All 25 tenant reviews.

“For the cost of my apartment, the quality was not worth it, I joined during a leasing special, but once the year was up the rent went up $300 per month. To me, they're saying they don't want us there anymore since the apartment itself is very out of date and the quality isn't really on par. I moved a block north of there and pay $200 less for all new appliances, central air, granite countertops, and full amenities. It was not move-in ready when I got there, we had to have an appliance installed as it was just missing, they did take care of that the next day, so I'll give them that. Generally, all maintenance was handled pretty quickly. A couple of weeks into settling in, we found cockroaches, where we had to have a weekly inspection for about two months, eventually, it was taken care of but the headache of dealing with it was not fun. We did find they came back a few months later and had to go through the process all over. On multiple occasions the washers and dryers stopped working, trying to accommodate the entire building with about 10 washers/dryers was probably too much so I'd constantly have to go to the leasing office to get credited for the cost of the laundry, luckily they're on-site! The Elevators went down pretty often, so waiting for one elevator in this building was like riding the Redline at 8 AM, sometimes it would show up, but when it did it was jam-packed and you'd have to wait about 5 minutes for the next one. The ACs in the apartment are in the window, and they're old, they run like an old muscle car, so forget about watching any movie while they're turned on. The front door security is amazing, he's super friendly and helpful! We've chatted with Irving on multiple occasions, he'd even call me after I moved out to let me know if a package arrived at that building. With the door security, however, which is no fault to him if he's on lunch or whatever, I was disturbed to find a solicitor on the 17th floor selling a product, luckily it was just a solicitor, but what if it were more of a security threat? My last and final issue there, which is admittedly partially my fault, if your ledger is past due on utilities, they will not tell you. They will inform you upon moveout about it so instead of paying it monthly, they'll smack you in the face on the lease end date.”

“I have only lived here a short time, but I regret moving here. Believe all the bad reviews and more. For a company that demands a lot during the application process, they give you nothing in return. If you do move here, be sure to note all issues with your apartment when moving in, I sent the management photos of issues and was told if I had not reported them, I would have been charged when moving out. When a work order is filled out, repairs are checked off as being done, but only completed 50% of the time. Apartment's heat cannot be regulated, I've had all my windows open when it's 5 degrees outside. Snow and ice are not removed promptly. Washers and dryers are usually full or inoperable. They are working on the outside of the building, and grinding can be heard throughout the day. If you quiet because you work nights or need to study during the day, you're out of luck. I was not told this when I looked at the apartment on the weekend. The only favorable things are the doormen are nice, and the neighborhood is good.”

“Maintenance - elevators constantly Brooke and always sounded like they were falling apart. Good luck find a washer or dryer that works, or available at that. Safety - someone broke the front door twice I believe during my stay. Staff - door men are exceptionally friendly and nice. As for management that was poor. I'm pretty sure I received 5 emails concerning different property managers throughout one year.”

“Lower floors have crippling hot water issues which cannot be rectified despite repeated visits by the plumbers. If your neighbors open a tap, you get dripping force which is a big problem at peak hours. Unfortunately, this issue cannot be verified when you are checking the apartment before move-in since you normally visit these apartments during the daytime when every neighbor is at work and the landlords don't tell you about the water issues. Hence, this PSA post. By the way, the gym is not maintained at all. Weights go missing and not replaced.”

“I completely agree with the post below. Hot water is a constant issue here. I've placed multiple requests to fix the hot water but it's always ignored. The hot water pressure, at best, is low and often times it comes out a barely a trickle and I have to wait 20 minutes for it to come back. The cold water, though, comes out like a rocket. The building is heated through radiant heating, via hot water pipes in the floor. Somehow the hot water here is more than enough and it took the building two years to make it NOT 80 degrees in my apartment during the winter. You have absolutely no thermostat control, which is to say it's always too hot in the winter. Additionally, they run the heat Sept 1 to May so it's complete overkill. I've also had issues with roaches and it took them three sprayings to fix.”

