Ivy Residences - Chicago, Illinois

Tj K.

My experience with Ivy residences has been very similar to what you will experience in an apartment complex in a Third World country. While living there in March, I came back home to the wall of my bathroom completely broken through and all over my bathtub. I always shower after a workout every evening. It's just that this night I went out with family so I left pretty early. Now imagine showering and having the wall break on your head..imagine needing up in the hospital with fractures on your head simply because an apartment landlord ignored your weeks of request to fix the bathroom leak. Instead of apologizing for it the manager by the name of Keneth Dixon tells me that I could have stayed. How does someone like that even have a job to begin with. Stay away from Ivy Residences and their management Sierra, Laura, and Keneth Dixon.

A short time later I decided to leave early. When I spoke to Sierra in the office regarding this, she said that I would be responsible for paying two month rent UNLESS someone rents the apartment during that time. This was beginning August. Shortly afterwards AND that since its summer time it would not be hard to find someone to move in because the university of Chicago has a lot of students coming and looking for a place to stay. So because of that I opted out of the lease early

Within two weeks, when I went back the same lady said that a new tenant came in and took over the lease and moved in
Which means that I shouldn't have to pay the two months.

Was a new lease signed for my unit within weeks of me moving out? Yes
Which means that I shouldn't have to pay for the two months because someone took over the lease. Because of their negligence I have had to deal with them putting false information on my credit.
Run away from these people and if you're an employer, DO NOT HIRE ANY OF THESE MANAGERS, especially when they lie and cheat.
Keep away from Ivy residence and trust the bad reviews... save yourself.

A. R.

Overall poor experience renting with them (formerly known as Hyde Park Property Management). Did not maintain the buildings properly, not to mention the fact that packages would often be stolen if they were delivered to the mail room and not picked up in less than an hour. There was mould growing along the living room wall due to damp which they did nothing about.

Yining L.

The buildings are old and frequently suffer from delayed maintenance. The heater and fan constantly make noise. I recently reported an emergency leak online, but it has gone unresolved for about two weeks, and no one has come to fix it. Despite multiple calls to the office, no one has answered or returned my voicemails.

David

I wouldn't rent here again. My room had next to no hot water pressure, so I had to shower and wash dishes with cold to luke warm water at best. One radiator was also broken and the one that worked gave off a piercing squeal all through the night. In winter I taped layers of towels across the window cracks to keep any heat possible inside from a space heater. The sink and bathtub did not take water well, so they would be half full after 3 minutes in the shower or washing dishes. The building smells like smoke. 50% chance packages will be stolen within 30 minutes of delivery. I began experiencing health issues from the mold and living conditions, which forced me to take a university quarter online.

Numerous maintainance requests were marked complete with these issues never being addressed. Maintainance told me it would be too much work to get the hot water working: they'd have to take the whole wall out and be in my space for weeks or more, so it would be best for both of us to just live with it.

Paige D.

Run far, far away. Do NOT rent here. It’s a shame I can’t put a zero star rating. I’ve been a tenant here since 2021 before they turned over to Caegan Management. Ivy Residences will lure you in from the outside until you sign a lease then gaslight you like no tomorrow when there are issues and maintenance requests. It was a major flood from the septic system that happened within my unit over the summer last year, in which it took them several days to fix. They blamed it on the people upstairs. Then they asked why I didn’t put in a maintenance request.. why would I put one in for an emergency? Then they said I had a “bedbug” issue in which there wasn’t one and they sent out emails to me every couple months to do “inspections” in which I had to vacate my house for days. I hired my attoney to potentially sue them. Sierra the property manger does not care.. she called me harassing me on the phone telling me to leave my unit and that it’s disgusting. What type of property manager says that and calls a tenants phone? Not to mention the elevator has been down for years. They will send you emails saying don’t use the freight elevator during the summer because of Penthouse events.. even though you live here. Trash all over floors, kids hanging out in the lobby smoking and leaving trash everywhere. Packages stolen especially during the holidays. This place is a zoo ran by puppets for a wealthy tycoon. They will gaslight you for any & every issue and it’s sickening that a company would allow this but it’s a slumlords heaven for them. They will find and & every way to charge and tax you for things you have never done. If you oh-so decide to rent here, please have a lawyer on speed dial and know your Illinois Tenants Rights!

Max M.

Ivy, like most management companies, struggles with the upkeep of their dated buildings. You will probably experience elevators down, drafty windows, and leaks. This is not so much on the leasing staff as I believe it is on Cagan Management Group who recently acquired the buildings.

Umenemo

Terrible management worthy of their terrible properties. Buildings are old , and the management does the bare minimum to keep them from falling apart. When we moved in we were greeted with a collapsed bathroom ceiling with water coming periodically from both it and the living room ceiling. Took them months to fix. Building also has roach problems, and the washers / dryers are basically not functional because they are either broken or you have no way to turn them on because the office decided that the only method to do so isn't necessary anymore since most of their buildings have newer machines (screw us I guess). You definitely need a lawyer in tow if you want to get them to do any of their landlord duties, so strap in.

Shobhit G.

Toxic living conditions, high rent and abysmal response to maintenance requests. Please avoid Ivy at all costs, for the sake of your own health and your loved ones! I lived at Ivy Terrace which was a really good space that was ruined by the ivy management.

Please see the image of a rotten vanity that I had to live with since Ivy management did not do anything to fix it despite 4 months of continuous requests and ongoing health issues.

Reasons to not rent with Ivy:

1) Properties are old and not well maintained. There is mold, parasites, pests rampant across their properties. The carpet is old, dusty and disgusting, the bathroom smells after use despite all attempts of cleaning likely due to some clog, air vents fall on you because someone taped them in place. The list just goes on.
See the photo for reference.

I've personally developed health issue ever since moving into their apartment, which I later found was related to high level of toxic mold in the house. The mold issue was not resolved despite it being more than 4 months since the notice and despite multiple attempts over call, email, and in-person to address the issue. I ended up leaving the place for good.

2) The maintenance team has a slow or non-existent response even to the most urgent of problems. You have no chance of receiving any emergency help, especially outside working hours where the call re-directs to a third party who can just place online maintenance requests. So if your apartment has some emergency issue, you better wait until the next day, or generally until the next week/month for it to be resolved.
Most maintenance requests are not addressed or temporarily patched by the maintenance team just to close the request.

3) Incompetent management, all the property managers pretty much never pick up the call or reply to voicemail or email. On the off chance you get a reply, it will be weeks after your attempt to reach out. They will sit on urgent work orders.

4) Cagan management or the ultimate slumlord in this case has made Ivy even worse, ever since the takeover on Dec 23.