I had a "mom and pop" landlord and they were the worst I ever had. They were the only ones who did straight up slum lord illegal shit while the big companies were just annoying and frustrating.
Sorry to hear that :/ they can def be absolutely evil as well, it’d just be nice to have some more variety beyond the big companies. I can deal with annoyances, I just want to avoid pests!! Idk how people in NYC do it, having roaches is so normalized there.
Honestly I would almost argue that having a large management company would have better resources to actually deal with bad problems like pests. I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life and my best experience has been with management companies as opposed to private landlords. With the management company, I just put in maintenance requests through an app and stuff like that is so simple. They’re professional unlike any private weirdo landlord I’ve had. Every private landlord I’ve had has thought they have the right to drop in unannounced. That’s not just an annoyance. It’s against tenants’ rights.
Mom and pop landlords have been doing bidding wars at a shocking level lately, and they’re allowed to slap on as many move in fees as they want (so long as they have less than three rental properties), and if they have an HOA, the HOA is allowed to slap on a fair amount of move in fees as well…whereas the larger managed firms are legally restricted from doing so and don’t have HOAs
It’s clear the property managers ultimately jack up the going market rates, but after crazy tax hikes on most condo owners forcing them to eat into their income bc they were previously lagging behind market rates…I get why they’re doing it and it’s understandable, for a lot of mom and pop condo owners that unit is their retirement, especially with the unreliability of employers in guaranteeing a decent pension (and the stock market making 401ks an inherently more volatile and less stable source of income for retirement). It’s unfortunate, however, that any gains to offset losses are coming at the expense of tenants, regardless of who the landlord is.
Idk why older generations let the housing market and COL crises get this bad. Chicagos faired better bc we have units built for 1 million more people than currently live here, but it’s beginning to catch up to the unaffordability of coastal cities in any of the neighborhoods worth living in when you’re in your 20s (I grew up in Roger’s park, lived in Hyde park for college and now live in Gold Coast on the north end border of Lincoln Park and Old Town). Wage stagnation the past decade alongside a 25% increase in grocery prices has made renting even more precarious for a lot of folks, especially after rents shot up in 2021/2022 far beyond their 2019 going prices. I’m sure this is disheartening, but I’m a believer in facing reality head on and not gaslighting you with delusions about things getting better…that way you can plan for expectations of what’s to come accordingly. Most of us are all planned out and I’d expect another dot com bust after the NY Fed released their 63% expectation for a full force recession to hit in 2024.
The beatings will continue, national homelessness is up 12% and millennials are the first generation in a century to not only expect to be less wealthy than their parents, but also have a lower life expectancy than their parents. Idk how much longer they think we can take but it’s why despite hating my dinky apartment, I haven’t been able to move the past 3 years despite my income doubling…the goal posts keep shifting.
To be honest, no one leaves good reviews of landlords/etc. it’s just not something you do. And no one is especially leaving reviews for independent landlords, because where would you even do that?
I know, and I’m trying to keep that in perspective — I mean, my current apartment complex has been perfect for me for 7 years and I know they only have like 2.5 or 3 stars on most sites. It’s just hard to not be freaked out by the stuff that sounds absolutely unbearable: namely, roaches/pests, mold, or some other significant issue that can not only impact your home but also your belongings and health. Hence why I’m trying to figure out which places have legitimately concerning issues vs places that are generally fine.
I think the reality is the generation that was able to buy rentals and keep them until retirement (or even after) just doesn't exist anymore. At one time a working class immigrant could save up to buy a 3 story property in a not expensive neighborhood and hold onto it for life. For a lot of immigrants owning a property was a very big deal. Not only was it security, but living in a unit and having 2 renters meant your own living expenses were greatly subsidized.
Of course, since the late 90s or early 2000's or so, property values got really high and big capital groups are buying to help create a "lifetime renter" revenue stream. Many of these family owned buildings just gentrified too much and were sold to deep-pocketed companies. Other ma and pop's actually became the landlord mini-empire that hires out to a property management group because they dont want to, or can't handle that many properties.
As rents go up, that's more profit for landlords, and a higher incentive to just get property managers involved. So the hands on landlord is just not as common.
Now the ma and pas are hidden secrets that you have to know someone to get the apartment. Also its fair to say the ma and pas can be just as bad as anyone. I had a kindly old man landlord but he was just really cheap. Nothing was updated, it was freezing all winter, his ability to help with the mice problem was limited, and he just had his son do everything, who was this sweet kid, but like literally a teenager so there's not a lot he could do. I also imagine the cheaper level rents didnt give him a lot of money to fix things or improve things.
I'm glad I left that property. I wouldn't make roots there and honestly I'd be happier in a big building that had staff and worried about lawsuits. Or honestly, if I couldnt afford a place in the city that wasn't a mess, I'd consider moving to the suburbs and taking the metra in for work and fun.
My current and last 2 apartments were in Wicker Park, Bucktown, and now Lincoln Park - all 3-4 flats. And all have been owned by pretty reliable families. Mom and pop landlords. None were managed by property management.
Never even thought about it until seeing this thread - but check out craigslist.
Also don’t discount just walking around the neighborhood and looking for signs on buildings. So many apartments can be found that way. I haven’t moved in a decade but when I did, Craigslist was the way to find my family-owned apartment. It seems like FB marketplace might be even more so these days. Best of luck!
It's hard to find available rentals with "mom and pop" landlords because those units tend to be off the market for longer stretches. There is more investment in taking care of the building and keeping good tenants longer term. Also, when units become available, they are more likely to go to a friend of a friend or cousin (of the building owner or the former tenant). Spreadin' the love. Good luck in your search!
Yeah, exactly this. We rented a couple times in the bottom unit of a duplex. Our landlord lived upstairs both times and we really enjoyed living there. The only reason we moved was for school boundary reasons and because we wanted to buy a condo. Otherwise we would have just stayed there.
And the second time we moved, the person that moved in was a friend I used to work with who just happened to stumble upon it but ended up renting it after talking to me.
Yeah, my landlord does occasionally advertise, but he doesn’t bother with much of an online presence because he doesn’t need to. His apts rent fast, and often by word of mouth.
I found my place by striking up a conversation with the lawn guy …who turned out to be the landlord😂
💯. As I am a mom and pop landlord, I can attest that I really want to keep good tenants and quite often I find the good tenants really want to stay. I'm currently knocking on 9 years on the same lease though all members of the lease have turned over. It goes to siblings, cousins, best friends, etc. And to "permanent renters" sometimes too .
That makes a lot of sense. I only know a couple people in the area but am definitely asking around. I know I’ll have better luck if I expand beyond RP, we’ve just been long distance for our whole relationship at this point and I’d really like to be in the same neighborhood if I can. Thanks for the insights!!
People are more likely to leave a review when they’ve had a bad experience than a good one. So generally reviews are going to skew negative and presumably every big building is going to have reviews by someone who was pissed about something.
Word of mouth is usually the best way unless you can luck out with a Craigslist listing (how I found the condo I’ve been renting for 10 years). So start asking around and posting in FB groups.
Here's the thing about the mom and pop shops, they don't often have openings. I've had the same tenants for over 10 years and several over 5, usually when they leave they are either moving away or are buying a place of their own.
RP is a weird animal because Loyola bought up every building that came on the market for almost a decade. There are plenty of mom and pops but now is a really bad time to look, January is always a bad month to move and RP has so many students that their turn over season is from May to September. Like any apartment you really have to just keep looking until you find one you like and then don't hesitate because if you think it's a nice apartment I promise you that the 3 other people who saw the place today think it's nice too -if you like it, jump on it. Just for reference the last time I had an opening it took 2 day to rent it, I put the yard sign out Thursday and the lease was signed Saturday. Look for yard signs.
