Albion Evanston

I moved into Albion Evanston mid-March 2020. My partner and I originally had 1 parking space ($150 a month), and upgraded to a tandem spot ($250 a month) early this year. We no longer need the tandem spot as we only have 1 car now. I reached out to management to ask if we could have 1 parking spot at the same price we originally had ($150 a month) and was rejected because only those that didn't switch spots are "grandfathered in". The spot is now $175 a month. This is extremely upsetting as 1) my partner and I did not receive any welcome incentive (gifts, $ off, etc) for going to the leasing office while the building was being built, placing a hold on the apartment we wanted months before the building even housed tenants, and being one of the first people to live here. Other tenants moving into the building now are treated with welcoming gifts (as seen via Albion's Instagram). 2) our amenities were closed for months before we were able to use them due to COVID, yet we still had to pay for "common space" utility fees. This is not my first grievance with the building: the moveable island that was promised in the floor plan was not in the unit for the first few weeks of living here. Weeks into living here, the fire alarm in my unit kept going off every single time we would cook. Management insisted that it would stop but after weeks it did not. The buildings resolution? Removal of the fire alarm entirely, instead of getting to the root of the issue. Is this a safety concern? Who knows. Not once did we receive any sort of compensation for these issues or even an apology from management. I held my tongue for the first year of living here, but after the issues we have faced, I think that it is important for those interested in living here to be aware.

Its shocking that the apartment that has, by far, the best appeal in terms of amenities and infrastructure is terrible in customer care. We're moving to Evanston from India. We first saw the apartment through virtual tours in February and were absolutely blown away by the difference in quality from other buildings. We then immediately completed our application for occupancy in August. Since then, we have been waiting for confirmation from the apartment but to no avail. Every time we confront the managers we either do not get a response or we get a response that we're too soon for an August move-in or that they will get back to us in 2-3 weeks. Also keep in mind that we can apply only to one apartment at a time and since we really wanted to stay in a place with top notch quality we didn’t apply elsewhere as we would have to withdraw our application from Albion. The amount of employee attrition is another point of concern, a major one at that. We first started communication with Allison and Caitlin. Next we find out that they have moved out, one-by-one. Most recently, we were told that Amy would be handling affairs of future tenants; and now we learn that she too has abruptly left the place. Now, with nobody responding from Albion, we are to move to Evanston in just a month from a foreign country for the purpose of education and we do not have a place to stay. I understand if the building is going through managerial issues, but the least they could do is correspond with future tenants with an iota of concern for our situation involving the uncertainty of moving between countries.

What a great building with the most amazing staff and beautiful amenities. It’s located in the most pristine location, a short walking distance to Trader Joe’s, Target and Whole foods, and a few blocks from the Lake.

Great building with friendly staff, a lobby where you can relax and read a book, and regular events so you can get to know other residents.