onto them every time someone moved out. (I'm trying to describe what looked like 20 layers of paint on the wall) The kitchen was small-ish, but very cramped due to layout. The bathroom was smaller, but dirty in corners and the majority of the tiles were cracked. The chrome on the fixtures was rubbing off and the shower had a serious need of some CLR. Not to mention insufficient lighting! The living room and bedroom were both ample size. (Narrow, but long) The carpet looked dingy, but they were very well lit due to big windows and lights. The walls looked thick, so they are unlikely to transmit sound. I did not rent from these people, as I found a much better apartment for much less money elsewhere in the area. I would venture a guess that this company targets newcomers to Chicago with advertised cheap deals and nice photos online and hopes that they will come unprepared to visit other areas. It's okay, and very close to the red line, but I'd expect to pay $150 to $200 less per month for what I got.

You will be better off living in a dumpster than this shanty. I lived with 3 other tenants in PHN at the Sovereign. Initially it was not so bad despite dead cockroaches everywhere and very dirty rooms, I won't go into details about the bathrooms. We had access to a private elevator, the sundeck and huge apartment space. However, from the beginning we had problems. My cosigner, my mother, called to arrange a time we could move in and settle things. Leon, in charge and head of the building, immediately gave hassle and rude remarks to my mother is as sweet as a peach mind you. The customer service there is by FAR the worse at hand. My other tenant went to complain about our elevator begin broken for 3 1/2 months, yes you heard me right 3 and a 1/2 MONTHS. It was going on 2 months and some odd weeks when he talked to John who decided to start and argument with my roommate and then proceeded to tell him that this conversation is over with. We had sent numerous emails to them asking them to fix the elevator because this is the only way we can get up to our floor without going through 6 doors, a flight of stairs, and then finally our apartment. The emails were disregarded and we stated that we would not pay rent. They then told us it would be fixed a week later which turned into 3 weeks. Now it is move out day and the elevator had been fixed for a week. Ironically the elevator is broken and there is no way to move out our valuables. If you would like this to happen to you and receive horrendous treatment and also receive you security deposit 5 months later, then yes by all means live in this dilapidated apartment complex.

Hello all. Girlfriend and I moved in over the summer and love the place. I'll break it down for you Pros: ALL utilities (minus cable/internet) included. Even includes electric. My HDTV picks up ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS in HD and probably 20 other non hd-channels FOR FREE. We currently pay $20 month for AT&T lowest level DSL which is fine. Free heat means a toasty apartment even now in January. Girlfriend feels very safe because you have to be buzzed in the door, very secure. Staff is great and maintenance is extremely quick. THAI GRILL DOWNSTAIRS (basil chick special combination) is amazing. Big living room. Close to bars (Hamilton's and Pumping company) One block to lake michigan and close to the bicycle lake short trail Staff does a great job of the general upkeep of the building and grounds, i literally run into a staff member doing something outside every day on the way to work. a BLOCK from the red line! Laundry facilities on every floor which translates into zero waiting for a machine (90% of the time) Cons: Terrible view (we rented the cheapest 1 bedroom they had at the time) Can't control the heat so sometimes you have to crack a window. Our carpet isn't the greatest. tiny kitchens with VCT floors. AC unit is in the bedroom, which is noisy in the summer. Have to pay extra for athletic club downstairs. parking is a pain so we pay $115 a month for a spot in the gated lot, got my car TOWED from said spot because i didn't have my permit in the window ($170). That really sums up the place. Overall I think its a great place for the price, location and size. You will be hard pressed finding something of equal value with everything you get. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

I've hesitated writing a review because I don't want to be one of those people who, in a state of anger and frustration, unleashes on some unsuspecting business, person, or whatever, but today I finally had enough. I've lived here for over 5 years, and did not have too many issues at first, which is why I stuck around so long. Then little by little, it got worse and worse until I can hardly stand living here anymore. This place has too many issues to name, but to go through a few: 1) rude and unhelpful staff - last summer I had a broken arm, which made opening the very heavy front doors quite difficult; not only did none of the staff lift a finger to help, I actually saw more than one desk clerk laugh at me as a I struggled; 2) broken promises - when I moved into my place, I was promised that several things would be fixed, but only one of those promises were kept and the rest apparently forgotten, even though I contacted them several times about it; 3) incompetence by billing people - if they forget to charge you for something, expect it show up on your bill at some point all at once, and they're going to expect it all then or you're out; 4) safety - especially at night, the desk clerks often step away from the desk, leaving you locked in the foyer with no way into your apartment, which is bad when you're a young woman who has been followed home by some creep (this happened to me, and I was stuck waiting there for 5 minutes while the creep stood outside the front door); don't expect an apology when the clerk gets back. There are more problems, but I think that's enough for now. There are a few employees who are great, but for the most part, they are rude and unhelpful. I've finally had enough and am moving when my lease is up. Save yourself the trouble. Don't live here!