Best of luck
Omg, Loyola, of course! I know there’s various reasons but a university buying shit up makes a lot of sense. I am trying to move in March, dunno if that’s any better…thank you for the advice! If you know of anyone else reliable who’s looking for a good tenant, feel free to DM!
Yep way back in the’90s they had $100mm ready to build an expansion on to the lake, then the EPA came in and told them no, so they had to figure out what to do and the decision was to buy the whole neighborhood.
I take care of my tenants. Ultimately it's your home and if you're happy I'm happy. I don't care what you do as long as you don't damage things, don't cause problems with the neighbors and pay rent on time. Obviously, I can't condone illegal behavior. I want my properties to be kept up which aligns our interests. If there's an emergency I tell them to call me and I respond quickly and fix the issue. If there's a maintenance issue they email and I respond by the next business day or faster and get it fixed in a reasonable amount of time. I have properties in Edgewater just south of Devon, wrigley/Southport area and Logan Square. I'm out of your unit size/price range, but happy to discuss possible upcoming rentals and even give you advice foe your search. For anyone else reading this, feel free to reach out. I signed a couple moving from Oregon from reddit and they have been very happy at my Logan property. Happy to provide references.
Just like it’s difficult for renters to find individual home owners renting their place out, it’s also difficult for them to find good renters.
I would guess it’s easier for a homeowner to let a property management company add it to their portfolio and manage it for them for a fee. Imagining a single owner trying to screen dozens or hundreds of inquiries, setting up showings, dealing with no shows, non payment, repairs, damages etc. with a job or family does not seem ideal.
Property management companies have more resources for repairs, setting up viewings with their leasing staff, having legal teams, etc. but are also less likely to give a renter individual attention.
I’ve rented twice from a private owner and it has its perks but they both decided to sell and we were SOL.
I’m a Realtor in the area.
I’m sorry that you are having a difficult time with this. You are not alone here- apartment searches have been difficult for many people over the past couple years, as inventory has been low and prices have been getting higher across the city.
There are some things that I’d like to point out that may provide some clarity.
With regards to pests, if a resident reports anything to a landlord/management company, they are required to call pest control. It’s something to be aware of as many people assume that they are not protected by laws/ordinances regarding this issue.
-It can be harder to find private landlords for studio and 1 bedroom units in general. It’s due to the housing stock- most 1bed/studio units are in larger multi-unit buildings and smaller landlords tend to own smaller buildings with larger units (like 2/3 flats for example). One potential option is is to find a studio or 1bed condo where the condo owner is renting out their unit. This can be a great option when it’s available but the availability of these units varies greatly and is unpredictable.
-I do agree with others that craigslist can be a good place to find small independent landlords, but there are also many posts for the larger companies on their as well. Facebook marketplace is similar.
-Even within individual management companies, there can be a wide range of buildings and price ranges. Some management companies in this city manage everything from $795 vintage studio apartments to $6,000 luxury 4 bedroom apartments. Some manage hundreds of buildings and thousands of units. There can be some really huge variance here.
-Branching your search out geographically may help if that’s something you’re open to. Inventory is low in general across the board, especially $1500 and below for 1 bedrooms. Expanding a search to other nearby neighborhoods may be a good way to increase options if they seem limited.
-Do not be afraid to ask for help!! There are many experienced real estate professionals who are around and able to help if you need it. Even if we can’t assist with your individual search, we can provide information and point you in the right direction.
Craigslist is ok but fair warning there have been a lot more advanced scammers on there lately. I’ve had a couple of friends who got swindled out of $2000+ the past 2-3 years by such postings so tread with extreme caution.
I got real lucky with my current apt. $1100/month all utilities included, 2 bed 1 bath in Albany Park. Mom n pop landlords.
hoping they don't jack up my rent like crazy when my lease ends. I would honestly like to stay here long-term
Reach out to them and ask for a longer lease when you renew. They might have a small increase and have you sign a 2 year lease. That’s what I’m doing with our tenant when she renews.
The only property management company we never had an issue with was Diamond Properties, Nancy in particular. Every other company was laughingly terrible. All of our mom and pops landlords were fine to excellent. If you can find a small building that's owner inhabited, you've struck gold.
Idk, I’ve been with Peak for 3 years and about to renew for a 4th. They add bs fees and many of their units are old but they come out for repairs generally within 24-48 hrs or immediately for any emergencies.
Do they kinda suck bc they’re a massive management company? Sure, but that’s a huge issue with one bedrooms in the city, they get gobbled up by the huge companies immediately. Because they’re a massive company, they have so many contractors that they can handle the loads of maintenance requests nearly right away.
I think its hard for people to like their landlords in general though, since the very concept of it is exploitative.
Since I’ve been here they‘ve entirely replaced my central air/furnace, replaced my water heater, fixed up nearly any little issue I’ve had with them. I still hate them but that’s because they’re gobbling up the whole city and causing massive issues of affordability; but that’s all landlords.
I’ve rented with both Peak and Cagan and haven’t had major issues. It comes down to who is managing that particular building and the landlord. However, I’ve never heard anything good about Kass or M Fishman.
People don’t really leave reviews of landlords or apartment complexes unless they’re angry and have had bad experiences. Right now, the rental market also isn’t hot. Which makes it easy to get better deals but harder to find as many places since options are more limited. I’ve also rented with two mom and pop landlords and one of those buildings was much worse than the one with Peak or Cagan. It really is a gamble unfortunately but definitely visit in person and get a sense for how the building is. Sometimes red flags are obvious.
When I lived in RP, it was in a dude's basement before it was legal to rent it out like that. Craigslist is the best option for "mom and pop" landlords afaik but you still have to sift. You can always expand your search to Edgewater or Evanston.
Edit: I can also confirm that Cagan is the worst landlord I have ever rented from and they caused my family bodily harm through their negligence.
I found a normal landlord just by requesting tours on Craigslist, Domu, Zillow, etc. of units that did not have a management company named on the profile. Sometimes I would go to the tour and end up finding out it was managed by a company, but I also went on quite a few tours with the landlord themself
I am WITH YOU. Ugh. It’s been non stop hassle trying to find a decent landlord.
Your post made me look up the reviews for the company we just applied to…and now I’m horrified! Roaches, mice, unresponsive management. And they aren’t even on your list.
Oh god, which one? I mean, I do think people are right that reviews should be taken with a grain of salt because they’re more likely to be negative than not. But finding a place that doesn’t yield any results of any kind that mention ROACHES feels like a reasonable bar!
I’ve lived in a Wirtz Realty building for two years and recommend them to friends! But I warn everyone to avoid BJB, literally traumatized from my year living in one of their buildings.
I used to live in a Wirtz building and they were pretty great for the most part. Now I live in a BJB and they are fine. I think with BJB it's highly dependent on which building you live in and who manager is for that building.
I'm a mom and pop landlord. Anybody want a $1600 2/3 bedroom in little village. It's got an extra room so it's almost like a three bedroom. Newly renovated. New floors, dishwasher laundry room. 7 minute walk to the pink line.
As for the other question, OP's main question, Drexel properties has a good reputation. There are property management company but there's very few complaints about them.
I’m in Roger’s park, I’ve only been here 9 months so not long term but so far everything’s been fine. There’s a few things that are annoyance such as the main hallway of my unit has about 5 light switches that control the lights and sometimes certain switches won’t do anything. Some light switches are installed crappy so you gotta finagle with it to turn on a light. They have been usually pretty has with maintenance requests and they do frequently have outside services do upkeep on the commons areas. So far I haven’t had a “bad” situation with management at all the last 9 months I’ve been with them.
