Tenant Reviews for 445 E OHIO ST

warm staff?rooms are clean and tidy. The two-bedroom design is great with two separate washrooms. The apartment also boasts a good location.Ten minutes walk from the Chicago avenue and located right beside the beach. Highly recommended.

I don't frequently post on such websites however things have deteriorated to the point I felt compelled to create an account and that such a post necessary. I have lived at Lake Shore Plaza (operated by the Habitat Company) and managed by Charise Carter-Harris for almost 3 years. I will be terminating my lease at expiration after thoughtful consideration. Lastly, opinions expressed are solely my own and may not be representative of your experience should you decide to roll the dice and gamble on residing here. Pros: - Neighborhood and doormen are fantastic - Rent is cheaper than everywhere else in Streeterville be several hundred $ - Building has some nice features and if ever fully operational could be a gem (computer lounge, gym, sauna, pool, grill area) Cons: - Management office staff can be a challenge to communicate with - Seldom paper in the printer in the Computer lounge - Walls are paper thin - Elevators are frequently out of order or being services - Air conditioners in my unit (after multiple replacements) have all been old - No air conditioner in living room - Management company (in my opinion) isn't transparent with communication - Roof deck/ pool area with grills has been out of service for months (closed early in 2014 and isn't open as of this post) - Garage repairs are performed with little to no advance communication (challenging to move my car for construction if traveling for work and needs to be moved in 1 weeks notice; poor planning on your part shouldn't constitute an emergency on my part) - Bicycle storage removed (good luck finding space in your apartment) - No feedback box, access to Habitat Company senior management, or other town hall type format for airing grievances for hundreds of residents In summary: Don't be fooled by the Sauna or Gym when you first visit. The Men's room Sauna was in a state of disrepair with splintered wood railings for months within the past year. Gym equipment, cardio specifically, occasionally has one or more machine 'out of order'. Seems like keeping replacement belts, power cords, etc. on-site might solve the problem. While on the topic of the Gym, Lake Shore Plaza failed to provide cable service to Televisions in the same gym, for more than 3 consecutive months in 2014. No communication about the epic failure to deliver on simple expectations of residents was provided. It is absurd that while collecting hundreds of thousands in rent each month this management company was either too cheap to fix the issue or too arrogant to communicate their failure to residents. No one is perfect but forgive my lack of sympathy for Lake Shore Plaza either; not stepping-up and paying their cable bill, or figuring out an alternate solution to provide media content to TVs in the gym. (This building is over 20 years old... figure it out people) Working-out in a building gym is a challenge to begin with but take away any possible distraction one might enjoy with a TV, and replace it with a view of a roof deck and pool which hash't been available to residents since late 2014, and a realistic view of how I think Lake Shore Plaza fails to deliver starts to come into focus. Be careful before signing a lease and getting trapped in a place like this. You could get stuck in this antiquated building longer than you ever thought possible, like I did. - Sincerely disappointed, soon to be former resident

As I looked over the past reviews I saw that most of the complaints were common and the same. Yes the Habitat management staff is rude and offensive they have poor customer renter service skills. The management team (C,C) are the worst of them all they seem to think being resident management does not consist being 1.Good natured to the residents 2. listening to the problems and coming up with a solution 3. having a positive attitude that does not come across rude and insensitive 4. keeping residents in the know as to the goings on of the building i.e. transparency 5. being proactive and aware with the buildings issues and how to alleviate them. As a resident here I must say this building is so ancient they have yet to update anything they don't even have light fixtures in the living room dinning room areas. although they found it a need to remodel the management office, the label on what use to be the party room is labeled as such but in now a computer lab, hours of operation are not posted on anything except the laundry room and the management office, you have no clue until you try the door and can not gain entry. This is suppose to be a family sensitive building and atmosphere and I am embarrassed when on the elevators and through out the halls as well as walking up to the building the things I see and my children witness. My child has been called a ------ on the elevator. The members of the maintenance staff are completely incompetent and I wouldn't trust them to change a light bulb better off fix my non working electrical outlet. The Door men are the best now they are all pleasant and seem to do the job to the best of their ability since now they aren't allowed to open the door for the residents anymore (hence the title "Doorman"). As of 2015 this building needs to be brought up to code throughout. Its an embarrassment and let down the events and actions that transpire at Lakeshore Plaza. Do better. That's why monthly people move in and out before you get to know your neighbors and they inquire about lease breaking and subleasing before moving in.

I still live at this building and it has its good and bad points..I don't like the management and some of the tenents are rude and very racist...I am one of the people that live here that have section 8 and I don't do drugs or make all kind of noise in the building...I read some of these reviews and it amazes me how people say that it's the section 8 tenents that make the building a living hell...not saying that some of them don't but how do you know who has section 8 or not in the building? Just curious to really know the answer to that one...but anyway, the building needs a lot of work and updating...needs new management....needs thicker walls...I do like the area and scenery...not the best apartment I've been in but I guess you have to take some bad with the good..FYI, every person on section 8 aren't living off the government, lazy with a lot of kids, on drugs, loud and ignorant, racist bastards....

DISCLAIMER: this is the first review or post of any kind I have ever made on the Internet - some guy on my floor that groans to the decibel level that can somehow traverse through a hallway and 4 doors - no AC to living room - slow elevators - paper thin walls - management: I don't even know...just terrible - most egregious fees for lockout($40??!,at my old building in streeterville it was $5 and they would make a copy of the key for you) or late fees out of any building in the neighborhood Basically, the worse building in streeterville in almost every aspect. If you end up living here the only justification is a significant($250 or more per month) discount so please do your due diligence(especially you bright eyed incoming northwestern students who salivate at living in streeterville high rise)