I*ve lived in 100 Forest Place for 2 years. Finally, after 2 years of living there I*ve decided to leave. While my apartment here was nice, it was certainly not worth the money they were charging. I paid $1309 for a one bedroom with den. If that was the entire rent, that would be ok for me, but there are costs that 100 Forest Place fails to mention that really add up. For instance, 100 Forest Place does not pay any utitilities. The tenant is responsible for water, heat, electric, etc. The complex combines the heat/ac and water bill into one. However, it*s this bill that irriates me the most. The bill breaks down what your metered water cost is and what your metered heat/ac cost is. Typically my metered water was about $10 and my metered heat/ac was $30. So, my bill should be $40 right' Wrong. My bill would be $90!!! Apparently 100 Forest Place tacks in a base cost that typically amounts to $50 each month for my apartment(it*s more for bigger apartments). When asked about the base cost, apparently this cost covers the hallway heat/ac and the water used to water the gardens outside the building etc. I*m certainly ok with paying for what I use, but I think it's absurd for 100 Forest Place to charge the tenants to pay for more than what they use.

The building itself is decent. It*s a nice building and I had a nice apartment, but it wasn*t without problems. For the most part, the layout is nice and the rooms are all decent sized, but if you do decide to live in the highrise definitely try and get a corner apartment as they have more windows. I lived in a corner apartment and there was plenty of natural light, which is great during the summer. Unfortunately, with so many windows comes a price. For some reason ladybugs can get to be a bit of a nasty problem. I think the ladybug has evolved over the years because I was seeing them in the winter time even. I don*t know if this is an issue with 100 Forest Place, or if it*s a problem for everyone, but I*ve certainly vacuumed up my fair share of lady bugs in the apartment. Other problems my particular apartment had were: the bathtub needed to be resurfaced, some of the cabinets and drawers were broken, and the dishwasher doesn't work very well leaving residue on the dishes and in glasses. Again, overall it was a decent apartment, but it definitely needs a bit more upkeep.

Parking is another added cost that 100 Forest Place charges you for. Non covered parking will cost you $60 but covered parking will cost you $80. Both are overpriced IMO as there is a parking lot across the street where you can park for much cheaper. Still, if you decide to get parking, I highly recommend getting the covered parking as it saves you a lot of time and effort in the winter when the snow starts to fall.

One very nice thing about 100 Forest Place is that they take credit cards, although it would be nice if they actually knew how to process them. Just about every other month it seemed like I would get a call from 100 Forest Place saying my credit card didn*t go through and they were going to charge me a late fee and after speaking with someone it was determined that they entered a wrong number. Every other month this happened and I would have to scramble to get ahold of someone just to correct their mistake so I didn't get charged a $75 late fee.

Location is a ver nice plus that 100 Forest Place has going for it. You are minutes away from downtown Oak Park and the Green Line. One thing I love about living in Oak Park is that everything is in walking distance, so it*s nice to have a building where you can literally walk to the shopping center or movie theater in 5 minutes. Location is definitely why 100 Forest Place can get away with the prices they charge for their apartments.

As I put in my notice to leave 100 Forest Place, one of the workers there wanted me to come to the office as he claimed 100 Forest Place would be willing to "work with me" to keep me there. I assumed that meant that they would be flexible on the rent/parking charges. I hate moving, so if they*re willing to lower my fees a little, I would certainly stay just out of convenience. Unfortunately "work with me" means to them that they want to discuss why I should stay and how I should keep paying their prices and how I should be able to afford it because of my income. Since they have no clue on what other bills I have (school loans, car payment, insurance, credit cards, etc.) it seems a bit presumptuous to assume that I can afford to stay. So, unfortunately, after I attempted several times to bargain with 100 Forest Place and their unwillingness to even give me the slightest break, it*s time for me to leave.

All in all, I wouldn*t recommend 100 Forest Place. Their apartments are a bit overpriced. Its main attraction is the location and as nice as it is, I just felt that between the already high rent, the additional base costs, and the trouble with the rent processing and apartment upkeep I can*t recommend it. Now that I*m looking for a new apartment in Oak Park, I*m finding many places that offer the same great location and give you more space for less money.

100 Forest Place is a decent place to live. Again, I wouldn*t recommend it as I feel there are other better places out there for less money, but it does provide enough conveniences that some may find it more worth the money.

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