The Letterman Chicago Apartments, chicago-il

TL;DR: The Letterman is an overpriced private dorm. You are mainly paying for the location near UIC, the Blue Line, included utilities, and fast internet. My experience under the previous management was 2 stars at absolute best. Greystar took over in July after I moved out, so this review does not reflect its current management. I paid about $1,100 per month for a small furnished bedroom, a shared bathroom, two roommates, and a shared kitchen. Utilities and gigabit fiber internet were included, but there was also a nonrefundable move-in fee. The rooms feel like basic dorm rooms without the college branding. My bedroom was about 8 by 11 or 12 feet and came with a bed, mattress, desk, and closets. There were no ceiling lights in the unit so you had to buy lamps for your room. Some bedrooms do not have exterior windows and instead use clear plexiglass facing another part of the unit for light. Ask exactly which room and unit you will receive before signing. Unit location matters. I lived on the highway side, and traffic was loud even with the windows closed. Van Buren also gets frequent emergency vehicles and sirens. Our window was stuck open for about two months, making the noise unbearable, despite repeated requests to maintenance and the front desk. The heating and AC were also unreliable. The thermostat did not properly control the temperature, and the AC went out about once a month. Repairs usually took two to four business days, and maintenance did not work on weekends. I needed both a fan for the summer and a space heater for the winter. Maintenance communication was poor, elevators were constantly out of service, and the lobby key-card reader frequently failed. In one incident, a front-desk employee accidentally removed all access from my key card, AND my roommates key cards. meaning my roommates and I could not leave without risking being locked out. Most staff members were polite, but some were rude, careless, or poorly trained The laundry machines failed often enough that I kept notes on which ones worked. Some did not wash, spin, or dry correctly. Washing cost $1.50 and drying cost $1.75, and I sometimes had to pay twice. The Letterman did not help, so I disputed the charges through my bank. Packages were held in the main office and could only be picked up during office hours. Sure it meant that there was package safety, but on weekends the office only opened at 11 or even 12 so you couldn't pick up your packages in the morning. The coffee machine was permanently broken. The printer was one of the few useful amenities because residents could create additional accounts for infinite free black-and-white printing. The common areas were generally clean, and the internet was reliable. The shared bathroom was a decent size with a tub, although the water was sometimes too hot with very little cold water available. Management also ran Instagram promotions asking residents to leave 5-star Google reviews and comment for a chance to win gift cards. Keep that in mind when reading unusually positive reviews. The main advantages were the internet, included utilities, proximity to UIC, nearby Target, the Blue Line, and some decent views. Overall, you pay a premium for location while accepting small rooms, thin walls, highway noise, broken elevators, unreliable laundry, poor climate control, slow maintenance, and weak communication. Unless Greystar makes major improvements, I would not recommend it.

I would give this place a 0 if I could. I know it sounds good, but man the only thing they have is the closeness to UIC and some furniture they provide u with. My apartment has been having things break, one after another, and I really should’ve taken pics but— for starters, MY ROOM( and apartment )! I moved in during August— it genuinely gets hot here, my specific room had no cooling from it vent for WEEKS. I complained to the office multiple times, and they did have people come in to check it, but they wouldn’t repair it right away; they’d come tweak it, it would work for like 2hr and then break— this happened to my room more, but also was a persistent problem for my overall apartment. Also! When it got to work, it was already like late October by then and the winter season had begun. My room specifically was freezing thru this entire majority of time, it wouldn’t get warm in my room really at all. I complained that whatever people were “ fixing “ wasn’t working— they kept repeating the cycle and even now it’s still hot/cold in my room regardless. My overall apartment has also had some issues. One to mention, the overhead lights, which are so poor in lighting— they literally add nothing. One of the bulbs fell off of the overhead lighting, onto our floor. I believe my roommate made a maintenance request, and it wasn’t covered till like months after. There’s also issues with my stove, literally 2/4 of them work. There’s probably other stuff I’m forgetting…. But save urself. Don’t get this place, they charge hella for them to be so lame about this place. It’s literally fr a half built, mildly painted depressing place.

Just to let everyone know, all the positive reviews you see here are made by the property staff. The management of this facility has been extremely disappointing. The woman who appears to be the manager is consistently rude, dismissive, and highly unprofessional in the way she speaks to tenants. Instead of being helpful when issues arise, management often makes residents feel like their concerns are an inconvenience. This creates a very negative living environment and makes it difficult to feel comfortable asking for assistance. One of the most frustrating experiences I had was being charged a $50 lockout fee even after I had to wait an entire hour for someone to come unlock my room. Charging such a high fee would already be unreasonable, but making a resident wait that long on top of it shows a complete lack of concern for tenant convenience and basic customer service. Another major issue is the way packages are handled. If a package arrives after the office is closed, they simply do not accept it, which means deliveries are often left sitting outside unattended. This creates a serious risk of theft and leaves residents constantly worried about whether their belongings will still be there when they get back. For a place that markets itself as student housing, this is a huge problem that should have been solved already. The temperature control in the building is also very poorly managed. The air conditioning and heating are not adjusted when the weather outside changes, and it often takes weeks for management to switch the building over to the appropriate setting. Because of this, many residents are forced to buy their own portable heaters and fans just to make their units livable. It is frustrating to pay so much in rent and still have to spend extra money just to be comfortable in your own apartment. Another issue is the lease policy. There is no reasonable option for early lease termination, which feels very intentional. It seems like management knows the quality of the apartments and the overall living experience are poor, so they make it difficult for residents to leave once they realize what they signed up for. That lack of flexibility only adds to the frustration. Overall, this has been a very negative experience. Between the rude management, unreasonable fees, unsafe package handling, poor temperature control, restrictive lease terms, and poorly planned resident events, this is not a place I would recommend to anyone. Living here has been far more stressful and inconvenient than it should be, and prospective tenants should think very carefully before signing a lease.

This is one of the worst apartment buildings to live in. The elevators are constantly broken, the AC barely works during the summer, and the heat randomly stops working in winter. Management always waits until residents are already uncomfortable before taking action. If they know temperatures are going to rise in the next few days, they should schedule maintenance in advance instead of waiting until the building becomes unbearably hot to finally call the AC company. The same thing happens every year. What makes it worse is the excuses they give residents. They act like people do not understand what is really happening and keep giving the same fake reasons instead of fixing problems proactively. For the amount of rent people pay, basic maintenance and planning should not be this difficult.

I wish I could give 0 stars to Letterman Chicago because even 1 star feels too generous. My experience at this apartment has been nothing short of a nightmare. From the day I moved in, I faced constant issues, including water damage, leaking toilets, wet carpeting, and a foul odor that made the unit completely uninhabitable. Despite reporting these problems multiple times, management failed to provide any meaningful resolutions. The situation escalated when my unit experienced sink regurgitation, soaking the carpet, damaging my personal belongings, and attracting bugs. The smell of sewage was so unbearable that it caused me physical distress. To make matters worse, smoking and odors from neighboring units infiltrated my apartment every single day, making it impossible to find peace or comfort at home. When I asked to terminate my lease due to these unacceptable conditions, management refused and forced me to stay in the unit, despite the ongoing problems. This lack of care and basic decency from the management is completely unacceptable. Living here was a nightmare physically, mentally, and emotionally. The stress and anxiety caused by this apartment have taken a serious toll on my well-being. I don’t even want to give a single star. If you’re looking for a safe, clean, and livable apartment, avoid Letterman Chicago at all costs. Don’t waste your money, health, or sanity on this place.