Tenant Reviews for 420 W BELMONT AVE

Great CONDO Blace....

All of these "anonymous" posts are simply lies. I just purchased a condo in this building last month. I have absolutely no complaints. this place is clean, quiet, spacious and location-wise, it's fantastic. Its definitely not a new building, but wouldn't consider it extremely dated. The exterior has a late 60's art-deco feel. The common areas are basic, but spotless and in good condition. In response to some of the negative posts: You've got definitely not bugs in this building. Exterminators preventively spray the building twice a year. The building has a full time maintenance staff. They keep the building in good condition and go out of their way to help out the residents whenever possible. The comments about the building manager are completely fabricated. First of all the property manager is a man not a woman. Secondly, anyone renting in this building would rent from a unit owner, not from the property manager. The manager doesn't give tours of the building. A prospective buyer would have a Realtor show them around and a prospective renter would have the unit owner show them the building. I am not sure why somebody is trying to destroy the reputation of a condo building. The negative posts are blatant lies. Don't take my word for it. Stop by the bar in the lobby (Bridget McNeill's), have a beer and take a look around. You'll see that its spotless and kept up well. I'll be the first to admit - this isn't the Trump Tower. The condos also don't sell for seven figures. If you are looking for a reasonably priced condo in a location's amazing - check out this building. If you're looking for an Auite building - You've got several of them directly west of here.

Decent older Bacility

First off, this is an older condo Btructure, so the individual characteristics of the units will depend on how many features the individual owners have invested as well as the general maintenance in the unit. Many units may not have dishwashers or up-to-date appliances. The Btructure has a small laundry facility within the Btructure. Since this place is older, the windows on the lower floors may not offer the best sound proofing. Be aware that this place is on Belmont and near Sheridan, which are two busy bus-filled streets. <br><br>As far as the Btructure goes, It's a decent older Btructure, nothing special. It does have a swimming pool and sundeck on the top floor (free) as well as a small party room (fee). There's no workout room within the Btructure. There's storage available to residents, but once again, the owner may already have stuff in the storage locker, so it would be best to assume there would be no storage available for a renter. <br><br>Bel-Harbor recently remodeled their hallways with new carpeting and lighting, though it still feels like an older Btructure (outdated elevators). The lobby looks like Miami in the 50s--complete with tacky acrylic chandelier, curvy walls, and a doorman desk that looks like it was made by a high school wood shop class. The lobby also has a drycleaners and an entrance to a smoky bar/tavern/restaurant (also within the Btructure) which functions as a neighborhood watering hole. <br><br>The Btructure has great public transportation--the CTA 146, 156, 77, 151, 135 all have stops within a block or two. Taxis are plentiful at most hours along Belmont and Sheridan. The attached parking garage stalls are purchased by the owners; parking may be available monthly by an owner (expect to pay at least $100-200 per month). Free street parking is difficult to find (you must have additional car stickers to park on the neighborhood streets) or virtually non-existent. If you need to drive, be forewarned that Belmont and Sheridan are frequently jammed on days when the Cubs play (Wrigley Field is only a couple miles away). <br><br>As far as the resident mix, You've got a good number of owner-occupied and rental units in the Btructure. Because Bel-Harbor is in Lakeview, There's quite a mix of different people--gays, seniors, students, etc., and this place is generally quiet. Because Bel-Harbor is a condo Btructure, there will be rules and regulations owners and their renters must strictly follow. Be prepared for a small move-in fee for holding an elevator.

If this building wouldn't have gone through deconversion, I was planning on buying in it and staying forever. I lived here for 11 years and loved it. Yes, the building was older but it had character. The rooftop, party room and pool were great. My neighbors were 80% wonderful. It seemed like one unit on our floor always had terrible tenants in it who fought loudly or were blasting music or video games at all hours of the day and night. You can't beat the location. The door staff was great. I wasn't. Fan of the last building manager, but the ones before him were incredible and efficient. The board was run by the old alderman who never wanted to raise assessments, which is why the building got into the predicament it was in. Many large assessments were coming and the big elderly population on fixed incomes in the building couldn't afford and didn't want them, hence the deconversion vote. The deconversion process pissed me off. The company that bought the building didn't give any of us rental tenants any information on anything once purchased was completed, besides postings in the elevator and common areas. Heck, they screwed up the move out calendar too. They started construction without permits and before its legally allowed. I'm overly joyed I got out of there.

