Cagan Management Group, Inc.

No radiator heat for two of the coldest weekends, no hot water in my kitchen for MONTHS, Mice, dead roaches in the laundry room, washing machines full of still water, only two out of the four dryers work, mice. The mice live in the walls of the apartment building i’m in (and i’m high up! so the mice problem is clearly a building issue). When i first looked at the apartment I asked about the normal stuff: rodents, pests, bugs… are there any? The building engineer looked me in the eye and straight up lied. I find out a few months later from the neighbors and then confirm with the property manager that indeed there are mice. But according to her «the calls about mice have been less and less»…more like you guys have ignored your tenants for so long many of them gave up hope or took matters into their own hands. I was without heat during the two coldest weekends we had in the beginning of the season. I called and called and called and all the property manager could say is «well you’re not the only one without heat so you’ll need to be patient» …that’s comforting. On one of the coldest days when I had scheduled the building manager to come look at my radiators for the 3^rd time, he had the audacity to call me and ask if i could «hold out for one more night… because it started snowing outside, and it was very cold and he would have a very difficult time getting to my apartment» …i couldn’t believe it. Then not only did the building engineer NOT have copies of my apartment keys, they used that against me when they brought in «exterminators», stating that I refused entry… by locking my door before going to work. The building manager’s solution??? «Keep the door unlocked» …i expressed my uneasiness with that and was given no response other than the property manager later accusing me of being the one who first suggested keeping my door unlocked. I am beside myself. I recently spoke to a lawyer, and after having to throw out hundreds of dollars worth of pantry food due to the mice infestation, and being unable to use their «onsite laundry room» because it’s disgusting, to start documenting everything. The management company hasn’t even fixed/​replaced the smoke detector for the building. There is still water being collected in the courtyard from a leaky faucet, I still find so many mice droppings, I am constantly woken up by the sounds of mice in the walls. I have been living in Chicago my whole life and have never had issues like this. Stay away. No matter how nice they seem at the beginning or how well priced this or that is. If you see «Cagan» seriously. move on.

What does it take to get a response from Cagan?
I submitted an application for a house (paid $ 70) and was approved earlier October. The house is being completely remodeled and supposed to be ready by December 1^st 2015. After several attempts to contact them in November I received the lease contract stating that there should be a walk through 2 weeks before the moving date, the contract was signed by Cristina V. and the lease was to begin in December 1^st 2015. So far, I been trying to contact them for the past 2 weeks via voicemail, email, and their secretary. Unfortunately no one has replied or called back. This is a very frustrating situation, you would expect them to be more professional. My current lease expires December 1^st which gives me only 2 days to move out, and so far no date and time for getting the keys and walk thru. Very frustrating!

Our condo association hired this company a few years ago to manage our 24-​unit building. They assigned us an incompetent manager and a few months later a new manager that all is doing is spending without regard to budget. Do not hire this company. They will bring their own contractors and they will overcharge for services.

I previously reviewed I don’t know where it went maybe they were able to pay to remove it? Never ever ever live in one of their buildings. They break all kinds of laws meant to protect tenants and consistently ignored any requests made
neighbors and I, even regarding things like broken air in 90+ weather, broken heat multiple times over the coldest winter in Chicago history (remember winter 2013? Imagine living without heat for days on. end with no reply or action from the management group that you pay), and flooding. Broken dryer upon moving in and they didn’t fix it, simply replaced it months later with a dryer that you have to pay for use of despite being promised free laundry before move in… and the replacement dryer was clearly used and bought at a thrift store and barely worked, resulting in many days of wearing soaking wet scrubs to work and being written up for improper uniform. Not to mention broken locks, gates that were torn down that resulted in me being robbed and so much more. 1 star is being far too generous! When my lease expired after the first year of cagan managing the building EVERY SINGLE TENANT IN MY BUILDING MOVED OUT of a very affordable building in. wicker park, which is saying a lot. It’s not worth the semi affordable buildings that they have in good locations to live with a slumlord management company making your life hell.