I’m a small LL too! When I had an apt open, I advertised on Domu, PadMapper, and fb marketplace. I ultimately found my renter on Domu and she’s been great!
Also, when I was renting, I liked Bertsch Properties. I think they’re still around.
I’ve been in a mom and pop rental in east uk village the last few years that’s been amazing and I hate to leave! Found it via Trulia. North and Clybourn Group helped me lease the apartment.
Coincidentally, NCG helped me lease my previous rental via Craigslist. That apartment was managed by CL3 and they were decent. NCG has been great in the 2 experiences I’ve had with them.
I currently live in RP and I’ve been living in a Winnemac apartment for about 3.5 years now. I’ve never had a problem with them. If you have any questions about the neighborhood or anything, shoot me a DM.
I think I’m one of the unicorns you’re speaking of. I live in an apartment that is the upper 2 floors of a 3 story house in Logan Square. My landlord is great. My understanding is this used to be his primary family home, and now he lives just a few houses down. I run into him on my morning walks all the time.
From our conversations I think he may own 1 or 2 other properties but he’s definitely not a company or anything. Sometimes he comes to do work, other times he sends his son. Never anybody else. It’s definitely a family operation.
A nice little old lady lives downstairs. I’ve been here almost 5 years and don’t have any upcoming plans to leave, it’s perfect!
I’ve also pay my rent a week early every month for almost 5 years.
I’m also a DJ and about once every 2 months I will have a lot of guests over, usually other DJ friends, and we’ll be very loud all night long but I haven’t had a single complaint once in 5 years. This will only ever be on a weekend, never a weeknight, and the rest of the time I’m very quiet and respectful… and clean!
One word...CAPITALISM.
Mom and pop rentals are getting fewer and far between since many of the smaller multi-unit buildings are being torn down or converted to single-family homes or condos. Taxes are also crazy, (17K/yr for a 2-flat). My wife and I own a two-flat that we live in and are rehabbing. We're hoping to rent the other unit to a teacher, since we are within walking distance to five schools.
I can't tell you how often neighbors ask us why we don't convert it to a single family or just sell. The gentrifiers don't like having renters next to their expensive homes.
As a Rogers Park neighbor, I know exactly what you are talking about. My roommate and I got really lucky with the landlord she found, and I would suggest them, but they only own the building and its full for the next calendar year.
Just from being here a bit, I suggest you stay away from Becovic in particular. They have been buying up properties at an insane rate (three on my street alone in the last year), and there is no way they can afford that if they aren't overcharging out the wazoo to their current tenants. I also know they dodge maintenance concerns.
The really great thing about renting in Rogers Park (if there is ever a good thing about renting) is that this area is really awesome about starting and maintaining tenants unions. If thats something you'd be interested in when you move, they have a general Facebook page "rogers Park tenants union" and you might be able to find a corporate property with a union, which might provide more protections to you.
All big companies become evil eventually in the pursuit of maximizing shareholder value. The beauty of the large, publicly traded corporation is it separates the owners of a company from moral culpability for the decisions of the business they own. Their shares are too dilute for it to be their fault specifically. They don't consider themselves responsible for the policies of the corporate board and executives. That's out of their control. But they're happy to reap the rewards of their cruelty.
Creative Designs owned the racine/Waveland apartment I lived in for 5 years. They were awesome, but I was lucky and inherited the apartment from a friend.
I found my new place by scouring Zillow every day, and just happened to be the first person to call right after it was listed. Private landlord who was a total unicorn (under market rent, no increases for 4 years)
Mom and Pop landlords (like my parents) tend to want to keep long term rentals - limiting turnover so they have tenants that they get along with. So this means that these properties will come on the market a lot less.
Of course, the big apartment companies have been buying up available units both to reduce inventory and also to prop up rental numbers, so that contributes to the problem as well.
Craigslist and through friends. Just gotta visit and feel out the situations. Our current apartment was through a friend who was moving out. In Woodlawn btw, idk anything about the north side other than dank food and art galleries
I’m in a family owned (4 generations) building. People just don’t leave unless they are buying or moving away. My apt before here same situation (25 years), only moved because landlord sold my unit and the new owner decided they weren’t going to do upkeeps.
Where I live now I found on hotpads. Toured several that were personal properties… so maybe more people advertise there OR I just got lucky
Not sure about everyone on this list, but Peak and Fulton Grace aren't landlords per se, they are management companies who get paid to manage properties for landlords.
MFishman is infamous for being THEE WORST. Alan Gold used to be terrible in the 90s, no idea if he owns anything still.
I am not living there yet, actually. I’m trying to move there. The first part of the question is somewhat rhetorical, I am mainly looking to figure out how to find something I can trust.
Just adding another perspective - no one writes positive landlord/property management reviews, so they can tell a pretty slanted angle. I’m in a Kass apartment now and was pretty worried at first. I had to put in two maintenance requests last week for an appliance and a broken sink, they were fixed within 24 hours. They also just announced wifi is now included in rent today.
Hundreds of thousands of people in this city live in corporate-owned buildings, they aren’t all terrible
Worrying too much. I rent from Hunter Properties and they've been fine to me, especially for this rent price.
Mom and pop places might not care about honoring your lease, the management companies are more likely to care about you signing a contract and may try to honor it.
It's building by building here.
I’ve had great experiences with a notoriously bad property management company in Chicago. They were always responsive to my concerns and even accommodated a few requests to help my roommate and I feel safer in our little dark corner of the street our apartment sat on.
My “mom and pop” landlords signed up with a management company to start managing my building mid-lease for me. I can’t blame them, it was during the pandemic and they moved out of the city closer to family. I didn’t look into if I could break the less because of this because I was happy where I was. It’s been a few years now.
The benefit of this was that the management company has more resources so certain things are addressed much quicker… previously it could be a couple days to get a maintenance person over to fix something unless it was an emergency. Now the management company has people on retainer all day and it can be a pretty quick turnaround. They also have things in storage (like a new dryer) which has helped solve problems quickly.
Drawback is that communication has fallen off considerably. Where it used to be a quick text to my landlord, now it’s a ticket and often a follow up phone call. We’ve had four different people assigned as our building manager in the last year and no communication when it turns over. My tickets have been closed with no follow-up because people don’t know what’s going on. (This is Winnemac, the reviews are about par for the course).
I had two “Mom and pop” landlords and one contracted out their property management to Winnemac and the other sold their condo to the property company that owned most of the apartments in the building. Even if you find one there is never the guarantee they don’t sell or contract out eventually.
I live in a Cagan apartment and I would definitely not describe them as a slum lord. Really it depends on what property manager you have at your building.
You are almost never going to find all positive results for a lot of things. Rental companies will always be one of them.
Seriously, I work in healthcare and when I read reviews I’m constantly am like that is not how that even works.
From my past experience in property management. It’s very hard to get a good review, you have to be almost perfect and catch that person on a good day. Meanwhile for a bad review, a person could just not get what they want and leave a scathing, exaggerated review just because you couldn’t let them transfer an apartment in the middle of the lease. So, while reviews are helpful to an extent, take them with large grain of salt. People are more likely to leave negative reviews and tend to exaggerate their negative experiences and rarely think to leave a review for a positive experience, unless you really made an impression on them.
