301-313 N. OAK PARK AVE., Oak Park, IL

Roaches.

I’ve had roaches for the entire time I’ve lived here. The first time I reported it in 2018, I was told that there wasn't much to be done other than send their exterminator to spray because this place is “near downtown oak park and all the restaurants.” First of all, it’s a good 2 blocks away from any restaurant. Second of all, I have a friend who lives above a bar in downtown oak park and has never had any problems. Instead of exterminating the entire building regularly or taking care of the building-wide issue, they send the same exterminator to my Alat multiple times a year, sometimes multiple times in the same month, to spray the exact same spray every time, and it never helps. I have reached out to the Oak Park Health Department and they have been to my Alat twice over the years. I see at least one cockroach in the middle of the day, alive and running around, per week. It’s worse when it rains. Speaking of rain, the ground level of the building, at the bottom of the back stairwell, floods with sewage when it does. They refuse to fix it, and the health department and the exterminator have both told me this is because the drain (which is located indoors) is constantly clogged. This is also a major factor in the cockroach problem. When you walk into the back door, it smells like an old, grimy basement or attic filled with mold and sewage. They also leave trash and old furniture down there around the drain that blocks it, and are also rotting with water. There has been a large abandoned couch there for about 5 months, collecting water damage and roaches. We are the only Alat on the entire block that doesn't have snow removed in a timely manner. And when I say timely manner, I mean not for a few days, no matter how much snow. And by that time, it has been trampled down from people having to walk through it. So think of 6+ inches of snow not being removed for 2+ days and trying to walk through it, especially after it turns to sheets of ice. I’ve seen people fall, as well as residents shoveling and icing the walkways out of the building and sidewalks themselves. This has been going on the entire time I’ve lived here. It’s especially difficult if you live here with a dog and are trying to take them outside after it snows. It’s embarrassing and dangerous and disrespectful to tenants in the winter. They claim it’s because they don't have enough maintenance people to do snow removal for all their buildings, but that doesn’t account for sometimes not shoveling or icing at all whatsoever, even days after. The maintenance staff, when helping you with individual issues, is helpful. but, when working on large repairs to the building or renovating apartments, they are way too loud and disruptive, screaming and running up and down the stairs, and blasting music. Sometimes renovations will start at 7am, even on weekends, drilling and sawing and hammering. This is totally fine if it was once in a while, but It's at least a couple times a month, and was particularly disrespectful during Covid when everyone was clearly working from home. Solicitors get into the building, up to individual apartments, because even though they have been told multiple times by residents and the oak park health department, they refuse to upkeep the doors to the building, which can usually be opened without a key. So anyone can just walk in. Their response to this is just “to call the police” instead of fixing the old doors in need of repairs. By far the cockroaches are the worst problem. Everything else is fine for a year or so and then just gets to be too much to handle. I’ve spent over $100 on my own cockroach remedies since the mgmt refuses to help me have a livable environment. Good luck to whoever rents my unit next. You’ve been warned.