We communicated to the property managers that we would arrive late (after 9pm). Upon arrival at around 10pm, we found that the air conditioner was not working. It was 95 degrees that day in Evanston, and the inside of the apartment was 86 degrees. The owner, who lives downstairs, heard us coming up the stairs and popped in to see if the A/C was working.
If she knew that there was a possibility that it might not be working, why didn't she check earlier in the day before we arrived at 10pm??
It was STIFLINGLY hot in that apartment, even with windows open, and we spent a sleepless night our first night there. It was awful.
Fortunately, the owner had the A/C repaired the next day, but it was one day too late in my opinion.
The owner contracts with a Chicago-based property management company who cleans the property and provides linens. When I mentioned the non-working A/C to the property manager later, she said, "did you turn on the thermostat?" Um, DUH! I live in Texas, so YES, I know what a thermostat is and YES I turned it on. It didn't WORK.
Additionally, we were provided five bath towels and three handtowels and washcloths for our five night stay for three people, with no way to wash them since there is no washer/dryer on the property. I requested six additional sets of towels. I do not think this was unreasonable, since I don't mind re-using bath towels once, but I do like to have clean towels at least every other day. I know we are not in a hotel, but given that we don't have the option to wash the towels, I think the property manager needs to do a much better job of providing linens to guests, and they don't need to argue with guests so much about it. We paid WAY too much money for this apartment for us to have had to deal with so many hassles and rudeness from the property managers.
A couple more notes: The cute little balcony is really just a landing at the top of the stairs with a small table and chairs. And the kitchen has ants, which should be addressed for future guests.
Bottom line: the property is in a great location and has lots of potential. If you're in town for NU graduation like we were, or another special event, you're not far from anything. But you shouldn't have to deal with all these hassles. You should be able to pay your fee and just enjoy your stay without having to fight for basic amenities. We won't be recommending this property to anyone in the future.