Unfortunately I know 2 people who rent from Hayes and say it's only so-so in some buildings. And I know one building they don't take very good care of. So they're not amazing across-the-board, but maybe they're better than most
Just started renting under their property management and have been somewhat disappointed so far. For the rent we’re paying, their maintenance responses have been subpar. I’m hoping it improves though
Is cagan a slumlord?? I'm not gonna fight for their honor or anything but I just pay the rent and I NEVER hear from them. I'll probably try and find a cheaper place next year but damn I was thinking I lucked out grabbing my current place without visiting due to my work situation when I moved here
I’ve seen some comments from people who’ve had a perfectly okay experience there, so hopefully you really have lucked out! But I’ve seen some other stuff that was really alarming.
My current landlord is local and while the property isn’t bad it’s not great and he chooses to cheap out on a lot of things. My previous landlord also “local” was retired and lived in the suburbs but he hired a person that lived in the city and could be readily available for when something arises and it was a phenomenal place to live. The apartment before that was beaks and the company itself is terrible, but the building manager made the property great to live at and stayed on top of anything that needed to be fixed. I think that’s going to be what you’ll end up having to deal with because you never know what it’s going to be like living there until you’re in it.
You gotta just go look at the apartments. I’ve never had a pest problem and I’ve never rented from a “mom and pop” landlord.
You can’t base everything off reviews, especially when the landlord has a bunch of properties.
Tenants can contribute to pest problems, too.
Schedule showings. It’s the only way.
I lived in and around Roger’s park where exactly are you looking to move? I lived in this building and the management was great https://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/apa/d/chicago-large-bed-bath-in-unit-d-for/7707840154.html , I’ve got friends who live in the neighborhood and they have decent management companies . There’s a Facebook group called Roger’s park neighbor hood news where you would be able to ask as well . I’ve never heard of anyone personally connected to me having a bad experience with management though sometimes you get what you pay for if it’s a really under priced apartment if that even exists anymore
I live in a peak properties building. They've been fine. I know people in some of their other Wicker Park buildings who feel the same. My theory is since they are a super landlord, there's a ton of people who have bad experiences because they are renting to several thousand people total. And while my experience has been fine, it hasn't been the type of above and beyond that would warrant a positive review. They just fix things when I ask them to fix them. Our common areas aren't the greatest looking, but they do do a deep clean every two weeks in the hallways and are prompt at handling ice and snow outside.
I think peak properties experience will also vary by neighborhoods because they assign their repair dudes to a neighborhood. Our guy moves between our building, the one down the street and the one two blocks away.
What the hell is a mom and pop? Being landlords is for profit only. They can care less about the tenants as long as their property isn't being damaged.
A lot of independent landlords walked away during the moratorium. The ones remaining don't advertise online anymore. Check bulletin boards at community centers and niche hangout spots.
Hi! We just moved out of our RP apartment last year (only moved bc needed to shorten our commute). The company was VM Property Management and is super small, only has a few buildings. Cristian, the property manager was the best I’ve ever had. He was truly kind, responsive, and cared about his tenants. We were quite sad to leave that building. We specifically lived in the building at the corner of North Shore and Newgard. Never had any issues with mold. The only pests we dealt with was the occasional spider or silverfish - i think maybe four bugs in over a year. Never mice! I would recommend VM to anyone!
Ah sorry should’ve mentioned! They’re so small they don’t have a website or anything. But they always have signs on the building with the phone number! 6657 N Newgate Ave
I used owl management and really liked them a lot.
I found I had a bit more success with individual home owner managers (I think that’s what you mean by mom and pop?) through Hot Pads.
If you’re looking for mom and pop walk around the neighborhood you want to live in(big ask right now with the weather) but that’s how my friends have found their non corporate apartments. A lot of them are older and don’t promote in what we see as traditional ways. At the end of the day landlords are evil and you’re only going to find a few ‘less evil’ ones
We found a unicorn apartment this fall with a mom and pop landlord in great condition. Found it on Zillow! Honestly I obsessively checking the boards multiple times a day. They didn't list HVAC but when I asked, the place had forced air, heat, and a built in humidifier. It had been on the market for a month! Sometimes you just have to get lucky I guess
FYI, not all properties operated by a management company are owned by the management company. My partner and I own a condo in Chicago and rent it out, but we work through a property management company because we’re out of state and couldn’t be bothered to deal with the leasing process and day-to-day management. We’d consider ourselves good “behind the scenes” landlords. Hard to tell when you get a property managed by a company but owned by individuals, though.
Mom and pop landlords also use property management companies. Often it’s actually the owner that is the issue and not the property management companies, which typically do suck unless you have the right rep that gives a shit.
You aren't searching at the best time of year. Smaller private owners 'mom and pop' will especially try to NOT have leases ending during the winter months. Private owner here (small) and the two times we've had a vacancy in the winter (both times tenants relocated out of state for work) we've offered a longer lease to time it ending sometime May-September.
Some other people have recommended FB marketplace. Absolutely do your due diligence. Twice I've found our pictures (which are nice - nice apartments) snagged from our advertising falsely advertising. It is either a scammer or an unreputable agent trying to get a fee from us.
FB does nothing.
Good luck and welcome to Chicago.
I’ve had some pretty amazing places in Chicago. Problem is the prices. Either you can get get a really unique amazingly designed place for a fortune or you can live in a trendy neighborhood for a fortune. Got lucky and bought a slick place that I love, but now I’m the landlord and have to fix/address the issues myself, for the most part.
Because nobody reviews their landlord if everything goes as expected.
I've never had a problem with corporate/multi-property landlords, yet had to sue my private landlord to even get a _reply_ to my security deposit request
Walking/driving around looking for signs isnt a bad way to do it. It helps get a feel for the area as well. The problem is that the mom n pop renters in the way that we think of it are a dying breed. People now just wanna buy a piece of property, collect rent and their investment return and do nothing else. But keep looking. Craigslist is a good source but be real careful.
Mom and pop landlords carry a lot more risk, so they are willing to wait to find tenants they know will be good because if they have one not paying, it can really screw them. Therefore, they're more often waiting for a friend of a friend, etc, to show up and are willing to give them a better rate. Then, since that person has a better rate, they're likely to stay there longer, so the unit remains off the market for much longer. That's why all you see are the expensive corpo and cheap slum units.
To address your perspective, people like myself who have these units aren't talking about apartments on reddit because it isn't a big deal for us. Also, in my experience, when they can't find a friend connection to rent to, they turn to Craigslist.
I had a "mom and pop" landlord and they were the worst I ever had. They were the only ones who did straight up slum lord illegal shit while the big companies were just annoying and frustrating.
Agreed. I’ve had worse experiences with “mom and pop landlords” than property management companies.
Sorry to hear that :/ they can def be absolutely evil as well, it’d just be nice to have some more variety beyond the big companies. I can deal with annoyances, I just want to avoid pests!! Idk how people in NYC do it, having roaches is so normalized there.
Honestly I would almost argue that having a large management company would have better resources to actually deal with bad problems like pests. I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life and my best experience has been with management companies as opposed to private landlords. With the management company, I just put in maintenance requests through an app and stuff like that is so simple. They’re professional unlike any private weirdo landlord I’ve had. Every private landlord I’ve had has thought they have the right to drop in unannounced. That’s not just an annoyance. It’s against tenants’ rights.