Pros: Affordable with amenities included in rent, save cable, internet, and phone. Packages are safe because front desk staff accepts packages and locks them away to keep them from being stolen. Maintenance staff okay, usually on the ball. Off-street gated parking available for 105 per month, which you will really want to get a spot. Cons: There is one female at the front desk, Meredith, who really makes it evident she does not want to be there. She seems to always have a scowl on her face, and makes it seem as if you are bothering her when you go to pick up a package you rec'd. When I first visited this place, she had that scowl on her face, but I chalked it up to her having a bad day at that time, but that scowl just never seems to leave. The leasing agent, Karen, is a little shady too. We talked about the lease that I was going to sign with the place, and gave me the rent, but informed me that I was going to have to pay a pet deposit and an additional $10 per month for my pet hamster. $10 a month for a hamster?! Really? But that wasn't the best part. After checking out a few other places, I decided to go with this place. The day I show up to sign the lease, there were additional fees added to the lease that I was not told about -- specifically a move in fee of $350. She said it is standard practice for anyone, but my question is why was I not told about this fee before hand? Plus, this fee was written in by hand, not part of the orignial contract. I almost walked at that point if not for the property manager, who stepped in and waived the fee. You will need to get the off street parking because with Loyola two blocks north, street parking is impossible. There are several layers of paint on the walls, and the plasterers are not entirely professional. Both the painters and plasterers had to do some touch up work in my apartment after I moved in, and they left a bit of a mess in their wake ... droppings of plaster here and there, and splatter marks from the painters on the floor and my kitchen table.

Aparment is nice, maintenance people is very nice an hard working the only problem is about managers how show not respect for workers or tenants. o if you dont mind on dealing with rude people the bes place to live.

I've been living here for quite a few years, and overall I'd say my experience here has been positive overall. I am comfortable and feel safe here. When I moved in, my apartment had been freshly refurbished so I had new fixtures and carpet, good window, fresh paint on the walls. Utilities are included in the rent, which is very nice. I haven't had a single pest problem. The exterminator comes around to do preventative spraying once or twice a year. As other reviewers have mentioned, the plumbing sucks. Water pressure is pretty minimal, but it gets the job done. If I go away for the weekend I usually have to let the water run for a while as it will come out brown for a few seconds (pretty gross). Be sure to get a water filter for your drinking water. The heat here is unbelievable. (steam heat from radiators) You will never be cold in the winter. I have come home countless nights to an apartment that is 80-85 degrees in the dead of winter. I am not joking. I have to keep the window open or run the air conditioner during most of the winter. Even if you close the valve on the radiator, you will still roast. The maintenance staff here is outstanding. I can't praise those guys enough. If you need something fixed, they take care of it very promptly, which is something you don't always find in other buildings. I like having the front door staffed at all times, and most all of the staff working there are very nice and easy to deal with if you need something. The management staff...If I could avoid dealing with them in the past, I have. The nicest way to describe them is scatterbrained. I will leave it at that. The fitness center is newly remodeled and now looks great. It's not free for residents unfortunately, but we do get a discount. The discounted rate is about $500 for a year long membership. Rents go up every year, and the amounts are not negotiable. With my newest lease, I am now paying more rent than friends pay for their apartment which is 3 times larger than mine. Unfortunately, I was unable to move at the time, so I was forced into the lease, but I do not plan to be here much longer as soon my rent will be over $1,000. For a tiny one room studio, that is just ridiculous, in my humble opinion.

There are about 7 layers of paint on the walls, the water in the shower will alternately run hot and cold, the fixtures are from when the building was built in the 1920s, some refrigerators have ice boxes that do not self-defrost. The heat is inconsistent, you either roast or freeze. In short, LOOK ELSEWHERE.

Hi: I've lived in apartments in NYC, the California Bay Area, and Chicago. I have to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience living at The Sovereign. First of all, I love coming home and getting greeted with a smile by whoever is working at the desk. The staff here has been nothing but helpful and kind to me. I haven't had to deal with Management very often, but every time I have put in a work order or a request, it was attended to in less than 10 hours. I think that's great. Also, I have a studio with a lovely lake view, and it's quite affordable. The building is quiet and I don't have any of the ventilation issues someone speaks of below. My AC works great, the temperature is always nice. I have never seen one bug in my apartment. I've lived here for a year now, and will re-sign a lease. I really enjoy my home in this building.