The Apartment Connection

I found Robert through an apartment that my boyfriend and I wanted to take a look at. Robert met us at the apartment the day of and we ended up signing the following day. I could not be more appreciative of how smooth the signing and renting process was. I felt like he went above and beyond, even down to the day we moved in when Robert called just to check in and make sure the move was going smooth.
I would highly recommend!

I came across Robert with The Apartment Connection in my apartment search last month. At this point I have been in Chicago for 10 years and I have lived in 5 apartments. My recent experience with Robert was the smoothest and fastest I have ever had with signing on a place. I ran into Robert when I contacted him to see an apartment for rent that he was showing. The original apartment I called for wasn’t the right fit it turned out but the VERY next day he found me the one I had been seeking to find for over 2 months. I had several experiences with realtors and listing companies that stalled and promised inside people their leases and most of all agents who never EVER returned calls or emails. Most agents don’t respond if the apartment you are calling on has rented already. Not only did Robert call me back within an hour but he found me a place that was even better than I thought I would ever find. He is very prompt. He replies to emails and phone calls within a day if not hours. He is honest and upfront and isn’t making promises he can’t keep. His property postings are exactly as they are, they aren’t overly glorified or advertised falsely. As a business owner I completely appreciate honest, personable and quick turn around. I recommend Robert 100% and I only wish I had found him 9 years ago when I started renting so that my prior searches weren’t so gruesome.
Thanks Robert I LOVE my new place~!

Robert called to notify me that an apartment we were scheduled to view that evening had just been rented. He told me he’d keep me in mind if anything similar were to become available in the near future. A week later Robert kept his word when that apartment became open once again. He was able to show me the space that day and later on sign the lease. I thought it was great to have remembered me and to reach out to me when the apartment unexpectedly became available.

If I could give a 0 star rating to a business this would be the one. Robert should have his license taken away for his ILLEGAL practices.
We were approved for an apartment around 2pm on Thursday. My roommates and I signed the lease, paid first months rent and move in fee, AND got the keys. Then around 5:30pm Robert calls one of my roommates and said that another leasing found someone to pay $ 200 more a month for the place and unless we agreed to pay more that they were canceling our lease. We explain to him that this is ILLEGAL (my sister works for one of the biggest law firms). She asked her boss and confirmed that it is very illegal. The apartment is legally ours and he is in breach of contract. When my roommate tries explaining this to him he just rudely yells over her.
So my sisters boss tells us to tell him that if he doesn’t return ALL our money in 30 minutes to her work we will be filing a lawsuit against him. We moved very fast and brought us all our money plus the application fees. We made a personal check for them rent yet he would not return the check to us and told us we had to call the bank and got a stop payment on it. Yes he gave us the $ 30 for that as well.
When he was leaving my sisters work she told him that we will be filing a report against him in which he then threatened her, that if she does that he will make things bad for her.
Really? He’s the one doing illegal things and then to try and threaten us?! Not cool. Pretty much the whole experience with Robert has been a complete nightmare and makes me not want to look at any more apartments or deal with anyone for a long time. Hoping he goes out of business and loses his license. Do not deal with this criminal.

I would rather rent a sinking ship (literally) than rent an apartment through Robert, and here is why:
My roommates and I were approved on Wednesday and told we got the apartment. Thursday afternoon around 2:00, we signed the lease and paid the first month’s rent and move in fee and were given the keys. Then, at 5:30 Robert calls us to say that the «landlord» is canceling our lease agreement because «another leasing agency» found someone to pay $ 200 more a month. I explain that that is not legal, and that I work for a law firm and will be filing a lawsuit. For the record, I don’t believe him. I am certain the HE found someone to pay him more. He shouts over me and I hang up and speak with one of the attorneys at work and she confirms that I am correct. The apartment is our legally and he is in breach of contract. He says that since the landlord hasn’t signed the lease yet, it isn’t vaild. INCORRECT. By presenting us with the lease, as the leasing agent, and us signing it… it is, in fact, a valid contract. My roommate then tries to explain this to him, but he won’t let her speak at all. He just keeps yelling over her. We talk to my boss, an attorney, and she tells me to tell him to get our money to us, at my work, in 30 minutes or she will sue him. That got him running, but still incredibly rude. He paid us back in all cash (he made us pay him in a cashier’s check for rent and personal check for the move-​in fee). Instead of giving me my personal check back, he told me I have to call my bank to put a «stop payment» on it. I made him pay me the $ 30 fee to do that. As he was leaving, I said that we WILL be filing a complaint on him and the landlord. He then threatened me by saying that if I do that, that he will make things bad for me, so I obviously told an attorney.
PUT HIM OUT OF BUSINESS.