If only there were zero stars. We live in a condominium complex managed by Cagan. For months, we had excessive noise issues with the unit above. Sometimes banging so loud it would shake the windows throughout the entire building. Our contact at Cagan not only refused our calls, but refused a meeting. I’m confused. Doesn’t our assessment fee pay her salary? Ummm… yes. Beware of this company.

I needed a temp residency while fully remodeling my condo. I moved into one of the properties managed by Cagan in Lakeview and I totally loved it. Great location, price was more than reasonable, and no issues with the building engineer. Peter was very friendly and he was there when I needed him, helpful with all the maintenance requests I had. I would recommend this mgt company to anyone looking for a reasonably priced rental at a good location like Lakeview.

I was a tenant. I will never rent an apartment managed by Cagan ever again. I am willing to pay higher rent just to avoid having to deal with this company.
A list of issues I’ve had with Cagan
–Every issue had to be brought up more than once before it was addressed
–Issues would often remain unresolved for weeks or months, some issues are still unresolved
–Building manager does not answer calls
–Building manager rarely answers emails promptly
–Assistant building manager refuses to do more than take messages for manager
–Management gave notice of inspection on Friday for a Monday inspection
–Management then followed up on less than half of the issues found in inspection
–Manager was reluctant to replace a light switch exhibiting ‘crackling’ sounds by telling me repeatedly «are you sure? It worked when I was there.» Not until I asked why a potential fire hazard was begin treated so flippantly did manager agree to sent the supervisor who would decide if an electrician was necessary.
–Manager insisted he ‘fixed’ faulty back door lock by removing door latch plate from frame. It took 5 minutes to get him to agree to have the door adjusted. It was fixed a few weeks later.
That’s I can recall at the moment, but there was more. It’s almost like they are only interested in collecting rent, not taking care of good tenants. I tried so hard to give them the benefit of the doubt, but they didn’t care. So sad.

As I read through the reviews of Cagan Management, I’m saddened. Most of them seem to be negative but I honestly had the best 4 years of my early twenties in one of their buildings. I lived at 4327 N. Hermitage Ave in one of the Ravenswood studios. It was absolute love at first site. It was mid August, a beautiful Summer day, and as I was escorted to the side of the building where the door was, both sides of the walk way were covered in shoulder-​high tiger lillies (my favorite!). I had seen so many TERRIBLE apartments recently and I did not have high hopes. When i walked in, turned away from the windows and saw the kitchen I shouted «oh my god!» and ran towards it. It was the cutest, most spacious (and separated by a door!) kitchen for a studio I had ever seen. There were built ins, TONS of closet space and the place was clean, clean, clean. i remember commenting on how stark white and spotless the bathroom was.
Now, i can’t say i had a ton of communication with the landlords but I did keep frequent contact with the maintenance guy, Ben, who is by far the best at his job. Sweet as can be, super attentive and helpful. That man brought me a replacement oven within 24 hours when one of my burners went out one day. He brought me a whole gallon of white paint to use on touch ups between my personal painting projects (I insist on being surrounded by the obnoxious, and colorful, which he, or Cagan didnt mind) without a thought or question. Cagan gave me my security deposit back after a year and a half there with a very thoughtful letter. the letter basically stated that they knew how bad the economy was and that they wanted to help their tenants in a difficult time. I didnt ask any questions, I was just thankful.
I was absolutely heart broken to leave this building. My entire family misses that little place, and speaks of it often. My sister cried more than I did when I left, as we had so many fun memories there. I only left because I was moving in with my boyfriend and a studio wouldnt cut it.
I cant stress how grateful I am for having that as my first place on my own. I have so many amazing memories there. So many firsts, so many lasts, so many meals and late nights. I will ALWAYS have a place in my heart for my little apartment. It was beautiful and well taken care of. It had (and still has) a wonderful maintenance guy, and while i didnt talk to management very often, they were good to me and always attentive when i needed anything.
I am currently trying to get BACK in to one of their buildings, and I am hopeful that I will have a similar experience.