“I moved in to Buena Shores in August 2015. My roommate and I got a decent deal on a 2 br 1 ba unit at $1315/month. I don't hate it, but it isn't great. For one, the building has roaches. We have been catching them in the kitchen for months now, even though they've sprayed for roaches twice since we've lived here. I found their entry point behind the refrigerator, where the wall meets the floor. The wall is essentially destroyed and the roaches come in and out at their leisure. I put in a work order and they just sealed the crack with some caulk foam. They didn't do a very good job because roaches still find their way in. We currently have sticky traps on our kitchen counter that are full of dead roaches, which is pretty gross, but its better than them crawling all over the kitchen. 2.) The lack of hot water pressure. The hot water is very inconsistent. Sometimes its warm, it rarely qualifies as hot. And then the pressure, it can be decent, but sometimes I'll be showering and the water slows to a drip. Cold water pressure, on the other hand, is too strong. Many of my unsuspecting visitors have gone to the kitchen sink and turned on the cold water only to be greeted by a pressure washer. 3.) The heat. It's radiant, They pump steam or hot water through pipes in the floor. Its ok when its on, but residents have no control over it. I think it only turns on when it's below 40 outside. I bought a space heater to stay warm when the heat wasn't on. 4.) The kitchen. Small and cramped, but a lot of cabinet space. 5.) The bathroom. Small and cramped, The toilet is tankless, it's like a public bathroom toilet with a lever handle. The shower is ok. The shelving built into the walls is warped and cracked. 6.) There have been at least 4 shootings within a 3 block radius since I've lived here. One actually happened here, when an alleged gang member was visiting and some rival gang members came and shot him right in front of the front door. The glass to the door and vestibule was shot out. It happened about 20 minutes before I would have been walking out to leave for work. And the management never explicitly told the residents what happened, they just sent an email saying that "you may have noticed some damage to the front door, there was an incident...." To their credit, they rebuilt the parking structure (which was a terrible nuisance when 8 jackhammers fired up every morning at 8 am), and they're currently replacing all of the windows in the building. There is laundry on site and a 24 hr gym (some of the cardio equipment is broken) There is a locked bike room, plenty of parking, and a patio outside with some gas grills, tables, and chairs for resident use. Noise: Our neighbors are pretty quiet. We can hear them through vents in the bathroom and kitchen though Grounds: Not much to comment on. 95% of the grounds is a parking lot, Then there's a patio and a little bit of landscaping around the front door Safety: There's only one way in and two ways out. The front door requires a key and there's a side door that is exit only. Parking lot is well lit at night. There is a "lobby attendant" from 3-11pm every day, management stresses that they're not security. All they really do is let residents in the package room to get their boxes Neighborhood: There's not much here. There is a Jewel-Osco, coffee shop, dry cleaner, pizza spot, thai spot, 7-Eleven, all within walking distance. There's an Aldi and a Target a little bit further up the street (10 min walk) Plenty of bus stops nearby and the Sheridan Red Line station is a 10-15 min walk. Montrose Beach is pretty close. There's access to the lakefront trail right on the end of Buena Ave. Maintenance: Work orders are submitted online, The few that I've put in were dealt with promptly, usually on the next business day, but some of the work has been half-assed. Staff: The property manager is ok. Be aware that there isn't a freight elevator. When we moved in, we arrived to see 6 more uhaul trucks, and the news that only one of the two passenger elevators was working. We moved most of our stuff in through the stairwells, which wasn't fun at all. Our apartment also was not ready. We got our keys and went up to find the previous tenants had basically abandoned the apartment and left pictures on, and food in the fridge, the floors were dirty and it needed to be painted. But it was move in ready within two hours. We won't be renewing our lease because our rent was raised $170 and we're not very happy with the building”

“The worse place ever. The building is in a nice area and have parking that's all. However the parking is not cleaning in winter time, they don't remove neither salt the driveway. The building is dirty and smell trash in the corridor. I have complaining many times and the only answer I got is they couldn't find any bad smell. Unfortunately my apartment is near to the trash tube and all the trash fumes get into the apartment, I had to have the windows open and the fun running, otherwise is impossible to breath in the living room. Also be careful with the billing as they use to bill charges that aren't on the contract. Really thin walls, so you can hear your neighbors.”

