Lake & Wells — Local services in Chicago

I lived at Lake & Wells for 2.5 years. When we first signed our lease, the property was great—reasonably priced, with good views and decent amenities. However, about a year into our lease, the building was bought by a new management company, and everything started going downhill.

Issues with the Property:

The amenities frequently break down and are not repaired as quickly as they should be, especially given the high rent. The elevators are constantly out of service, including the freight elevator, which conveniently broke the day we moved out. The hot tub is often unavailable, and the entire building doesn’t have proper air conditioning, making it unbearably hot in the summer.

The parking garage is a disaster. It’s filthy, with literal human feces on all the walls, and is managed by a separate company that overcharges (~$350/month) and is never in their office. There’s no security in the garage either and it’s super easy to just walk in. We were also scolded for using the dumpsters to throw out a few large items while we moved out, despite ok-ing this with management and trying to spread it across multiple months as to not flood the dumpsters. On top of that, Lake & Wells will hit you with outrageous move-out charges. We asked for a move-out-checklist and were told that we don’t need one and we’d be fine and then were hit with a $750 bill more than a month after we left.

Rent increases are excessive, going up by around $300 each lease renewal, making it impossible to justify staying. While they did move away from Fetch’s terrible package delivery system that other reviews probably mention, the new system isn’t any better. The package room is frequently closed for hours at a time because the front desk staff has to organize it, and residents get scolded for entering when they “aren’t supposed to” despite there being no clear indication of when it’s off-limits.

Issues with the Area:

The neighborhood around the building has declined significantly. My car was broken into, causing $7,000 in damage which forced me to have to move it to a more secure garage a block away. Homeless people constantly enter the parking garage from Lower Wacker, using it as a place to sleep and as a restroom. There have been incidents of fireworks and even fires being set in the garage. Gunshots are common, and the streets REEK of urine.

The 7-Eleven across the street shut down because it was constantly being robbed. Literally every time you’d walk in a someone would follow you and raid the place. Most restaurants in the area close by 6 PM or don’t open on weekends, so there’s not much food nearby—aside from a food hall 100 feet away that attracts swarms of delivery bikes but doesn’t even serve good food.

Noise is another major issue. The L runs right by the building, and while I knew it would be loud when I moved in, it’s something guests constantly complained about. It’s nice having it there for public transport but if you’re a light sleeper, it’s definitely something to consider.

The One Positive:

The front door staff is fantastic. They genuinely care about the residents and do their best despite the difficult conditions created by management and the surrounding area.

Final Verdict:

You can easily find a much nicer apartment in Chicago for hundreds of dollars less per month. Get a realtor (they’re free to you) and look elsewhere. This building is in decline, and management is not reinvesting in it. It’s only...

It was a nice stay for my birthday with the city view. I love the fact that everything was close by. The only problem I had was with the night time customer service. I don’t know her name but she was African American and she wears glasses. When I was checking out I wanted to ask the desk guy what her name was but he seemed busy so I didn’t want to bother him. Anyways, Saturday night I called to ask if we can use the jacuzzi when she picked up the phone neither did she greet or seemed pleasant. I actually thought someone who doesn’t work at the desk randomly picked up lol! When we went to use the bonfire pit it wasn’t working. So I called the front desk about three times, no one picked up. So I assumed no one is at the desk. When we were heading out for dinner she was sitting right there on her phone. When I asked her response was “oh I don’t know”. She wasn’t a pleasant person you would want to go to for customer service. Other then that the stay was nice and the guy who checked us in was...

This has been the most well taken care of building I have yet to live at in the downtown area! The maintenance staff is so professional and always looking for ways to help residents and address their needs/concerns. It’s very well kept as far as cleanliness. The management team is literally one phone call away, super fair, and attentive. They actually check in with you to make sure you’re happy and satisfied. The amenities are amazing, I love that the jacuzzi is outside, feeling the breeze of the wind while you’re soaking in the hot tub feels so good!! Pool is huge, bigger than any other pool in other buildings and so so clean. Moving in was a breeze and living here has been genuinely amazing so far. I feel like I’m at a 5 star resort, everyone that comes over says they feel like they are vacation especially once you step out onto the balcony, that smell of a beach always makes me feel so calm and happy. I forgot to mention the views! WOW! I highly recommend...