SKY55 — Local services in Chicago

There is something to the reviews, although we didn't want to believe it. Along with an impressive LOOKING building, Maria guided an amazing tour. However, my wife and I are extremely disappointed in how everything else panned out after 7/22.

It took a FULL month for an approval. By that time, we'd already restarted our search. Here is exactly what happened:

After submitting an app a few days after the tour, Maria reached out exactly 1 week later (8/3) requesting additional paystubs and bank statements from both of us. We provided them the next day (8/4).

Another week passed (8/11) before we received an automated email stating we'd been "approved for economic criteria including credit, employment and residency history, and criminal background criteria". According to this email, we had to submit additional proof of income within 3 days. So after 2 more days go by without any additional communication, we visited the office on 8/13 looking for clarity.

This is where it gets interesting. According to Maria that day, our application was NOT approved: Because I am self-employed, by a company that is a 50/50 partnership, my income would not be justified. Not 50% of it. Not my salary. Nothing. My ownership and revenue is legit, but that, and I quote "means nothing". Instead, I had to show proof of additional cash savings...EXCEPT without a firm answer as to what amount. Only vague descriptions such as "healthy". Then, I was told that they'd disregard my income all together, using my wife to qualify. Then I was told to expect a follow up with better answers.

My wife's W2 income, exceeding 2-3x rent, was also not adequate according to Maria. Although the numbers added up, more paystub history were needed from her. Sure, that sort of makes sense...BUT 1) Why was this request NOT communicated after 9 calendar days? 2) How much longer would this radio silence have lasted had we not proactively visited the office to ask questions? A clear lack of clarity about what was needed.

But...no problem. We expressed willingness to submit whatever additional documentation was asked of us because that's all it should have taken right? Plus, at that point Maria acknowledged she was attempting to interpret notes between her and a colleague so there was confusion. We were told to expect a follow up with clear next steps in the coming days. That was 8/13.

Finally, on 8/22 or 23, my wife's phone rings. It's Maria. We've been approved! Without that timely follow up mentioned previously, or me submitting any additional paperwork, we were in the clear. 9-10 calendar days later. But okay, great. Next steps were to be emailed that day. However...another day or two days pass by before the email lands in our inbox late evening on 8/24.

We'd already scheduled a tour at another apartment community. Turns out, that process took two weeks from start to finish - including a tour, the SAME proof of income, statements, paperwork and approval (8/31). No mixed signals about requirements. No shortage of communication. No uncertainty.

When I reached back out to Maria this same day to inform her that we would not be moving to SKY55, and why, her response was further disappointing. She stated that we were unlikely to be refunded the $400 administrative fee because "too much time had passed". Despite this delay being completely their fault. In her words, we had too much paperwork for them to sort through and it was "really something" to deal with. They weren’t happy with us needing 7 days to assess our best interests, despite their much longer delay.

Let Maria tell it, the timeframe between their written approval on 8/24, and the move in date of 9/17, was plenty of time – especially since we own the property that we live in. Property owners ourselves or not, this assumption as to what factors – coordinating renting to own tenants for example – we should care most about when it comes to our living situation, was borderline disrespectful. She even asked what building we were moving to, as if this was in the slightest way any of her business.

Look...

Lived at Sky 55 from April 2023 to June 2024 and over all the experience was above average. Moved out since the re-lease rate was not competitive compared to other buildings in the area and the area in general took a down turn and got pretty rough. No issues until post move out below.

Good: Apartments are clean and updated. No sound from neighbors through walls but definitely can hear people in the hallway Great Gym, equipment is getting a little dated like the treadmills but overall well cleaned/maintained Maintenance team is amazing, huge shout out, always very helpful and friendly Leasing/Management team did a great job except for one issue below. They worked with me when I needed to extend my lease just a few days so moving went a lot smoother Love Parcel Pending but having a fee sucks, should just be included Dog friendly, close to Grant Park

