XL PROPERTIES LLC

I loved my apartment in Ravenswood. It was so quiet … the walls must have been super thick. I almost never heard my neighbors, unless someone had some loud shoes on. It was a quick three-​minute walk to the brown line, with a Starbucks on the way. Beautiful and laid-​back neighborhood. Less than 15 minute walk to Jewel or Marianos, with some great bars and food options nearby.
I appreciated having a property manager who is very clear about the rules and is quick to get things fixed. If you’re looking for an apartment to party in, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. I’ve had a few terrible landlords in Chicago, and this was definitely one of the best companies I’ve dealt with.
When I moved out to live with my boyfriend, they were really great about working out a solution that satisfied all of us.
One thing I wish they had was the ability for tenants to pay rent or any other fees online. Granted, this isn’t a huge deal if you are good about planning ahead and dropping a check in the mail on time. Still, so many other things in life are digital now … it’s time to join in, XL.
Thanks again for a great living experience. Wish you all the best.

I dont know what a bunch of people on this page are talking about but you can tel looking at most of the 4 and 5* reviews these guys are great!
They are easy to contact, always accommodating, very understanding and prompt to reply to your concerns and always willing to help you out.
I’v lived with these people for two yes now and I love this building and the location. Most of all I’ve never had to wait more than an hr or two before the handyman comes along should something go wrong.
If you want to live in a place where you have great security, a peace of mind and are well taken care of, this is surely it and for an unbeatable price!

It’s Chicago, your landlord is going to suck. Unless it happens to be with XL.
I most often dealt with Steve and Gabriel, both of whom were incredibly responsive and helpful. Steve will go –ridiculously– far out of his way to make sure you’re treated right — he’s totally by the books. Sometimes this is a little frustrating: he explained EVERY single item on the lease…yeah, I know that lead paint is bad. But he was accomodating and flexible when I needed him to be. He takes good care of the places and is invested in maintaining them/​filling them with good people. So, if you’re an irresponsible or disruptive tenant, you probably won’t get along. Gonna trash the place because it’s your first out of college? Keep walking. I’d rather have a landlord who is overinvolved, he’s there to protect you. I really appreciated working with them, ESPECIALLY in comparison to the crap floating around elsewhere.
If I could have them follow me to the rest of my apartments, I’d be a happy camper.
These people give a damn.

My husband and I just renewed our lease for our 3^rd year in our apartment which is managed by XL Property Management. We absolutely LOVE living here and by far has been The Best rental experience we’ve ever had.
Steve and Gabriel are super friendly and have always been available or gotten back to me right away when I had a question. Our apartment is gorgeous — tons of natural light, hardwood floors, tons and tons of closet space (!!!), great AC and heating — the building has been very well maintained, and they continue to do a great job in managing the building.
As an example of how incredible and fast-​acting the management company is, Gabriel called one day because the apartment below ours was having a minor issue and they needed to flush our sink in order to finish the job downstairs. He called to ask permission to enter our apartment which of course was no problem. While I had him on the phone, I mentioned that our air conditioner had started making some funny noises recently, one of our closet doors had become unhatched and also it had been a couple of years and I was wondering if we could get a new toilet seat cover. This call took place right before noon.
When I got home around 5:30, we had a new toilet seat cover, our closet was fixed, they fixed our AC AND they went above and beyond and cleaned out all of the filters in our AC units.
They seriously do an above-​and-​beyond job at managing the building, keeping everything clean and beautiful, and above all — keeping us safe. I’ve never been worried about random people accessing the building because of the system of double doors in the front of the building and the security cameras.
If you’re looking for an apartment and want a great rental/​management company, they are by far a great one to partner with. I highly, highly recommend them.

My first apartment in Chicago has been with XL and I am so so so happy! I renewed my lease for a second year, and the only reason I probably won’t renew again next spring is because I want something with more natural light, and my studio is a bit dark because of its location. Steve and Gabe are super nice and beyond helpful. They return messages immediately and go out of their way to get things done for you. I have had a few minor issues over the last 14 months and they have all been taken care of without even batting an eye.
Being new to Chicago laws, they explained everything in WAY more detail than I really probably needed, but it was awesome and put me at ease. In my first few weeks, I had a lot of questions about city life and they never failed to answer them.
I only wish they offered month-​to-​month leasing once your original lease term is up, but apparently that isn’t very common in a place like Chicago? I guess in my small town that’s normal, but here you have to not only renew a yearly lease, you have to do it long before your current lease expires.

I agree with gookgette. There is really something really crazy about Steve. If you like to live where it’s very military and will give you every reason why he doesn’t like you. It is better not to live here.