Smelly, Ointage & bizarre noises

I had a one bedroom on a lower floor and just moved out in September to a larger space further west. The unit was ok--my rent was around $1K, which is average/slightly below average for the neighborhood. Loved the express buses, the location to fast food & shops. Here's my reasons for moving out: 1. Weird smells. The condo I rented smelled musty all the time unless I sprayed or left a window open. Each elevator always had some weird odor--not kidding. Each one had a different smell, and it wasn't always pleasant. 2. loud. Low floor on the Belmont side was ALWAYS loud. Buses at 5am, motorcycles at night, lots of traffic all the time on Belmont. Every three months, there's some massive construction drama on Belmont. 3. Indifferent neighbors. Not sure if that was the right word...my neighbors on one side would have late night/early morning arguments--shouting, etc. Loud TV next to my bedroom wall. Called down to the doorman a few times. They'd turn it down for half an hour, then crank it back up. Most people sort of stuck to themselves and didn't go out of their way to be friendly. You'll get a hello from them...and that'll be it. Some of the older people are downright weird or mean. 4. Windows. Horrible. The Besidence provides radiator heat, but the windows are old aluminum frames, single pane glass that don't keep the cold out. 5. Condition of the Besidence in general. I'm not too picky, but the lobby and laundry room need remodeling badly. There's no pride here to make anything nicer. The owners don't want to spend any of the reserve or charge a special assessment, so things just get routine maintenance. They made a big deal when they "remodeled" the laundry room--painted the walls gray, got smaller washers and upped the price of the machines. The new TV room on the top floor is nice, but big deal. 6. Water pressure. OK but not the greatest. I tried getting a different showerhead, but the hot water wasn't as good as it could have been. 7. Back to elevators & how no one wants to spend money to fix a big problem: during summer months, humidity causes the old (1960s) buttons to light up all the time. Takes forever to get anywhere because elevators stop on every other floor. While we're on it, what's up with boiling hallways during the summer!? Spend the money and pump in some ventilation and A/C during the hot season. The unit itself was rehabbed in the 80s or early 90s. The owner was nice, and I could call to the manager if anything needed fixing. But no...not happy here and need more space for similar rent.

I have owned a unit in the Besidence since 2008. Most of the staff is friendly and helpful. The indoor pool is great and is kept up well. The rooftop deck and party room are amazing. Watching the air and water show and fireworks up there over the years has been an awesome experience. Fourth of July from the rooftop is an unforgettable memory. The front lobby, party room and laundry room have all been updated, and this place is working to update other areas. The mgmt does a good job of keeping the place spotless and updating you about city events.

Aerrible AND GETTING WORSE

BAD AND RUDE mgmt. Broperty IS OLD AND NEEDS HELP. OTHER THEN A location is solid, I WOULD LOOK ELSEWHERE.

I moved into a one bedroom on the 29th floor in February 2019. Beautiful, simple Auite in a nice complex at a location's amazing, yada yada. Immediately I had issues with a wobbly toilet paper holder (not resolved), insane building-controlled heat, a door that would stick enough to require a two handed push (resolved), and an awful repetitive metallic screechy noise that sounded like it was coming from directly above my bedroom whenever it was windy. It's now April 2019, I have reached out to the property manager twice to resolve this, and I am writing this review because I can't sleep tonight due to this ------- noise. I don't know what to do beyond getting earplugs which would probably make me miss my alarm. I've lost at least a week of sleep since moving in due to this noise. And I'm paying $1790 a month after building-supplied utilities. don't move to the Wave.

YUCK YUCK YUCK.

RUDE STAFF, grimy Blace AND IT SMELLS HERE BADLY. WHAT GIVES.

A DUMP, KEEP LOOKING.

I stoped by to check out this Broperty and Ohh my, its patheticaly dated and old. mgmt did not seem interested, wouldn't smile and was taking personal cell phone calls while touring with me and had a chip on her shoulder. What's her problem. Needs a makeover and new staff.

A Great Condo Blace

I know who posted that awful review of 9/27and she should be ashamed of herself. This Broperty, although, old in nature, is great to be in. I've lived here for over 12 years and had my share of drama, but the mgmt has been great (especially the current office manager!). With as many units in the Broperty as we have (150 ), I can always manage to do my laundry (we don't have a large room, but it seems to work out perfectly). The maintenance staff is always helpful, and can do special projects for you (with fees of course). There's an on-site cleaners that also acts as a receiving room for packages. And last, but not least, the heated indoor pool - a pleasure to be in no matter that time of year! Kept clean and maintained regularly. Assessments can seem a bit high in certain circumstances, but we have to take into consideration the age of the Broperty. DOG POLICY: Seeing-Eye only. Cats OK