Surf Development Corporation

I ended up terminating my lease early. Their inability to address fundamental issues beyond the surface combined with fluctuating water pressure and heat issues was untenable. They were nice enough to end the lease without the early cancellation fee and helped pay for movers which was quite nice of them, but it’s still disappointing to have been in that situation to begin with.

From the apartment showing to now a full-​time resident, Surf Development has been nothing but helpful, responsive and professional. Mary and her team made my move to Chicago seamless and easy.
Surf Development, specifically Mary, met me the same day I emailed them about seeing an apartment. She was on time, informative, friendly and ended up showing me a beautiful renovated one bedroom in Lakeview that I now live in.
After living here for 4 months, I am even more pleased with Surf Development than I was before. Any time I have needed something (locked out of my apartment, minor maintenance, general questions), Mary and her team are always there for me and make sure that I am happy as their resident and have everything I need.
I have had such a pleasant experience with them that I have now referred Surf Dev to 3 friends moving to the city as well. Whether you are moving to Chicago or looking for a new apartment here, I recommend you at least reach out to Surf Development to see for yourself!

Hi All,
GREAT PLACE!!! My fiancé and I have been with Surf as tenants for a while now and we both are extremely pleased with their service, buildings and apartments. We lived in the 2921 North Sheffield Ave building and it was hard to walk away from such a great apartment/​environment.
We are moving back to NY and that is literally the only reason we are leaving.
I strongly recommend anyone who is looking for an amazing management/​ownership team as their landlords to contact them for one of their many great places.
If there is anything wrong, you can shoot them over an email and they well respond right away depending on the time of day but if not, you will get a response the very next day. The can always get someone over to take care of any issues.
My fiancé has lived in 3 different units in this building and I have lived in 2 different ones. The only reason why we moved around so much was A) She left her old roommates and moved in with me. B) We had a one bedroom and needed more space as many people loved coming to Chicago to visit.
So if you are looking for a great location, service and overall best place to live for great money, Surf Development is the way to go.
Best,
Zach

5 stars overall. Surf Development has been one of the best and most accommodating company in regards to apartment searching and rentals. I have been a lucky tenant, have rented with them for 3 years, and wished I could again. The only reason I’m leaving my huge 1 bedroom is because my boyfriend and I are looking for a building with pool/​gym/​deck and unfortunately Surf doesn’t have that triple combination under their listings (atleast for September, that I know of).
In 2012, coming from no credit and as student with a co-​signer, these friendly people gladly worked around my situation and got me a studio in a wonderful place with super-​fast maintenance people who kept the building clean and functional. I renewed that studio for two years and then had an emergency where I had to leave and get a new place. Surf Development was so helpful with my emergency transition. They even offered to get rid of any application /​maintenance fees for the new 1 bedroom they helped me get!
If you have any doubts with this company, I just want to let you know you’re in very good and capable hands. Maureen, one of the staff members at Surf Development, is extremely helpful and very hard-​working! I would recommend my loved ones to be helped by this company.

I have been living in a Surf Development property for close to three years, and wanted to share my great experience with them.
Starting with the rental process, the staff at Surf is knowledgeable, available, and friendly. I found a listing I loved but it was closed by the time I was ready to sign — and Maureen was available in my search for a similar unit and met with me quickly to get it signed.
The office staff is responsive and always answers emails/​voicemails within 24 hours. Maintenance requests are most often same day, if not within 24 – 48 hours — even with non-​urgent requests like helping install a window air unit for me. The grounds are kept clean and well landscaped and our block was always snow free before the surrounding areas!
The pricing for their units is very reasonable. I’ve recently been looking for comparable units with a friend in the area (Ravenswood) and the Surf costs are the most fair for the great spaces and service you are getting.
In the move out process, they have been flexible with me about my lease timing and provided clear information about what’s needed. They also are very respectful about timing for showing the apartment — which can be a stressful time!
If there had been a unit available when doing my apartment search I certainly would have stayed with Surf — and definitely will be recommending them to friends in search of a rental.

I’ve been living in a property managed by Surf since July. This is my first time using a management company in the city instead of a single landlord, and I’m impressed. They are flexible and attentive to maintenance requests and allowed me to move in a few days earlier than my start date. The apartment I am leasing is affordable, HUGE and in a great location. Mary is really quick to answer emails and is very helpful.

