426 W SURF ST, Chicago, IL

solid building and an even greater neighborhood

I've lived in this building for about nine months now and I absolutely love it. The building has a bit of a vintage feel to it, yet the majority of the apartments have been rehabbed. I have one of the newly rehabbed apartments and I love it. The maintenance staff has always been helpful. Obviously they can't always get to your apartment right away because You've got a bunch of people in the building, but that comes with any apartment. The office staff is always nice and courteous and I have never had a problem with them. What makes me love this apartment the most is the value for the location. It's in one of the best neighborhoods in the city. There's always something to do in Lincoln Park, which is why it's so great. I definitely recommend this building for anyone like myself looking to live in the city and have a good time, but still get a good price and value you on your rent. I've loved it here and I will for sure renew my lease when it expires in a few months.

We HATED it!!?

We lived w/ cockroaches and to top it off, upon moving out we realized our bikes were stolen. mgmt did not care and we were not even given an apology. There's 24 hour access to the Bacility and even though You've got cameras they only document the previous 2 days. We feel Bwful if you pay over $1000 for this sh*thole.

Looks like nothing's changed

I lived here for about 8 months last year and from the current reviews, it looks like nothing has changed. From the mail theft to the construction workers. Several times they left an air compressor on in the apartment next door - all night long. <br> <br>For some reason the vent in my bathroom was connected to a neighbor's apt. - and he smoked like a chimney (and not just tobacco). <br> <br>I am so glad I got out of there when I did. The street gets and the area is great, but avoid this building!

don't live here - mgmt LIES

don't live in this building or any of the others owned by Surf III LLC. They are horrible, lying people. The apartments look nice when you first see them but then once you move in, you realize what a pit you've moved into. 1) ROACHES - everywhere, infested in the building. They come through the door, hide in the closet and drains and are huge and disgusting. I've NEVER had roaches before and have had them regularly since moving in. 2) CABLE - SUCKS!! You get no channels, no A&E, Lifetime, Bravo, but you do get the NASA channel and about 3 home shopping channels. Also, after the first month I moved in, NBC and CBS went out, never to be repaired again... 3) mgmt - such rude, ignorant people. The sales managers lie, the accountant is a liar and has zero class. The people who answer the phone must be told to be as rude as possible b/c they offer no help and actually seem insulted you've asked them a question. Don't both writing to BJB Properties out in Lisle b/c they don't care at all. 4) MAINTANENCE - worst I've ever seen. I actually had to call the City of Chicago and file a complaint with the Housing Bureau before they would come over and fix my plumbing. Not too mention, the front door lock is always busted and There's always people wandering around the halls. Basically, it was a nightmare from the first week I moved in. Do yourself a favor and don't MOVE HERE. It's way too expensive for the -------- you'll end up living in for a year.

I would have to agree with the general consensus. We had a great deal for rent price, kitchen and wood floors were great. I was flanked by two female tenants, who each had audible sexual habits. A total nuisance, which only furthered the initial problem of roaches. I was on the 4th floor...I'd heard from other tenants they had issues as well. Maintenance was great as far as coming out next day, but the roaches just kept coming back, so they had to come out multiple times a week. I had no trouble with cable/internet like others here. Neighborly noise was my deal-breaker, but the roach problem (mainly occurred in the bathroom in my place, not kitchen) made it so uncomfortable to ever go into the bathroom/apartment for me. I'd stay the heck away from this place- even if you fall in love with it and then read bad reviews. My mother warned me but I didn't listen!

Horrible Managerment - No Flexibility?

This Auite seemed quite nice from first appearances. Newly renovated but in the beginning when things were not finished it was difficult to have someone come and fix it. As someone else said the shower often turns off in the middle of a shower. The toilet has flooded (and it took 1 day for someone to fix it). The pipes often get blocked as well. It's also amazing that with two elevators in the Bomplex they can't manage to get one to work most of the time. <br><br>The front desk staff don't care about anything and are often rude. My biggest problem with the mgmt company but is there lack of flexibility. Leases only expire March 31 through August 31 which makes life difficult. They won't let you out of your lease one month early to help find other accommodation.<br><br>sadly sometimes people have situations that require different terms (nothing out of the ordinary) and mgmt won't budge.<br><br>Overall, It's a great neighborhood but stay away from anything with this mgmt company.

Don't live here!