“For several years I've been a loyal customer to Group Fox and have enjoyed their managements style until my rent for a two bedroom high rise was raised beyond the deserving price margin. Their apartments are no where near luxurious but they certainly use to be perfect for a part-time employee looking for a decent place to live. With that in mind, the apartments are exactly the same shoddy, cheaply constructed apartments but now it feels like they're trying to appeal to the higher class that I can't imagine would ever want to touch a building that has on-site laundry you pay about $20 for two loads just to make sure everything is properly washed and dried or for a work out room that contains equipment being held together by nothing but a prayer and sweat. Each year my rent has been raised $100 with poor excuses or no excuse at all as to why and what the company has done to improve their abilities in order to justify raising rent so high. Many of the years I've been with the company they however use to be understanding of my part-time situation and we'd negotiate a contract that works for myself and them. Now, it's been raised more than the asking price on the website (about $300 more than I currently pay), negotiations are not an option, and the apartment and building itself is at a worst state than when I moved in. I give maintenance many codos though. The on-site guy is quick to respond but he's only able to do so much. Once a unit is occupied nothing is ever updated or replaced even at request. Being on the 20th floor its excruciatingly hot on a regular bases which I understood but the air conditioners are outdated and unable to do their jobs properly. I no longer turn them on since the filters haven't been changed since before I moved in. The closets roll open by using wheels and a cheap bent track creating several angering minutes of trying to simply open the closet without the door falling off. The water pressure is absolutely wonderful here but I guess it's wonderful in the apartment above me as well because it looks like some black mold is starting to grow. Unfortunately the company has not stopped in to take a look yet so I'm momentarily unable to identify the substance. I'm sure it'll be cleaned up by the next customer comes in though. They are decent at sprucing up a unit for the next person. I never had a problem with neighbors until this year. I don't have a problem with noise; you get the occasional child running up and down the hallways for about twenty minutes screaming at the top of their lungs, or in my particular apartment the bedroom is next to my neighbors living room so I go to bed listing to them watching an action film and wake up to the tenants yelling at each other while they get ready to the beat of their music. The problem I have been having lately though is the obnoxious group of tenants in general. The exercise equipment is constantly being abused or in terrible shape without repair, most of the time there's only one working elevator and even when that's working someone has thrown up in it, the patio grills are kept in poor condition, and people are always smoking in the stairways which is unfortunate that the smell creeps into my apartment hallway being next to the entrance to the stairs. I don't endorse this location and I'm unsure if I'm able to even endorse Group Fox anymore either. I hope you find what you're looking for though.”

“A long term (22 years) tenant is finally had enough. They have consistently tried to raise the rent 100.00 each year and have done absolutely NOTHING to deserve it. The only thing we will miss is the Maintenance guy who is great and the management is even treating him poorly. They are renting to multiple students to each apartment. The building is nothing now but a giant dormitory with few adults who appreciate taking care of things. Elevators that consistently break down. Driers that take 3 cycles at 1.50 to dry a small load. People defacing the building and vomiting all over and partying between floors. There has been multiple big leaks of water between walls from upper floors and the build refuses to check for mold. The air returns for the building have never been cleaned. I paid for apartment upgrades and they still want to raise rent. It is only about money and they don't care how much they cheaply repair the torn up apartments each time these kids leave when school is up. The bricks in the entry to the building are all loose and someone will get hurt. The patio grills are old and disgusting.”

“As everyone else has said, the staff here is terrible. My bathtub was clogged for two months and even though I complained LITERALLY everyday, they didn't do a single thing. But they were immediately at my door to charge me a $50 late fee when I accidentally shorted them $0.33 from my rent!! This would be a wonderful apartment if it was maybe half the price.”

“I cant wait for my lease to be done. One elevator is always "broken" on weekends, and the magically turn on first thing monday morning. -Parking lot is completely unsafe, car's get broken into frequently, and they leave the gates up so anyone can come and go as the please. -The advertise they have work out facilities, first there isnt much there and second they are ALWAYS broken and it takes months for them to get the supposed "missing part". -Laundry Machine's (Dryers) never get your clothes dry so you have to dry them twice (1.50 per load). -Stinks, hardly ever cleaned and on occasions there is PUKE in the elevators. For the money move someplace with less headache and much more safe. You don't want to wake up every morning wondering if your windshield is smashed or someone is rooting around in your car.”

“There is no management at this building. Nothing gets done. They lost my rent check twice and ignored a complaint about ants in the apartment. The building is like a dorm building. It's dirty and it smells bad. I've ridden the elevators with peoples trash, beer cans, and on one occasion, vomit. The noise is terrible, as there is NO isulation. Even after two noise complaints to the office about our neighbors, nothing was done. Maintenance is slow, as they are not ever onsight, and the only timley repair was when we called the emergency maintenance number on the website. Laundry Room and Elevators are frequently not working properly. There are other buildings in the area. Live in them.”

“Buena is not an ideal place to live. The management is not efficient (i.e. couldn't find my rent check twice, did nothing about the ant problem in our apartment.) The building isn't very clean, I rode the elevator with vomit, food, and beer cans on various occasions. The walls are very, very thin. Noise is a problem, in addition to the inability to hang things. The apartment was in poor condition, and wasn't very clean when we moved in. It's proximity to the 7-11 and the Jewel are the only pluses, but there are other buildings in the area that are nicer, and have the same sort of convenient locations.”