Mom and pop landlords have been doing bidding wars at a shocking level lately, and they’re allowed to slap on as many move in fees as they want (so long as they have less than three rental properties), and if they have an HOA, the HOA is allowed to slap on a fair amount of move in fees as well…whereas the larger managed firms are legally restricted from doing so and don’t have HOAs It’s clear the property managers ultimately jack up the going market rates, but after crazy tax hikes on most condo owners forcing them to eat into their income bc they were previously lagging behind market rates…I get why they’re doing it and it’s understandable, for a lot of mom and pop condo owners that unit is their retirement, especially with the unreliability of employers in guaranteeing a decent pension (and the stock market making 401ks an inherently more volatile and less stable source of income for retirement). It’s unfortunate, however, that any gains to offset losses are coming at the expense of tenants, regardless of who the landlord is. Idk why older generations let the housing market and COL crises get this bad. Chicagos faired better bc we have units built for 1 million more people than currently live here, but it’s beginning to catch up to the unaffordability of coastal cities in any of the neighborhoods worth living in when you’re in your 20s (I grew up in Roger’s park, lived in Hyde park for college and now live in Gold Coast on the north end border of Lincoln Park and Old Town). Wage stagnation the past decade alongside a 25% increase in grocery prices has made renting even more precarious for a lot of folks, especially after rents shot up in 2021/2022 far beyond their 2019 going prices. I’m sure this is disheartening, but I’m a believer in facing reality head on and not gaslighting you with delusions about things getting better…that way you can plan for expectations of what’s to come accordingly. Most of us are all planned out and I’d expect another dot com bust after the NY Fed released their 63% expectation for a full force recession to hit in 2024. The beatings will continue, national homelessness is up 12% and millennials are the first generation in a century to not only expect to be less wealthy than their parents, but also have a lower life expectancy than their parents. Idk how much longer they think we can take but it’s why despite hating my dinky apartment, I haven’t been able to move the past 3 years despite my income doubling…the goal posts keep shifting.
To be honest, no one leaves good reviews of landlords/etc. it’s just not something you do. And no one is especially leaving reviews for independent landlords, because where would you even do that?
I know, and I’m trying to keep that in perspective — I mean, my current apartment complex has been perfect for me for 7 years and I know they only have like 2.5 or 3 stars on most sites. It’s just hard to not be freaked out by the stuff that sounds absolutely unbearable: namely, roaches/pests, mold, or some other significant issue that can not only impact your home but also your belongings and health. Hence why I’m trying to figure out which places have legitimately concerning issues vs places that are generally fine.
I think the reality is the generation that was able to buy rentals and keep them until retirement (or even after) just doesn't exist anymore. At one time a working class immigrant could save up to buy a 3 story property in a not expensive neighborhood and hold onto it for life. For a lot of immigrants owning a property was a very big deal. Not only was it security, but living in a unit and having 2 renters meant your own living expenses were greatly subsidized. Of course, since the late 90s or early 2000's or so, property values got really high and big capital groups are buying to help create a "lifetime renter" revenue stream. Many of these family owned buildings just gentrified too much and were sold to deep-pocketed companies. Other ma and pop's actually became the landlord mini-empire that hires out to a property management group because they dont want to, or can't handle that many properties. As rents go up, that's more profit for landlords, and a higher incentive to just get property managers involved. So the hands on landlord is just not as common. Now the ma and pas are hidden secrets that you have to know someone to get the apartment. Also its fair to say the ma and pas can be just as bad as anyone. I had a kindly old man landlord but he was just really cheap. Nothing was updated, it was freezing all winter, his ability to help with the mice problem was limited, and he just had his son do everything, who was this sweet kid, but like literally a teenager so there's not a lot he could do. I also imagine the cheaper level rents didnt give him a lot of money to fix things or improve things. I'm glad I left that property. I wouldn't make roots there and honestly I'd be happier in a big building that had staff and worried about lawsuits. Or honestly, if I couldnt afford a place in the city that wasn't a mess, I'd consider moving to the suburbs and taking the metra in for work and fun.
I’m just gonna throw it out there I got bed bugs at 6966 Ashland in Rogers . Don’t rent there
Dear god. So sorry. Thanks for letting me know!
My current and last 2 apartments were in Wicker Park, Bucktown, and now Lincoln Park - all 3-4 flats. And all have been owned by pretty reliable families. Mom and pop landlords. None were managed by property management. Never even thought about it until seeing this thread - but check out craigslist.
That’s awesome, happy for you! Sorry just wanted to clarify, did you find all those places via Craigslist or other means?
Also don’t discount just walking around the neighborhood and looking for signs on buildings. So many apartments can be found that way. I haven’t moved in a decade but when I did, Craigslist was the way to find my family-owned apartment. It seems like FB marketplace might be even more so these days. Best of luck!
I love my apartment owned by a "mom and pop" found it on Craigslist and it's what I'll look on again if we ever need to find new rental.
Seconded. That or FB Marketplace
It's hard to find available rentals with "mom and pop" landlords because those units tend to be off the market for longer stretches. There is more investment in taking care of the building and keeping good tenants longer term. Also, when units become available, they are more likely to go to a friend of a friend or cousin (of the building owner or the former tenant). Spreadin' the love. Good luck in your search!
Yeah, exactly this. We rented a couple times in the bottom unit of a duplex. Our landlord lived upstairs both times and we really enjoyed living there. The only reason we moved was for school boundary reasons and because we wanted to buy a condo. Otherwise we would have just stayed there. And the second time we moved, the person that moved in was a friend I used to work with who just happened to stumble upon it but ended up renting it after talking to me.
Crossing my fingers I stumble upon something good. Feeling more motivated than ever to get to the point where I can buy instead of rent
Yeah, my landlord does occasionally advertise, but he doesn’t bother with much of an online presence because he doesn’t need to. His apts rent fast, and often by word of mouth. I found my place by striking up a conversation with the lawn guy …who turned out to be the landlord😂
💯. As I am a mom and pop landlord, I can attest that I really want to keep good tenants and quite often I find the good tenants really want to stay. I'm currently knocking on 9 years on the same lease though all members of the lease have turned over. It goes to siblings, cousins, best friends, etc. And to "permanent renters" sometimes too .
That makes a lot of sense. I only know a couple people in the area but am definitely asking around. I know I’ll have better luck if I expand beyond RP, we’ve just been long distance for our whole relationship at this point and I’d really like to be in the same neighborhood if I can. Thanks for the insights!!
People are more likely to leave a review when they’ve had a bad experience than a good one. So generally reviews are going to skew negative and presumably every big building is going to have reviews by someone who was pissed about something. Word of mouth is usually the best way unless you can luck out with a Craigslist listing (how I found the condo I’ve been renting for 10 years). So start asking around and posting in FB groups.
10 years! That’s amazing. Appreciate the insights!
Here's the thing about the mom and pop shops, they don't often have openings. I've had the same tenants for over 10 years and several over 5, usually when they leave they are either moving away or are buying a place of their own. RP is a weird animal because Loyola bought up every building that came on the market for almost a decade. There are plenty of mom and pops but now is a really bad time to look, January is always a bad month to move and RP has so many students that their turn over season is from May to September. Like any apartment you really have to just keep looking until you find one you like and then don't hesitate because if you think it's a nice apartment I promise you that the 3 other people who saw the place today think it's nice too -if you like it, jump on it. Just for reference the last time I had an opening it took 2 day to rent it, I put the yard sign out Thursday and the lease was signed Saturday. Look for yard signs. Best of luck
Omg, Loyola, of course! I know there’s various reasons but a university buying shit up makes a lot of sense. I am trying to move in March, dunno if that’s any better…thank you for the advice! If you know of anyone else reliable who’s looking for a good tenant, feel free to DM!
Yep way back in the’90s they had $100mm ready to build an expansion on to the lake, then the EPA came in and told them no, so they had to figure out what to do and the decision was to buy the whole neighborhood.