Tried meeting with a lady today to see an apartment. My boyfriend called her around 11 and they agreed to meet at 12 noon. When we got there, we waited 45 MINUTES, calling the woman every couple of minutes. She ignored our calls and we were just sitting out there. I tried calling the office number and left a message, so far no one has gotten back to me. I don’t mean to sound rude or naggy, but this is horrible customer service! If this is any indication of how they run their properties, I’m not sure it’s worth the fight.

I lived in my building for a year and had a fabulous experience with this company (Maureen is awesome!) I have had numerous landlords and never encountered a more accessible and considerate company than Surf Development. If there was a need for any repair it was always addressed within 24 hours or less (most of the time the same day). I also have accidentally locked my keys in my place a couple times and was lucky enough to have them send out someone to let me in (I learned my lesson after doing this on the weekend though!).
I wish I could have stayed longer but have to relocate for a job. It is not your perfect high-​rise newly renovated place but it has character; in my case there was no way I could find a better price for the location. Plus, it was a «convertible» studio so it felt similar to a one bedroom. I was happy to NOT have to see my stove from my bed.
The only major negative was that my bike was stolen in the bike/​laundry room (there isn’t a lock on the door to the room, only bike racks in the open laundry room). I had a U-​lock and a high-​quality cable lock through the frame and wheels. The bike room isn’t locked and during moving time people are in and out. If you have a nice bike, at a minimum register your bike with the city. Despite this, I can’t fault Surf. It was likely due to people leaving the backdoor propped open after moving in/​out.
Again, Surf development is a great company to go with! Highly recommended.

I rented from Surf for about three years and wanted to share my great experience. They do their best to make everything simple and smooth, which is really nice during a stressful move. They are also very good about responding to maintenance requests, and they always had any issues resolved within one day (most of the time it was fixed the same day I called). Maureen is especially great; she is really nice and easy to work with. I can honestly say Surf is the best landlord I’ve ever had — and I’ve had several over the years. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a place in Chicago!

I needed a place quickly and thanks to Maureen, easiest & quickest move I ever had, she’s the best! Today I did laundry and had an issue with one of the machines. The repair guy arrived within 30 minutes and was reimbursed my quarters without even asking. Normally I am always cold and I freeze at places where the heat is included in the rent, but not in this place, heat is great! Maintenance guy is really friendly as well. Everything is a bit old and not perfect, but the price is right for East Lakeview.