Extremely rude management and not courtesy at all with the tenants, After they purchase the building I was living in, it was a total disaster. They are unreachable, the janitors have an attitude as if the’re doing you a favor, they never follow up and they’re quick to collect their money as if they were giving you a 3 stars service.
I will not recommend them to anybody, they do not respect the tenants at all, in business the customers come first.

I have been a resident with Cagan for 10 years and couldn’t be happier. My account manager, Julia has to be, hands down, the greatest. she has been incredibly helpful to me in my ten years as a resident, and I adore George, my Engineer. Thank you Julie, George and the Cagan Management Group for contributing to my happiness and comfort. THANK YOU JULIA, YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

I rent a parking space from a lot Cagan manages. Another tenant «mistakenly» had my car towed. I called Jossenka, the building manager, asking how this could be since she herself said she is the only person allowed to authorize a tow. Jossenka and her assistant (?) were extremely clueless and unprofessional in their phone calls and emails with me. They/​Cagan Mgmt took no responsibility for the mishap, even after admitting someone contracted by Cagan had approved the tow. I had to fight hard to get reimbursed for the expense, and I received no apology for the extreme inconvenience caused. I kept asking for an explanation, and in lieu of an apology I would have accepted a «we won’t let this happen again» blah blah, but instead I just got unprofessionalism and downright sass from everyone at Cagan! I was persistent, and in the end, Jossenka told me to stop emailing her — unbelievable!

Had only I known, I would have gone with another property management team. The washer and dyer do not work, The place was filthy The windows were stained with bird poop. The screens were covered with dust and dirt. There was broken glass in the driveway. The sod was installed improperly (and we’re expected to make sure it grows — and we pay for watering it and mowing it). The toilets held dirty water. The HVAC was improperly wired and did not work. The trashcans were not emptied. Trash was left in the garage. The cable was cut.
The refrigerator water line does not work. If you turn it on, the supply line leaks live a sieve. Therefore, do not expect your fridge to make ice or dispense water. Cagan will not fix it.
The dryer is broken. So, Get out yer clothesline, honey, cause Cagan don’t care.
My wife and I asked that these issues. They sent out someone to re-​wire the HVAC, but here is what Angela wrote in her last of a series of messages:
«Dear Tenants —
As most of you know, when you moved in to the property you were given a Flyer to contact us with any issues you may be having. Attached is the Flyer if you have not received it. I ask that you only go through me or the email
with ANY issues that you may be experiencing. Please do not call the Field Managers with issues as I am the one who documents them and I will send someone out if need be.
As you are aware, most of the issues would be your responsibility as the property „as is“.
But if you have any concerns go ahead and send it to me anyways and we can discuss your concerns. Thank you and have a wonderful night.
It’s my Pleasure to help!
Sincerely,
Angela M. Medina |Licensed Leasing Agent | 3856 Oakton Street |Skokie IL 60 076»
Lest you think I am a simply disgruntled tenant, I have served as a pastor in four different states. This is not the worst living condition in which I have lived, but considering the price we are paying, this is the worst treatment I have received.
If I could rate it lower than 1 star I would.

They only have 1 janitor for all of the Skokie, Evanston and possibly Chicago. It takes months or years to get something fixed. They take advantage of tenants because Cagan feels the tenants can’t do any better. Please do not rent there. If you’re forced to, you will have to contact the Village of Skokie when you want repairs done.

Update to previous review:
In typical Cagan fashion, someone responded to my Unilocal review asking me to reach out via email for further assistance. I sent the email immediately after. Two weeks later… no response.
Shocker.

Cagan management tried to deny my disabled sister access to a service animal after her doctor advised her to get a service dog! They also bombarded her with questions about why she needs a service dog and asked her to describe her disability to them, which it 100% illegal!
I am appalled and in disbelief. The reason they stated was that dogs are not allowed in the building. They obviously don’t follow the law at all. She will be taking them to court (and winning) if they don’t immediately approve her request to get a service dog.