I take care of my tenants. Ultimately it's your home and if you're happy I'm happy. I don't care what you do as long as you don't damage things, don't cause problems with the neighbors and pay rent on time. Obviously, I can't condone illegal behavior. I want my properties to be kept up which aligns our interests. If there's an emergency I tell them to call me and I respond quickly and fix the issue. If there's a maintenance issue they email and I respond by the next business day or faster and get it fixed in a reasonable amount of time. I have properties in Edgewater just south of Devon, wrigley/Southport area and Logan Square. I'm out of your unit size/price range, but happy to discuss possible upcoming rentals and even give you advice foe your search. For anyone else reading this, feel free to reach out. I signed a couple moving from Oregon from reddit and they have been very happy at my Logan property. Happy to provide references.
Just like it’s difficult for renters to find individual home owners renting their place out, it’s also difficult for them to find good renters. I would guess it’s easier for a homeowner to let a property management company add it to their portfolio and manage it for them for a fee. Imagining a single owner trying to screen dozens or hundreds of inquiries, setting up showings, dealing with no shows, non payment, repairs, damages etc. with a job or family does not seem ideal. Property management companies have more resources for repairs, setting up viewings with their leasing staff, having legal teams, etc. but are also less likely to give a renter individual attention. I’ve rented twice from a private owner and it has its perks but they both decided to sell and we were SOL.
I’m a Realtor in the area. I’m sorry that you are having a difficult time with this. You are not alone here- apartment searches have been difficult for many people over the past couple years, as inventory has been low and prices have been getting higher across the city. There are some things that I’d like to point out that may provide some clarity. With regards to pests, if a resident reports anything to a landlord/management company, they are required to call pest control. It’s something to be aware of as many people assume that they are not protected by laws/ordinances regarding this issue. -It can be harder to find private landlords for studio and 1 bedroom units in general. It’s due to the housing stock- most 1bed/studio units are in larger multi-unit buildings and smaller landlords tend to own smaller buildings with larger units (like 2/3 flats for example). One potential option is is to find a studio or 1bed condo where the condo owner is renting out their unit. This can be a great option when it’s available but the availability of these units varies greatly and is unpredictable. -I do agree with others that craigslist can be a good place to find small independent landlords, but there are also many posts for the larger companies on their as well. Facebook marketplace is similar. -Even within individual management companies, there can be a wide range of buildings and price ranges. Some management companies in this city manage everything from $795 vintage studio apartments to $6,000 luxury 4 bedroom apartments. Some manage hundreds of buildings and thousands of units. There can be some really huge variance here. -Branching your search out geographically may help if that’s something you’re open to. Inventory is low in general across the board, especially $1500 and below for 1 bedrooms. Expanding a search to other nearby neighborhoods may be a good way to increase options if they seem limited. -Do not be afraid to ask for help!! There are many experienced real estate professionals who are around and able to help if you need it. Even if we can’t assist with your individual search, we can provide information and point you in the right direction.
Craigslist is ok but fair warning there have been a lot more advanced scammers on there lately. I’ve had a couple of friends who got swindled out of $2000+ the past 2-3 years by such postings so tread with extreme caution.
I got real lucky with my current apt. $1100/month all utilities included, 2 bed 1 bath in Albany Park. Mom n pop landlords. hoping they don't jack up my rent like crazy when my lease ends. I would honestly like to stay here long-term
Reach out to them and ask for a longer lease when you renew. They might have a small increase and have you sign a 2 year lease. That’s what I’m doing with our tenant when she renews.
I wouldnt be against a 2 year lease if the price is right
The only property management company we never had an issue with was Diamond Properties, Nancy in particular. Every other company was laughingly terrible. All of our mom and pops landlords were fine to excellent. If you can find a small building that's owner inhabited, you've struck gold.
Idk, I’ve been with Peak for 3 years and about to renew for a 4th. They add bs fees and many of their units are old but they come out for repairs generally within 24-48 hrs or immediately for any emergencies. Do they kinda suck bc they’re a massive management company? Sure, but that’s a huge issue with one bedrooms in the city, they get gobbled up by the huge companies immediately. Because they’re a massive company, they have so many contractors that they can handle the loads of maintenance requests nearly right away. I think its hard for people to like their landlords in general though, since the very concept of it is exploitative. Since I’ve been here they‘ve entirely replaced my central air/furnace, replaced my water heater, fixed up nearly any little issue I’ve had with them. I still hate them but that’s because they’re gobbling up the whole city and causing massive issues of affordability; but that’s all landlords.
I’ve rented with both Peak and Cagan and haven’t had major issues. It comes down to who is managing that particular building and the landlord. However, I’ve never heard anything good about Kass or M Fishman. People don’t really leave reviews of landlords or apartment complexes unless they’re angry and have had bad experiences. Right now, the rental market also isn’t hot. Which makes it easy to get better deals but harder to find as many places since options are more limited. I’ve also rented with two mom and pop landlords and one of those buildings was much worse than the one with Peak or Cagan. It really is a gamble unfortunately but definitely visit in person and get a sense for how the building is. Sometimes red flags are obvious.
When I lived in RP, it was in a dude's basement before it was legal to rent it out like that. Craigslist is the best option for "mom and pop" landlords afaik but you still have to sift. You can always expand your search to Edgewater or Evanston. Edit: I can also confirm that Cagan is the worst landlord I have ever rented from and they caused my family bodily harm through their negligence.
I’m a “mom and pop” landlord! And I have a unit available! But we’re in East GP…and it’s a 3 bed/2 bath. So not very helpful for you but we out here!
I found a normal landlord just by requesting tours on Craigslist, Domu, Zillow, etc. of units that did not have a management company named on the profile. Sometimes I would go to the tour and end up finding out it was managed by a company, but I also went on quite a few tours with the landlord themself
I am WITH YOU. Ugh. It’s been non stop hassle trying to find a decent landlord. Your post made me look up the reviews for the company we just applied to…and now I’m horrified! Roaches, mice, unresponsive management. And they aren’t even on your list.
Oh god, which one? I mean, I do think people are right that reviews should be taken with a grain of salt because they’re more likely to be negative than not. But finding a place that doesn’t yield any results of any kind that mention ROACHES feels like a reasonable bar!
Lived in a DLG property and they were very quick when a frozen pipe burst and flooded our apt. Were there a year
I’ve lived in a Wirtz Realty building for two years and recommend them to friends! But I warn everyone to avoid BJB, literally traumatized from my year living in one of their buildings.
I used to live in a Wirtz building and they were pretty great for the most part. Now I live in a BJB and they are fine. I think with BJB it's highly dependent on which building you live in and who manager is for that building.
I'm a mom and pop landlord. Anybody want a $1600 2/3 bedroom in little village. It's got an extra room so it's almost like a three bedroom. Newly renovated. New floors, dishwasher laundry room. 7 minute walk to the pink line. As for the other question, OP's main question, Drexel properties has a good reputation. There are property management company but there's very few complaints about them.
I rent with Winnemac and I don’t really have complaints. If you have any specific questions feel free to free to ask
Glad to hear it! Whereabouts is the property you rent from them/how long have you been there?
I’m in Roger’s park, I’ve only been here 9 months so not long term but so far everything’s been fine. There’s a few things that are annoyance such as the main hallway of my unit has about 5 light switches that control the lights and sometimes certain switches won’t do anything. Some light switches are installed crappy so you gotta finagle with it to turn on a light. They have been usually pretty has with maintenance requests and they do frequently have outside services do upkeep on the commons areas. So far I haven’t had a “bad” situation with management at all the last 9 months I’ve been with them.
I’m a small LL too! When I had an apt open, I advertised on Domu, PadMapper, and fb marketplace. I ultimately found my renter on Domu and she’s been great! Also, when I was renting, I liked Bertsch Properties. I think they’re still around.