I’ve been reading Robert’s Unilocal reviews after my dealings with him over the last week and he seems to either get 5 stars or 1 star ratings. He seems like a Jeckyll/​Hyde type personality and personally I would avoid working with him.
Robert showed my roommate and I an apartment which was decent but we were still looking at other places. He was very pushy during the showing, it was like a whirlwind 5 minute tour and he kept saying how fast it was going to go and how we needed to make a decision. We told him we’d like to put in an application but never said we were definitely going to take the place. He said we should fill out the applications right then in his car which seemed weird.
We also told him that we didn’t have application fees on hand that night and my roommate said she could bring it to him the next afternoon after her workday was over. He said that was fine but he wouldn’t be able to complete the processing until he had the fees. Fine. I’ve been told my multiple leasing agents that they can’t legally take a listing down until they have application fees and deposits in hand so it’s their job to keep showing until that happens. I’ve submitted multiple applications for places but have still lost out on apartments because someone else got the fees and deposit in before me. I’ve been apartment hunting and moving for a solid year (don’t ask), I know how the renting game goes in Chicago.
Anyway, Robert called me midday the next day to tell us that we were approved and we had the apartment. This was a shock because we hadn’t turned in any application processing fee yet. This really made us think twice about working with Robert and the apartment itself and we then decided to go with another place we had seen the day before.
Fast forward after we told Robert we weren’t taking the apartment and he’s been hounding us for the application fees saying that we told him directly we were taking the apartment and we signed the application and the fee is nonrefundable. I tried to have a conversation with him and asked to see the language on the form. He started reading it and it was clear that it said nothing about how he could complete the processing before receiving the fees and only that deposits were non-​refundable. He said I interrupted him and hung up on me and is now threatening my roommate and I with small claims court over apartment rental application fees.
This guys is absolutely crazy, pushy, mean, and just wrong. From my experience and others I’ve read, he does not care in the slightest about the people he claims to be helping get apartments. He just wants the turn over and the money. Don’t work with him!

Was helping my boyfriend look for a place and had some awful experience with another chicago apartment company prior to meeting robert. He keep good, punctual contact with us as we made plans to see apartments and met us on two different days to show places in different neighborhoods. The places he showed us were exactly what we were asking for and he continued to be prompt with response times and professional with business practices as we moved forward with signing the lease, etc.
Robert is a no-​nonsense guy which I think sometimes rubs people the wrong way. He definitely has a unique personality and I can see how to some people he might come off gruff or rude, but he worked with us and, for me, was very accommodating and easy to work with through a situation that required a lot of patience (boyfriend renting from a — currently — out of town location). All in all, after having experiences with a few different apartment rental companies in Chicago, I would work with Robert again and would recommend friends to him as well!

I didn’t check Unilocal until after I’d already started the process of using The Apartment Connection, and I’m glad I didn’t. I really had a different experience with Robert than most of the other users who have posted reviews. He was pleasant enough and extremely helpful, and the entire process was very smooth and non-​troublesome. He was quick in returning my calls and emails and really helpful in answering my questions, and was able to set appointments around my schedule. It really made the process of finding an apartment much less of a hassle. I’d definitely recommend Apartment Connection.

My family of three had a moving emergency due to a flood this January. After two days of exhausting searches and showings, we ended our day with Robert, the owner/​agent. We loved the place and his manner of service. He was thorough, professional, up front and to the point. He had us approved in less than 4 hours! We moved in the next day! Highly recommend using his service.