I have lived here almost 6 months and I don't think I can stand it any more! When I first moved in, I read these reviews and questioned the mgmt about them. I told them the reviews said there was constant noise from construction and there was a mail theft problem. They acknowledged the mail problem but said they couldn't do anything about it. They told me the construction did last for about 5 years but it was completely finished now. I haven't seen anything with mail theft, although since I have lived here 2 people have had their bikes stolen out of the "locked" bike room. The noise, but, is an extreme problem. I wake up every day around 8:00 to constant hammering and drilling that lasts all day long. I know a lot of people are already at work and gone by then, but a lot of people who live here are students and It's constantly disrupting my work. There's even work being done on the weekends now!<br><br>Now, other problems with the building include an elevator that breaks down practically every other weekend, and usually the freight elevator is broken too. This often occurs during the first of the month when everyone is trying to move in at the same time. When I hang pictures, etc. on my wall, the obviously bad cover-up job on the wall starts to fall off. My shower turns off and on constantly during my showers, everyday. Oh yeah, not to mention I don't have cabinet doors in my kitchen, and I have requested them several times. Their response is that "they must be on order." And yet, they have plenty of time to order new appliances and cabinets for all the other units they are "renovating." <br><br>I can't stand this building, or the mgmt here. I love the area (except for the parking) but as stated in a previous posting, I think the apartment locators shove people into this area, making you think that It's a awesome spot to live just because it looks nice on the outside. I should have known when I requested a 6 month lease and they refused that something was seriously wrong with the living situation here.

Trashed Apartment / Caution We received our apartment in 426 w surf Street in trashed and disgusting condition on May 6th which was 6 days after our lease started. Human waste in both toilets, large bags of garbage, filthy floors and kitchen. Was told that the BJB management thought we were moving in later so they didn't have the apartment ready. Therefore BJB will allow a unit to sit filthy and a mess creating unclean and unsafe living conditions for over a week. The condition we found it in could also lead to pest issues. This is no way to receive an apartment no matter when your move in day is. We paid for SIX days of an apartment that was unfit for move in. BJB and Vincent Pelini refuse to prorate these days despite the apartment unit being unusable and delaying our move in. We upheld our side of the lease but be prepared for Vincent and BJB to Not! Document ALL correspondence, agreements, and conditions if leasing with BJB. We just wanted a clean and smooth move in and to get what we already paid for.

Fine experience

I lived there for about 7 months. I thought the mgmt was good. They gave me a third floor studio and installed Pergo hardwood floors before I moved in b/c I thought the carpet was nasty. hey even allowed me to go extend my lease an additional couple of months. The windows were brand new, the kitchen had been updated. The bathroom was original 1920's style which I thought was charming (pedestal sink, tile floor and walls, cast iron tub) but it did show its age. My studio had a huge section of built in cabinets and closets. I had no problems with heat. I never had any mail stolen. Yes, I could here my neighbors on both sides but they were mostly quiet. Plus, hearing lesbians have sex and talking grimy to each other isn't such a bad thing. Yes, they were doing construction and it was loud during the daytime and messy but if you sleep normal hours, it shouldn't be a problem. Their gym is good for an apartment building in that price range. They have a small elevator but also have a big cargo elevator. Parking is an issue. I rented a garage spot at the Bally's gym garage which was 220/mo but worth it not to have to search for a spot on the street. location-wise, it's the best. Close to the lake, great restaurants and shopping. One of the safer neighborhoods in Chicago. Would I want to live there forever? No, but for the price and location, you get a good value.

Terrible, trashed move in experience

Trashed Apartment / Caution We received our apartment in 426 w surf Street in trashed and disgusting condition on May 6th which was 6 days after our lease started. Human waste in both toilets, large bags of garbage, filthy floors and kitchen. Was told that the BJB mgmt thought we were moving in later so they didn't have the apartment ready. Therefore BJB will allow a unit to sit filthy and a mess creating unspotless and unsafe living conditions for over a week. The condition we found it in could also lead to pest issues. This is no way to receive an apartment no matter when your move in day is. We paid for SIX days of an apartment that was unfit for move in. BJB and Vincent Pelini refuse to prorate these days despite the apartment unit being unusable and delaying our move in. We upheld our side of the lease but be prepared for Vincent and BJB to Not! Document ALL correspondence, agreements, and conditions if leasing with BJB. We just wanted a spotless and smooth move in and to get what we already paid for.