Hey there,



Ravens Crest (Equity Residential Properties) burned us good here. When we first moved in (a 2 bedroom apartment, 2nd floor end unit) we were paying $950 a month. Towards the end, we were paying a little over $1300 a month for the same place.



Quality of construction is sub-standard. Fit and finish of linoleum floors was lousy (2 bathrooms and kitchen). Countertops were visibly drooping in the center by almost 2 inches.



Building maintanence was a joke. They have their own line and answering machine which they don?t seem to use. For 6 months, my wife and I called them to get our back deck fixed (the wood was so rotted that I put my foot through it when I stepped out). Those calls went unanswered until they were painting the complex. The deck collapsed when a painter climbed the ladder he had leaned against the deck. After it was repaired, they tracked about a dozen galvanized nails into our bedroom. We fought for a year to get our front door light fixed. After a year, they got it working, but omitted to clean out the 3 inch thick pile of dead bugs that collected in the lens. And once, our washing machine sprung a leak. It leaked 15 gallons of water onto the floor and into an apartment below us. We called 3 times to get this fixed. When they eventually did show up to exchange the washer (unanounced), they failed to clean up the area that the washer went into. There was still about a half inch of water and lint caked up on the floor.



My wife and I decided that this was no longer worth the price. We bought a house and broke our lease. Guess what they want in breaking a lease' Your security deposit AND 3 months rent. That amounts to well over $4000 dollars. There is a stipulation that the renter must try and find a tenant for the apartment (they would keep your security deposit, but waive the 3 months rent). They never even bothered to try.



Note that you also pay for the utilities, trash, and sewer. Each individual apartment does not have it?s own power and water meters, so you are splitting the costs with all the other tenants. For instance, you could be away on business or vacation for a month. You?re not using ANY power or water. You still pay a good amount of money for a service you?re not using.



This place also goes through property managers like a Ford Explorer goes through gas.



The place is not worth the money, and Equity Residential Corporate offices, based in Chicago, is nearly impossible to deal with. Here is their information so you can see for yourself...



2 North Riverside Plaza, Suite 450 ? Chicago, IL 60606

p. (312) 474-1300 ? f. (312) 454-8703

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