I called this place about a posting I saw online. The guy (going to go out on a limb and say it was Robert based on the rest of these posts) practically called me stupid and then hung up on me. Real professional…

If I could give no stars, I would.
From the get-​go, Robert was rude and it made me not want to do business with him. However, I scheduled a showing of an apartment, but then things came up and I couldn’t go. I forgot to call him, but I figured it wouldn’t be a problem since he has another person seeing the apartment at the exact same time (who does that?), Anyway, he called me and I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen. Instead he called me a douchebag and then hung up on me. I don’t know about you, but when I’m dealing with someone involved in a major life decision, I expect to be treated with a little more respect. Screw this company.
Furthermore, this is the email I got in response to mine. I wasn’t nice in mine, but I feel I had the right. Robert being a professional and all, this is what he sent:
Hmmmm. I was never rude to you. Lying to someone and telling them you «forgot» is not cool; very juvenile on your part. Lastly, I’ve been in business 21 years and counting. And you? If business is so bad as you suggest, I wouldn’t have lasted this long. I’ve seen plenty of rental companies come and go. I’m still here. Your the type of «client» that no one wants. Grow up little boy as evidence by your little rant: I really, really, really. Are you still in 3^rd grade or on psych meds. Which is it?

Terrible. Robert is simply unprofessional and incredibly unaccommodating.

Robert called me and left a voicemail saying that I needed to turn over the keys to the apartment since I «clearly couldn’t pay the rent.» I was flabbergasted, since my rent is automatically deducted from my bank account and sent directly to my landlord from my bank.
I called the landlord and, as it turned out, I had paid my rent, on time, every month. Who would’ve guessed?
I sent Robert an email saying that, as a rental agent, he shouldn’t be contacting me six months after I’m in an apartment, especially if he’s going to be so rude and disrespectful. And wrong. He called me back and started yelling at me. He did not apologize. Not even a little bit.
Funny thing is that when Robert first showed me the apartment he asked me to review him on Unilocal.No problem, Robert. I’ll review you every time.

I had a very good experience with Robert. He was very accommodating and found me an amazing apartment in a short amount of time.

I worked with Robert over a year ago to rent my current apartment and the process was very smooth. I was in town 24 hours and like other reviewers said, he actually answered when called about Craigslist ad then set up an appointment that afternoon. Loved the place and signed the paper work the next morning in his office.
Before I ended up resigning the lease, I called him to see if there were other options in the area that fit my needs. Despite not having the right place because I was only a few weeks from needed move-​in, he gave me the information for another company that may have a property available. Luckily situation changed I stayed where I’m at… yay no moving!
I would definitely work with him again.

Robert does love his job and it is refreshing! He helped me and my boyfriend find an apt January of 2011. I will definetly be using him again when our lease is up this October! He doesn’t jerk you around and show you places that aren’t in your price range and or area of interest. I highly recomend using Apartment Connection!

This was the best experience I have had finding an apartment! Robert was so helpful
finding exactly what I needed! He was never pushy or tried to go above our price range. He also let us take as much time as we needed to look at everything in the apartment and talk about it. After he showed us the apartments he was the only one we got a courtesy call back from a week later. He helped make looking for an apartment in Chicago alot less stressful. He will be the first call I make if i ever have to move again! I recommend him to anyone who needs to move! And his office is so convenient to get to if you have to take public transportation!

Robert was super pleasant to work with and very accommodating to our needs. He found us our dream apartment, and even helped persuade a very persnickety landlord that we were the right tenants.
He was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, funny, and easy to communicate with. I don’t want to move again anytime soon, but I will definitely be reaching out to Robert if I do.

Robert was awesome! He helped us negotiate with the landlord of the building we wanted, ALWAYS returned phone calls within a day (if not a few hours), and was very friendly and generally helpful. He showed us the place at 5:30 on a Saturday — not many brokers will do that for you!
I would highly recommend Robert and Apartment Connection — I have no idea why that first reviewer wrote that he was awful!

I guess I had a totally different experience with Robert. I was looking for an apartment, like stat.
I literally lived on Craigslist like an obsessed loser checking for different listings that were not only affordable, but had the ammenities I was looking for.
What I liked about TAC’s style, was that they provided a great narrative, well represented pictures, and a person that answered the phone, CALLED ME BACK, and was eager to show me the places that I wanted to see.
Robert was very friendly, and enthusiastic about his job. I’ve used other apartment finders before (I won’t name the people, but you know), and Robert was the first one who wasn’t pushy, was very laid back and happy to answer questions that I had. Also, he was the ONLY ONE who called to follow up with me a few days later after viewing the apartment.
It’s obvious that he cares about his job.