“The management has always been great! When my stove and oven broke, they had a new one to me the next day. They are always cleaning and keeping the building nice. Rent is a little high but I love the area and the neighbors are great.”

“Basically I agree with what other tenants are saying. Ok for the price, but not so great compared to other apartments. I lived in an apartment in Lincoln Park for only $100 more a month which was a million times nicer. The staff at Buena is really slow- when I moved in there was a ton of stuff that needed to be fixed, and they were very rude when we called them repetitively because they never fixed the problems. Also- painfully hot. I had to keep my air conditioning on in the dead of winter it was so hot! Bike room not too secure- my roommates bike was stolen the second day she kept it in there. And, alot of times, shower would not work. Only a trickle of water would come out. Very annoying! On the plus side, it is cheap, and the apartments themselves have fairly new appliances and fixtures. Parking is available as well for only $100 a month, which is quite low for in the city. It is a far walk from the L though, and the neighborhood isn't the greatest.”

“Pro<br>1.nice view<br>2.close to bus&el/grocery/library/bar<br>3.free heat<br>4.package delivery<br>5.really nice fitness area<br>6.Nice laudrey as long as you don't do it weekends.<br>7. Cheep cable rate becuase you are in a high rise<br><br>CONS<br>1.Office people are Rude and Lazy if you need something done you have to treaten them with the group fox head quarters. Also office only open 9-5 and does not always tell you when they are going to be closed on non-holidays.<br>2.Maintenace does not understand/speak english so if you ask them something they nod...and sometimes they will get it done. Also they are almost never on sight ..even though they are the on-sight maintance.. so expect it to take 3 days at least after you talk to the Main office(group Fox)<br>3.Elevator/ laundry breaks a lot. <br>4.Very hot...I would say my apartment averages 90% and up (shorts all winter)... the heat comes from under the floor so it makes all your stuff really hot too.<br><br>Overall, It is not the worst if you don't ever have to interact with the office/mantenance/cable people cause but the apartments usually look great.”

“I've found that Chicago doesn't really have tons of great options for living, unless you can spend at least $1500 a month for a one bedroom.<br><br>That said, I lived in these apartments for a year, and thoroughly enoyed it. The price was a little steep, but I had a gorgeous lake view (that I miss now!!), and a new, clean, quiet and clean-smelling apartment. The tenants really represent the global village, which is great if you're open to it. There are a range of ages; everyone is generally nice and keeps to themselves. It's a very neighborly feel. <br><br>The street is gorgeous, and usually quiet (there are some questionable blocks not too far away, but it feels safe overall.) It's very residential--not a lot of options in terms of shopping, restuarants or nightlife, but it's nice if you're looking for something kind of chill. <br><br>I found the management very receptive, and there's a guard on duty at night (I think only on the weekends? I never got his schedule down). I would definitely recommend this place to someone who is open to the neighborhood and can afford it.”

“I think the comments about 833 W. Buena are a little harsh. I lived there and didn't think it was too bad. I was there when the management switched to Group Fox. It is true that there was better service, office hours, and a security guard before. However, after the switch I always got responses when I called the maintanence or package pickup number. In fact, every time I called the package pickup number someone immediately came downstairs to give me my package. I do think that they should reinstate the security guard at night. <br><br>Overall, the building is not luxery, but is nice enough and a good price. The dishwasher was a huge plus for me. The workout facility was nice and has LifeFitness machines. Basically, it's a nice place to live if you want amenities but don't want to pay a ton of money. Plus, I've always liked that neighborhood.”

“Unless you don' t mind smelly halls, your packages not being delivered, and your buzzer not working then sure its a great building. There is NO or POOR help for the office staff. No one seems to return calls.”