I give Surf one star for professionalism. We found our apartment on craigslist and it was the cheapest 3 bedroom we found. I called them to look at it and we made an appointment for like 10 am (ish) My roommate and I arrived at the apartment and waited for approx 20mins. Finally we got fed up and called them. It turns out that they were waiting for our call before they would take time out of their day to come show us the apartment. Fine. We moved into our apartment on June 1^st. The move in went fine, getting the utilities set up was a breeze.(minus the fact that the Coax line for the TV comes through a hole in the wall from the outside. Literally, A hole in the wall). It comes time for mid june and july, my roommates and I notice that the thermometer is not working properly. The specific problem was that it was not turning on and off automatically. So we call the main number and Maureen, who is the nicest lady in the world, sent over the repair man. The repair man came in and took one look at the thermometer, turned it on manually, and said «Its fixed». I said its not fixed. He said he will go tell the ladies in the office. I never heard anything again. Then a few days later we get cockroaches. Called them up, Got an attitude from the lady i talked to, and the sent the same repair man over with cockroach traps. Ok that problem was solved. A few months later the ceiling in the bathroom bubbles up and there is a few gallons of water about to burst through the ceiling. It is a saturday and the company is only open until noon. I call the Dark Haired lady to get it fixed and she is extremely rude to me. She says she called someone out to fix it but he wont be here till monday. So now I am stuck with a huge bubble of water lingering above my head while i try to go to the bathroom for two days. The man comes and drains the water then he leaves saying that he will be back in a few days when the drywall dries to replace it. He does. He comes back in a few days and «replaces» the drywall. I am not sure what exactly he did because i was not there when he did it. But from the looks of it he just put a ton of spackle over it to cover it up. GOD knows whats under the drywall as far as mold is concerned. As far as major maintenance issues that about sums it up until about 2 – 3 weeks ago.
When it got cold in Chicago we turned the heat on. We noticed that the thermometer wasn’t working like its supposed to (like i told them 5 months ago). They came out and the maintenance man replaced it. Fine, its a pretty decent unit. All was fine until we got our Gas bill. IT WAS 200 DOLLARS! The month before was only 100 dollars.
I called the office, they sent the maintenance man. He looked at the furnace, noticed that their was no Air filter installed in the Furnace. Fine. Then they called the HVAC guy that they contract out. (My dad is a HVAC mechanic for a factory in the suburbs and the night before he told me that the unit needed to be cleaned properly because there was no filter) The guy came out, took a look at the furnace then at the thermometer. Whoever installed the thermometer wired the AC and the Heat to run at the SAME TIME. So for roughly 3 wks we were paying double electric and More gas because the Air-​conditioning and the Furnace was working against each other. Lets just say i took the gas bill to the office and want it adjusted.(no word yet on that, but the lady had an attitude, like always, when i brought it up) The next day, we wake up. The apartment is at 65 degrees. 3 degrees below the minimum that the law requires. We call them at 9 AM when they open they said that they called the maintenance man. I didn’t hear anything till noon when i call them back. The Building that i am in had water pipes freeze in the night and they had to get that taken care of. Fine that is understandable. But the attitude that i got from the people in the office was very unprofessional. I left for work and my roommate said that the maintenance man came around 2pm. Pulled a plastic bag out of our furnace, and replaced a motor. He said that he would like to replace another part but it is not essential to the operation of the unit. Fine. When my roommate left for class around 5 the furnace was working. I got home from work around 7 and the apartment was 59 degrees. I called the landlord. left a very angry message. and told them i was calling the city to see what the next step is. I called the city, they said call a lawyer about what to do legally. I called my Cousin who has a law degree and he advised me to get a hotel room.
I called the office again and gave them notice that i was going to check into a hotel for the night. About 10 minutes later the owner (?) Mary called me. Immediately started yelling at me saying that «the tone of my voice was unacceptable)
we go back and forth for 10 minutes yelling at each other. As far as i am concerned. We are paying 1680 a month for a service. I should be the one yelling. No professionalism!

Just moved to Chicago from California and honestly don’t think I could have picked a better place or better company. They really maintain my building well, are available and helpful when I need them, and the most friendly people! I have had various landlords over time and I must admit they are the best I’ve had yet!
I am so glad because a transition and moving can be a nightmare but mine was not at all. Thanks Surf Development crew! :)

This past weekend I moved into an apartment managed by Surf, & I had a great experience. My keys were ready on time, and I was given information regarding my Aldermanic Ward for vehicle sticker purchase/​permit passes (I live in a restricted Cubs parking area). Everyone I’ve dealt with in the office, as well as on the phone and during my showing, has been exceptionally friendly (I’ve moved a lot around the Chicago area, and have encountered some really impersonal agents, so I appreciate the friendliness and positivity I’ve encountered working with Surf).
Additionally, I noticed a leaking pipe in my kitchen, a doorknob lock issue, and some minor plumbing difficulties in the bathroom. When I called to report these (just yesterday), maintenance personnel were sent to my apartment within 20 minutes; when 1 of the 3 items couldn’t be repaired immediately (required a plumber), the appropriate repair service was initiated immediately as well: I left for work this morning with the repair completed.
The only (minor) issue I noted was that the cleaning crew who had been stated to have cleaned the apartment prior to my move-​in did not appear to have cleaned, or if they did, did not clean well. However, I’m a neat freak, and messed up the apartment in the process of moving, so I knew I’d be cleaning it anyway.
Overall, I am very impressed with Surf in the short time I’ve rented from the corporation, and hope to continue this positive experience! I would recommend Surf to my friends, as they helped totally streamline my move, with no discrepancies, hidden fees or language, or any other irritations I’ve encountered with past rental agencies.

I lived in a building that Surf owns for about 6 years. No complaints. No place is perfect but they were also cool and got things done. Why would I have stayed with them for 6 years otherwise?