I have rented from Cagan for a few years. They never get back to you, and my building needs a lot of work. I get the run around everything I call, email, or stop by their offices.
I am moving out in 1 week, and can’t wait. I might throw a party for leaving. I am so happy. Don’t deal with Cagan.

Cagan Management manages my condo building and I am not satisfied with their service. We had a building issue that wasn’t competently studied by their onsite maintenance people before they reached the conclusion that it’s my condo’s problem and which would have costed me a fortune to fix. Thank God I hired someone else to look into the problem and find out that it was an external issue that was supposed to be fixed outside my condo and paid by the association.
They are very hard to reach and not very organized in communication, as well as reaching back to you. I would not recommend them for a condo building management company.

Is it possible that I was the first person ever to try to email a request to anyone in this company???
I should have known from the start that the management would be horrible when I first decided that I wanted the apartment. It took multiple phone calls and emails to even get a response about the application process. Living there was a different story: several times, I had to email or call multiple different people in order to get done something as simple as setting up my online payment.
Throughout the year I lived there, I felt unimportant and ignored. I understand these are not luxury living buildings, but some things are just common sense and courtesy. There were the usual problems that took forever to get resolved, like excessive amount of dog poop in the courtyard and noisy neighbors. However, I had a few pretty dangerous problems such as a wasps nest in the common area and broken lighting in a dark stairwell, which each took over a week to get resolved. Stupidly enough, I thought that maybe I would give the company another chance the next year, so I asked the leasing agent if there were any availabilities in another building. She gave me one option that was in the same building, and never followed up with me again. Turns out they really did not value my patronage.
And don’t even get me started on the move-​out. The leasing agent (same one that showed me originally) emailed me a HALF HOUR before coming to show my apartment. The legal tenant agreement (which Cagan actually mails you upon terminating your lease) states that leasers must give at least 48 hours notice before showing a unit. I had told the agent that the time did not work for me since it was so last minute and reminded her of the tenant agreement. She proceeded to ask me again even after I said no, so I caved and let her. After waiting around a half hour after the time, she never showed up. I emailed her saying that I will not allow any last minute showings and she must let me know if an appointment is canceled so I am not wasting my time. She responded apathetically.

I looked at 2 units that Cagan manages in Chicago. My first application was never processed. Every time I talk to someone there, I get conflicting answers. Overall, they are difficult to work with and they don’t seem to really care about your housing needs. The woman who showed the unit also rushed me out the door.
They own very nice units, but I do not recommend working with them. It’s way too much frustration.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, PEOPLE!
The cheap appliances, weird neighbors, and HORRIBLE attitude of the maintenance staff are content for a whole other review. Suffice it to say that the two years that I lived in a Cagan-​managed building in Skokie were terrible.
The worst part was after I moved out. The maintenance man who inspected my apartment said that everything was fine. Fast-​forward several months later, I emailed the management and asked where my security deposit was. They sent back a curt email saying that «due to the unit condition» they would not be returning any portion of my security deposit. I asked for a breakdown of the cleaning and repair costs, and I never heard back.
I consulted with several lawyers (*disclaimer* I have no legal training, so if you are in a similar situation, I urge you to find a professional to talk to!), who informed me that landlords have 30 days from the end of your lease to provide you written notice and receipts of all cleaning and repairs that were beyond «normal wear and tear.» If the landlord fails to do so, he has another 15 days after that to issue you your full security deposit. After that, you have the right to sue for up to twice the amount of your security deposit.
At this point I was 70+ days past the end of my lease. I threatened to take legal action, and of course Cagan emailed me back the very next day, saying that the maintenance guy «had the wrong unit» (sure, blame it on him) and assuring me that my check was on its way in the mail.
Shady, horrible people. Never again.