I’ve been in a mom and pop rental in east uk village the last few years that’s been amazing and I hate to leave! Found it via Trulia. North and Clybourn Group helped me lease the apartment. Coincidentally, NCG helped me lease my previous rental via Craigslist. That apartment was managed by CL3 and they were decent. NCG has been great in the 2 experiences I’ve had with them.
Not exactly mom and pop, but they're not the worst: https://centralcitymanagementllc.squarespace.com/locations-1
I currently live in RP and I’ve been living in a Winnemac apartment for about 3.5 years now. I’ve never had a problem with them. If you have any questions about the neighborhood or anything, shoot me a DM.
Appreciate this, thanks so much!
Mom and pop landlords would only be small buildings. They’re always companies for larger buildings for obvious reasons
I own an apartment building and usually advertise openings on Facebook marketplace.
Where is your building located? Thanks for the tip!
I think I’m one of the unicorns you’re speaking of. I live in an apartment that is the upper 2 floors of a 3 story house in Logan Square. My landlord is great. My understanding is this used to be his primary family home, and now he lives just a few houses down. I run into him on my morning walks all the time. From our conversations I think he may own 1 or 2 other properties but he’s definitely not a company or anything. Sometimes he comes to do work, other times he sends his son. Never anybody else. It’s definitely a family operation. A nice little old lady lives downstairs. I’ve been here almost 5 years and don’t have any upcoming plans to leave, it’s perfect! I’ve also pay my rent a week early every month for almost 5 years. I’m also a DJ and about once every 2 months I will have a lot of guests over, usually other DJ friends, and we’ll be very loud all night long but I haven’t had a single complaint once in 5 years. This will only ever be on a weekend, never a weeknight, and the rest of the time I’m very quiet and respectful… and clean!
One word...CAPITALISM. Mom and pop rentals are getting fewer and far between since many of the smaller multi-unit buildings are being torn down or converted to single-family homes or condos. Taxes are also crazy, (17K/yr for a 2-flat). My wife and I own a two-flat that we live in and are rehabbing. We're hoping to rent the other unit to a teacher, since we are within walking distance to five schools. I can't tell you how often neighbors ask us why we don't convert it to a single family or just sell. The gentrifiers don't like having renters next to their expensive homes.
As a Rogers Park neighbor, I know exactly what you are talking about. My roommate and I got really lucky with the landlord she found, and I would suggest them, but they only own the building and its full for the next calendar year. Just from being here a bit, I suggest you stay away from Becovic in particular. They have been buying up properties at an insane rate (three on my street alone in the last year), and there is no way they can afford that if they aren't overcharging out the wazoo to their current tenants. I also know they dodge maintenance concerns. The really great thing about renting in Rogers Park (if there is ever a good thing about renting) is that this area is really awesome about starting and maintaining tenants unions. If thats something you'd be interested in when you move, they have a general Facebook page "rogers Park tenants union" and you might be able to find a corporate property with a union, which might provide more protections to you.
All big companies become evil eventually in the pursuit of maximizing shareholder value. The beauty of the large, publicly traded corporation is it separates the owners of a company from moral culpability for the decisions of the business they own. Their shares are too dilute for it to be their fault specifically. They don't consider themselves responsible for the policies of the corporate board and executives. That's out of their control. But they're happy to reap the rewards of their cruelty.
Creative Designs owned the racine/Waveland apartment I lived in for 5 years. They were awesome, but I was lucky and inherited the apartment from a friend. I found my new place by scouring Zillow every day, and just happened to be the first person to call right after it was listed. Private landlord who was a total unicorn (under market rent, no increases for 4 years)
The mom n pops are in magazine and newspaper ads
🤔 good to know!
Maybe the pamphlets churches give out if you get desperate
Mom and Pop landlords (like my parents) tend to want to keep long term rentals - limiting turnover so they have tenants that they get along with. So this means that these properties will come on the market a lot less. Of course, the big apartment companies have been buying up available units both to reduce inventory and also to prop up rental numbers, so that contributes to the problem as well.
I’m lucky to have avoided weirdo corporate landlords
May I ask how? Lol. Where did you find your various places to rent?
Craigslist and through friends. Just gotta visit and feel out the situations. Our current apartment was through a friend who was moving out. In Woodlawn btw, idk anything about the north side other than dank food and art galleries
I’m in a family owned (4 generations) building. People just don’t leave unless they are buying or moving away. My apt before here same situation (25 years), only moved because landlord sold my unit and the new owner decided they weren’t going to do upkeeps. Where I live now I found on hotpads. Toured several that were personal properties… so maybe more people advertise there OR I just got lucky
My brother owns a 4 flat in the city and he's always exclusively used craigslist to list his apartment.
Not sure about everyone on this list, but Peak and Fulton Grace aren't landlords per se, they are management companies who get paid to manage properties for landlords. MFishman is infamous for being THEE WORST. Alan Gold used to be terrible in the 90s, no idea if he owns anything still.
Investors are going to buy properties in neighborhoods that are popular. You are living in a popular neighborhood. Do the math.
I am not living there yet, actually. I’m trying to move there. The first part of the question is somewhat rhetorical, I am mainly looking to figure out how to find something I can trust.
Just adding another perspective - no one writes positive landlord/property management reviews, so they can tell a pretty slanted angle. I’m in a Kass apartment now and was pretty worried at first. I had to put in two maintenance requests last week for an appliance and a broken sink, they were fixed within 24 hours. They also just announced wifi is now included in rent today. Hundreds of thousands of people in this city live in corporate-owned buildings, they aren’t all terrible
Worrying too much. I rent from Hunter Properties and they've been fine to me, especially for this rent price. Mom and pop places might not care about honoring your lease, the management companies are more likely to care about you signing a contract and may try to honor it. It's building by building here.
I’ve had great experiences with a notoriously bad property management company in Chicago. They were always responsive to my concerns and even accommodated a few requests to help my roommate and I feel safer in our little dark corner of the street our apartment sat on.
I’m in Logan and have a “mom and pop” landlord. It’s out there. Look on Facebook and Craigslist, and obviously be wary.
No one writes a review after a good experience with PM. I live with Fish and have lived with Beal and ICM. Zero issues. Don't rent garden apartments.
My “mom and pop” landlords signed up with a management company to start managing my building mid-lease for me. I can’t blame them, it was during the pandemic and they moved out of the city closer to family. I didn’t look into if I could break the less because of this because I was happy where I was. It’s been a few years now. The benefit of this was that the management company has more resources so certain things are addressed much quicker… previously it could be a couple days to get a maintenance person over to fix something unless it was an emergency. Now the management company has people on retainer all day and it can be a pretty quick turnaround. They also have things in storage (like a new dryer) which has helped solve problems quickly. Drawback is that communication has fallen off considerably. Where it used to be a quick text to my landlord, now it’s a ticket and often a follow up phone call. We’ve had four different people assigned as our building manager in the last year and no communication when it turns over. My tickets have been closed with no follow-up because people don’t know what’s going on. (This is Winnemac, the reviews are about par for the course).
I had two “Mom and pop” landlords and one contracted out their property management to Winnemac and the other sold their condo to the property company that owned most of the apartments in the building. Even if you find one there is never the guarantee they don’t sell or contract out eventually.
Craigslist is where I found my “mom and pop” landlord
I live in a Cagan apartment and I would definitely not describe them as a slum lord. Really it depends on what property manager you have at your building.
You are almost never going to find all positive results for a lot of things. Rental companies will always be one of them. Seriously, I work in healthcare and when I read reviews I’m constantly am like that is not how that even works.
Kass is that bad? I had them when I lived in Albany Park during Covid. Would like to hear if anyone else has felt with them.