My husband and I lived at the Racine and Addison property for two years — it was a cute and cozy little apartment. The neighborhood is super safe, rent was cheap, and we had plenty of space. The apartment had a bunch of character with moldings over the windows and lots of light spilling in the front living room. I don’t know what the reviews below are talking about — Moreen and Mary have been very receptive and friendly when we deal with them. If a drain clogged, we’d call and it would be fixed the next day. Management never set foot in our apartment without calling us first, and I appreciate that.
Now, Wrigleyville is a bustling area, so you can expect some weekend parties and street noise, but street parking wasn’t as bad as we anticipated. Just be prepared. A high point for us was the Paul McCartney concert last summer, we opened our windows and could hear him crystal clear… add a bottle of wine, and that’s a nice Sunday evening. I had my bachelorette party at a Cubs rooftop and afterward we came back to the apartment for gifts and «getting ready» time — we had beer and water on ice on the back porch and everyone mingling — it was plenty of room for us. We would grill on the porch in the summer and use the fireplace in the winter — it was cozy and comfortable. Management were flexible with us painting the walls and hanging artwork. If you put a little TLC into a rental, anywhere can feel like home. This apartment was no exception — we enjoyed living here. We’ve moved to a quieter neighborhood to work on a family, but I would recommend our apartment to any young couple. It’s the perfect size, in the perfect area, at a great price.

I’ve lived in a building managed by Surf for almost a year. My experience here has been decent. I found the apartment online as I was living in Florida at the time. I had a friend who lived in chicago go check it out for me. There were some things that needed to be fixed in the kitchen and when my friend asked about them, she was told that they would be fixed before I moved in. I took the apartment and when I moved in they were not fixed, however, the issues weren’t huge so it was ok. I just put in my first work order the other day (bathtub was clogged) and someone came out and fixed it the very next day. :)
My major complaint here is the laundry room. The washers never drain all the water out so when I go to put my clothes in the dryer they are soaked. The dryers also do not dry well, so when I get my clothes out I just have warm and wet clothes. 2 out of the 3 loads I did today were so wet after the dryer, I was able to ring water out of them! Needless to say I am frustrated b/​c I’m paying for laundry that doesn’t even properly wash or dry my clothes. I’ve asked them to be fixed before and they are always the same.

I had a great experience with Surf! When I moved in there were a couple of things that did need to be fixed, but when I submitted the work orders they were all completed very efficiently. The maintenance workers were always very friendly and the work was always completed more than satisfactorily. I had a great experience will all the members of the office staff as well: I was able to see the apartment I was interested in within a day, they were all easy to get in touch with, and returned messages very quickly. The apartment building was always well-​maintained as well as a very pretty courtyard that is very well tended during the summer!

I lived here for 2 years. I can’t say I hated it by any means. My place was good sized, and affordable. It was in a prime location. The problem is the building was so old and dirty. At night, cockroaches would lurk on the patio. I only found one or two inside though. However, when I was moving out, my buddy helping me thought he saw mice in my apartment. I thought I saw them one time too, but if they were there, it was a recent development. The shower/​bath had tiny bugs that lived in the wall or something, so that was kind of nasty. The positives: Mary would listen to my concerns and sent out maintenance that day almost every single time. Whatever the problem, she tried to fix it, and never tried to charge me for it. I probably would’ve stayed, but I was ready to leave Wrigleyville and a guy moved in below me that played loud music ²⁴⁄₇ that shook my apartment. Mary didn’t care, and she said there wasn’t much she could do. In fairness, I’m not sure I’d care too much if I were her either. It’s probably legal and she could find another tenant pretty easily I’d imagine. So overall, it was average, hence the 3 stars.

I lived in an apartment managed by Surf Development and they were really helpful for me. Perhaps its because I live right around the corner, but they always were on top of things for me. One time my ceiling fan was broken and making weird sounds, the next day they replaced it with a new one. I just had to give up my apartment because I lost my job, but they helped me with the process of subleasing it. They even suggested someone who was looking for a one room to me, which they really didn’t have to do. Thank you so much, Surf!

wow, i have been contacted by a few people and how miserable they are. how interesting how things dont change. if your unhappy call the city or call your local alderman. its that simple.
failure to turn on the heat from oct to may is illegal. not taking care of water damage is illegal…