“I was denied because I had section 8 and my family size, but the manager finally agreed to let me rent the place, so I do appreciate that”

“Management is completely incompetent. Nothing gets done until you complain to the head GroupFox office directly. Then, and only then, do things get done. The last time I received a package, they lost it for 3 days, and made no attempt to find it until I contacted the main GroupFox office. When I received the package, I was disturbed to find that the package they had lost was in a box that measured 5 feet by 4 feet--I'm not certain how one loses a package that large, but they managed it. The place isn't terrible, but it's certainly no paradise. Yes, it's been recently renovated, but the decor appears to be wholesale leftovers from a warehouse that had back inventory from the 1970's. Faux marble and plastic plants in the lobby do not impress me. Neighbors are inconsiderate and loud, oftentimes you can hear bass reverberating through the walls on weeknights as late as 3am-4am. That would have been great when I was in college, but now, with a hectic work schedule, it is not appreciated. Temperature and noise insulation are terrible.<br><br>Now on with the good. The neighborhood is great, and probably the only reason my fiance and I have stayed here this long. Rent isn't terrible, but it's not as great as people would have you believe. The renovated kitchen's are great, but that's about it. Location is good, although a bit to close to a firehouse, so if you're a light sleeper, don't even consider this building.<br><br>If I didn't have to worry about paying for a wedding this year, I would have happily moved out to a more expensive and nicer building.”

“I'm amazed at the people in 2001-3 complaining about management... you mean you HAD management? This is difficult to get across so let me be very clear. There is NO management at 833 W. Buena. There is indeed a "management office." But the office is unstaffed. There are no office hours. There are no managers that I have ever seen here. Period.<br><br>Instead, you have a list of phone numbers for maintenance, packages, Group Fox HQ. The response time for this phone numbers is pretty average. <br><br>The windows are very leaky from outside air. The radiant heat (from the floor) is included but it is very inconsistent (and there's no thermostat - no control over it). Sometimes in winter you have to have the windows wide open to keep from sweating through your clothes. But on the two coldest weekends during the winter, the heat was off all weekend. Like a homeless person, we had to go to the bookstore to warm up. How convenient for Group Fox's pocketbook that the heat was "out" during the coldest snaps of the year.<br><br>So if there's no management how do you pick up your packages? Answer: you don't. The packages are held hostage in the unstaffed office. It's a federal crime to interfere with the mail, but I guess Group Fox is above the law. You can look inside and see 20-40 packages piled up at any time. The way to get them is to sneak in when the staff has happened to open the office.<br><br>One small annoyance that sums it all up: You have to mail your rent check to the Group Fox HQ two miles away. You'd think MAYBE they could have a drop box in the lobby or something. But no. That would be a service, and Group Fox is proud to offer absolutely no services beyond those required by law. <br><br>The staff is the usual eastern europeans. Their competence level is average but their customer service is unchanged from the Soviet Union. The maintenance guy and I actually had a flat-out yelling argument about the conditions of my apartment. No conception of customer service whatsoever. Sullen, unsmiling staff non-existent mgmt. = unfriendly building. <br><br>The lower few floors appear to be Section 8 people, but I haven't had any problems with them. <br><br>There's a fire department up by Wilson that zooms down Broadway a few times a night with sirens at full blast. It's insanely loud. <br><br>Walls are a little thin, but I lucked out with considerate neighbors.<br><br>There's a security guard here about twice a month. Wow- what a deterrent to crime. Two random nights a month we have a dude or dudette sitting in the lobby. Truly absurd.<br><br>Good things: dishwasher, street parking very possible, mixed neighborhood of luxury homes and apt. buildings, access to lincoln park under LSD at the end of buena ave, cheap rent.<br><br>If you are a true do-it-yourselfer that can rough it without management, go for it. If you need a semblance of management, look elsewhere. I'm moving out.”

“When I moved here this was such a nice place to live. The neighbors were friendly and managment was friendly. The building needed some upgrades that the new company did but <br>now, managment is horrible! The office does not returns calls,they post signs in the gym that read "please refrain from spitting" , the parking lot is not lite, the hallways were remodeled but are not well kept, when you call the manager of the building for a package she is impolite. <br><br>There are better places with better customer service. Once my lease is up I am moving! <br><br>”

“I've lived here for 2 years and I've seen 2 different management. Current management seems a little better, but they are still ignorant. In the building, there are a lot of students doing parties couple of nights a week. I called the management and left a message about my neighbor being noisy and mean to me, but they never called me back. This winter, our heating was not working properly, so I had to heat it externally. When I told the manager, they said it is fixed, but it wasn't. I'm going to move out as soon as my lease expires.<br>”

“The gym is a joke, the staff is so unfriendly, <br>This building is the example of a mismanaged property. <br>I had to make repeat requests for repairs. Once "completed", said repairs were actually cosmetically and functionally inadequate. This building doesn't want to spend money on those necessary repairs to make their units habitable.<br>What a nightmare. It's noisy, over priced and the office staff don't care about your maintenance problems. I have yet to hear of a happy resident here. <br>Managenent only cares about getting your money. <br>I'm moving out as soon as my lease expires!”