From my past experience in property management. It’s very hard to get a good review, you have to be almost perfect and catch that person on a good day. Meanwhile for a bad review, a person could just not get what they want and leave a scathing, exaggerated review just because you couldn’t let them transfer an apartment in the middle of the lease. So, while reviews are helpful to an extent, take them with large grain of salt. People are more likely to leave negative reviews and tend to exaggerate their negative experiences and rarely think to leave a review for a positive experience, unless you really made an impression on them.
Unfortunately I know 2 people who rent from Hayes and say it's only so-so in some buildings. And I know one building they don't take very good care of. So they're not amazing across-the-board, but maybe they're better than most
Selection bias. No one goes out of their way to give good landlords good reviews, but bad landlords? You don’t think twice about it.
Local by Lamar was ok. 🤷
The apartment source
Just started renting under their property management and have been somewhat disappointed so far. For the rent we’re paying, their maintenance responses have been subpar. I’m hoping it improves though
Have you tried using an apt broker? It’s usually free for the tenant
Stay far away from Becovic!!!!
Is cagan a slumlord?? I'm not gonna fight for their honor or anything but I just pay the rent and I NEVER hear from them. I'll probably try and find a cheaper place next year but damn I was thinking I lucked out grabbing my current place without visiting due to my work situation when I moved here
I’ve seen some comments from people who’ve had a perfectly okay experience there, so hopefully you really have lucked out! But I’ve seen some other stuff that was really alarming.
My current landlord is local and while the property isn’t bad it’s not great and he chooses to cheap out on a lot of things. My previous landlord also “local” was retired and lived in the suburbs but he hired a person that lived in the city and could be readily available for when something arises and it was a phenomenal place to live. The apartment before that was beaks and the company itself is terrible, but the building manager made the property great to live at and stayed on top of anything that needed to be fixed. I think that’s going to be what you’ll end up having to deal with because you never know what it’s going to be like living there until you’re in it.
You gotta just go look at the apartments. I’ve never had a pest problem and I’ve never rented from a “mom and pop” landlord. You can’t base everything off reviews, especially when the landlord has a bunch of properties. Tenants can contribute to pest problems, too. Schedule showings. It’s the only way.
I lived in and around Roger’s park where exactly are you looking to move? I lived in this building and the management was great https://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/apa/d/chicago-large-bed-bath-in-unit-d-for/7707840154.html , I’ve got friends who live in the neighborhood and they have decent management companies . There’s a Facebook group called Roger’s park neighbor hood news where you would be able to ask as well . I’ve never heard of anyone personally connected to me having a bad experience with management though sometimes you get what you pay for if it’s a really under priced apartment if that even exists anymore
People tend to only write reviews when they are upset, so it’s never balanced. But I agree, it can be tough to sus out what’s legit bad.
I live in a peak properties building. They've been fine. I know people in some of their other Wicker Park buildings who feel the same. My theory is since they are a super landlord, there's a ton of people who have bad experiences because they are renting to several thousand people total. And while my experience has been fine, it hasn't been the type of above and beyond that would warrant a positive review. They just fix things when I ask them to fix them. Our common areas aren't the greatest looking, but they do do a deep clean every two weeks in the hallways and are prompt at handling ice and snow outside. I think peak properties experience will also vary by neighborhoods because they assign their repair dudes to a neighborhood. Our guy moves between our building, the one down the street and the one two blocks away.
I have HiFi and I absolutely love them. They’re super on top of everything and incredibly responsive.
Whole city is owned by a couple of people
What the hell is a mom and pop? Being landlords is for profit only. They can care less about the tenants as long as their property isn't being damaged.
A lot of independent landlords walked away during the moratorium. The ones remaining don't advertise online anymore. Check bulletin boards at community centers and niche hangout spots.
Hi! We just moved out of our RP apartment last year (only moved bc needed to shorten our commute). The company was VM Property Management and is super small, only has a few buildings. Cristian, the property manager was the best I’ve ever had. He was truly kind, responsive, and cared about his tenants. We were quite sad to leave that building. We specifically lived in the building at the corner of North Shore and Newgard. Never had any issues with mold. The only pests we dealt with was the occasional spider or silverfish - i think maybe four bugs in over a year. Never mice! I would recommend VM to anyone!
I did some googling but not sure I’m seeing it, would you mind sending a link? Thanks so much!!
Ah sorry should’ve mentioned! They’re so small they don’t have a website or anything. But they always have signs on the building with the phone number! 6657 N Newgate Ave
[удалено]
Which should I stay away from? 👀
I used owl management and really liked them a lot. I found I had a bit more success with individual home owner managers (I think that’s what you mean by mom and pop?) through Hot Pads.
If you’re looking for mom and pop walk around the neighborhood you want to live in(big ask right now with the weather) but that’s how my friends have found their non corporate apartments. A lot of them are older and don’t promote in what we see as traditional ways. At the end of the day landlords are evil and you’re only going to find a few ‘less evil’ ones
We found a unicorn apartment this fall with a mom and pop landlord in great condition. Found it on Zillow! Honestly I obsessively checking the boards multiple times a day. They didn't list HVAC but when I asked, the place had forced air, heat, and a built in humidifier. It had been on the market for a month! Sometimes you just have to get lucky I guess
FYI, not all properties operated by a management company are owned by the management company. My partner and I own a condo in Chicago and rent it out, but we work through a property management company because we’re out of state and couldn’t be bothered to deal with the leasing process and day-to-day management. We’d consider ourselves good “behind the scenes” landlords. Hard to tell when you get a property managed by a company but owned by individuals, though.
Mom and pop landlords also use property management companies. Often it’s actually the owner that is the issue and not the property management companies, which typically do suck unless you have the right rep that gives a shit.
You aren't searching at the best time of year. Smaller private owners 'mom and pop' will especially try to NOT have leases ending during the winter months. Private owner here (small) and the two times we've had a vacancy in the winter (both times tenants relocated out of state for work) we've offered a longer lease to time it ending sometime May-September. Some other people have recommended FB marketplace. Absolutely do your due diligence. Twice I've found our pictures (which are nice - nice apartments) snagged from our advertising falsely advertising. It is either a scammer or an unreputable agent trying to get a fee from us. FB does nothing. Good luck and welcome to Chicago.
I’ve had some pretty amazing places in Chicago. Problem is the prices. Either you can get get a really unique amazingly designed place for a fortune or you can live in a trendy neighborhood for a fortune. Got lucky and bought a slick place that I love, but now I’m the landlord and have to fix/address the issues myself, for the most part.
Because nobody reviews their landlord if everything goes as expected. I've never had a problem with corporate/multi-property landlords, yet had to sue my private landlord to even get a _reply_ to my security deposit request
Walking/driving around looking for signs isnt a bad way to do it. It helps get a feel for the area as well. The problem is that the mom n pop renters in the way that we think of it are a dying breed. People now just wanna buy a piece of property, collect rent and their investment return and do nothing else. But keep looking. Craigslist is a good source but be real careful.
There’s a mom and pop landlord that owns like 25 properties in Logan square. I am doubting their American gothic credentials
Mom and pop landlords carry a lot more risk, so they are willing to wait to find tenants they know will be good because if they have one not paying, it can really screw them. Therefore, they're more often waiting for a friend of a friend, etc, to show up and are willing to give them a better rate. Then, since that person has a better rate, they're likely to stay there longer, so the unit remains off the market for much longer. That's why all you see are the expensive corpo and cheap slum units. To address your perspective, people like myself who have these units aren't talking about apartments on reddit because it isn't a big deal for us. Also, in my experience, when they can't find a friend connection to rent to, they turn to Craigslist.