Bad: The area got rough. There is a Red Line stop just a block away and about 6 months into our stay, you didn't want to be out at night walking your dog for to long. When we viewed the apt the carpet was really rough, and they were debating on replacing it. I asked them to replace it before we moved it since it looked bad but they did not. (They end up charging me for this old rough carpet to be cleaned after move out) Everything is individually billed. Many complexes now bundle everything into one month bill so its just rent and the one bill. At Sky you have 5 different portals you have to manage: Bilt (Rent, Sewer, Water, Admin Fee) Metergy Solutions (This place sucks, Heating/AC, they do not bill you month to month, we didn't see our 2023 monthly bills until we moved out in June 2024, so when we moved out we had to pay a huge invoice (July 2023-June 2024) for literally our whole lease. There is a law that allows energy companies to bill you for up to a year late, insane but be ready for it when you move out) Parcel Pending (mandatory to receive packages, I love the service but feel this should just be included with the lease. Its only $6 a month for the account, 5 late fee for every day after 48 hours you don't pick up your package but most places just include this instead) Com-ed (Electric, Standard stuff) Xfinity (Internet, standard but again most places are including packages with rent now) Main take away if your going to charge that much for rent now just include some of this stuff. You can go down the street and get a bigger and better unit with all this included for the same if not cheaper price The issue that made me write the review. We got our final account notice to pay for $185, few damages, carpet cleaning, nothing crazy, oh well let me just pay it to close the account. So I go to Bilt portal to pay said charges which is where the email directs you but on the portal I have nothing due and can not pay anything. I go to the ledger history and the $185 is on there as "Written Off" so nothing is due. So I'm like "hey nice they just wrote off that carpet since it was already on its last leg" but I'm like let me just call to confirm the account is closed and finalized. I explained this to the lease rep and the manager and they say on their end I still owe the $185, even though the portal (their payment system) says it was written off and I owe nothing. So I explain isn't a little bit bad service and confusing, I get a bill and can't pay it through your recommend system and even shows you guys wrote off the charge, so then they just default to "well we wouldn't want to send this to collections now would we?" Wow okay default to collections, this is $185, I'm just trying to understand why this is "written off" but your still charging me, I do not care about the money but just how this is all bad practice and your now defaulting to go to collections? Do better. Eventually I paid with card over the phone just to be done with it but a bit rude to say we'd go to collections immediately. Also after that conversation the "Written Off" line items magically disappeared, little sus business practice...

Living at SKY55 Apartments has been a mixed experience with several notable issues that potential renters should be aware of:

Security Concerns: Security at the building is lax. The staff often let anyone enter without proper questioning or securing elevator access. There was a concerning incident where an intoxicated individual followed me into the building after smoking a suspicious substance outside, his apparent intention was to following me to my apartment. I had to shout at them to STOP following me, as there was no security personnel present at their post.Some lower income tenants enrolled in fair housing program blare music and walk around the property indecent. Folks also smoke cigarets directly adjacent to the entry way.

HORRIBLE Management and Communication: The management staff are generally rude and slow to respond to emails if at all. They are extremely rigid and inflexible as it pertains to concerns and can be condescending. Lisa and Christine pass off responsibilities to each other and do not actually resolve any issues. instead you will find yourself in an endless phone tag. Christine is very cold/rude and unpleasant to speak with. I spent over 1.5months attempting to get ahold of them via email. Important communications, such as leasing changes and terms, are sent from unrecognizable no-reply email, leading to missed information. All other "important" emails contain SKY55 and the subject line. This is quite a deceptive way to trick tenants into paying additional fees. They will admit to their wrong doing and discrepancies in the lease-yet continue to charge you for their mistakes. This lack of transparency and responsiveness is a significant downside.I have reported on several occasion about issues with the drying machine in my unit which takes 3 cycles to dry clothing, in addition to destroying clothing with tassels, drawstrings that are sucked into the vent. To date after several months of placing requests, maintenance has not resolved the issue, nor has my email been answered.

Elevator Service: The elevator service is quite slow, with waits often ranging from 5-10 minutes. It's common for elevators to stop on every floor, which adds to the frustration. Additionally, the conditional elevator inspections raise concerns about safety and reliability.

Common Area Cleanliness: The carpets in the common areas often have stains, likely from animals, as the building is pet-friendly. Unfortunately, the building frequently smells of animal urine, indicating that tenants may allow their pets to relieve themselves inside or outside the premises. Tenants allow their pets to run up and down the hallways for exercise.

Package collection issues: On several occasions, I had to request to search the package room for my delivered parcels, as the security team failed to inventory my items. One stated that delivery details such as dates and times were often fudged or forged by the receiving security person interacting with Amazon. My missing items thus were sitting in the mail room without being correctly documented, it was only after I went searching for my name and unit that the package was found.

Conference room: Has one computer outlet located 15 feet away from the table, Making it difficult to work on your computer if it needs charge.

Parking Issues: The parking garage operates on a first-come, first-served basis unless a reserved spot is assigned. This can be problematic during events like concerts or games when parking spaces are in demand. Additionally, the garage seems to oversell parking spots, making it difficult to find a space.My vehicle was hit on one occasion , I reported the incident to management , who stated they would review cameras- however they did not.

Once you move in, your concerns are dismissed. The community itself is not friendly or accommodating.

DO NOT MOVE HERE! it not as nice as they made it seem during touring, they even lie about the services...