There is something really wrong and mentally off with the people at XL Property Management. Steve is mentally unstable, and Gabriel is his wanna-​be yes-​man. At first Steve was nice enough, professional, but talked too much, and threw a fit if you interrupted him to ask a question. But, BEWARE, you do one lil thing that ticks him off, and he becomes a giant a**-hole! He acts like he was beaten up as a kid and now he wields all this power as a landlord, so he abuses it if he dislikes you. Once you get on his bad side, he will do his best to get you out in any «legal» way possible. You can’t even look him in the eye when you talk to him b/​c you don’t know which way to look since he’s cross-​eyed. He’s a giant cross-​eyed evil, angry bear! They’re usually responsive, but if you phrase the question and ask something slightly different, he will never respond and just ignore you. Then he accuses you of «harassment» if you keep calling to get an answer. Since he wasn’t responding, I stopped by the office. DON“T EVER STOP BY THE OFFICE W/​O AN APPT. He will HATE you, which is so weird, b/​c hello it’s a MANAGEMENT office FOR TENANTS. He threatened to call the police when I stopped by to make peace with a slice of pie b/​c his belly looks like it needs more. I’ve never been so humiliated in my life. I cried in my car for 15 minutes b/​c I’ve never been treated that way. He let me «break» my lease, that’s his way of telling a tenant he wants you to leave, if you sign a «Lease Modification Agreement,» which he leaves at your door unexpectedly with bright BOLD CAPPED letters. He left me a 3-​page single spaced letter saying he wanted me to leave, and how there’s no way he would renew my lease with me next yr. He’s so psycho. So after that happened, I left and moved the next month. I didn’t want to give money to these terrible people.
Here’s my fair assessment:
Pros: They fix things fast. Clean. Very well kept. I loved my apt at Wolcott. It had vintage stuff with updated appliances.
Cons: They’re just BAD, EVIL people. They treat you terribly if you do one thing to tick them off. And you won’t even know what it is b/​c it wouldn’t piss off the average stable person. Even the lady who lived in house was a lil strange and fearful of the cocky rich «owner» who talks to you condescendingly and Steve, the evil land-​overlord. The Mexicans that fix the place also stay quiet b/​c that’s the only way Steve will like you. It was the most unpleasant experience I’ve ever had with someone I PAID money to. Plus, water pressure sucked!
P. S. I’ve never EVER had any issues with any landlord I’ve ever had and always paid my rent on time.

I lived at 5958 N. Kenmore for 5 years and loved it. Gabriel and Steve was very nice, and nice. They took great care of the building and were extremely conscientious managers. I highly recommend renting from XL.

I have lived at 5423 N. Winthrop Ave. for two years. I wrote a stellar review when I moved in two years ago (I don’t know why it’s no longer posted?), but I wrote it because I’ve never had a better experience as a renter with a move in. They were so completely professional and thorough I couldn’t believe it. Let’s face it, it takes effort to write one of these reviews so I wouldn’t take the time if I hadn’t been compelled to give a little something back to a team of people who made my life so much better.
Two years later, I’m still loving my home here! If you need something fixed– within 24 hours has always been my experience. If you have a concern or question– they return your call unbelievably fast. This building is ALWAYS clean. It is always safe. It is managed so efficiently it almost feels as if they are anticipating your needs.
It is a building full of diversity and happy tenants that make you feel safe and comfortable in every way. It’s a place for quiet people who respect one another’s privacy and yet seem to always nod or smile to each other in the hallways. I’ve made friends in the building too. If you’re looking for a home and not just «another apartment» this is a true value.
Put XL property management on your short list of great management companies. Look how old and outdated any bad reviews below are. I don’t even think the people mentioned in those reviews are still around. You’ve got to respect and appreciate Steve and Gabriel as managers. The maintenance team and cleaning lady are stellar. The owner is often involved on site as well. They take pride in their work and it shows. There is nothing not to LOVE about living in one of this management team’s buildings.

First off, I feel bad it took me this long to write this review, almost a year. Second, these guys were great, and this apartment was, by far, the best experience I had living in Chicago. I was very, very sad to leave when I got the Job Offer of a Lifetime that sent me to Vegas.
Steven and Gabriel are incredibly nice, friendly, and (gasp) honest. They routinely went above and beyond what they needed to do, just because it seemed like the right thing to do. The best example of this was our move out date, when our movers… decided to just sort of ignore Steven and his requests, and lie to me about the size of their truck. That’s for another review, but while Steven had every right to be a jerk, he was nothing but kind, patient and «don’t worry about it, we will take care of it.»
Our building was always safe and clean, there was always some little project being renovated, since, you know, it’s an older Chicago building. The neighborhood was quiet, my neighbors nice, and the doors always locked. To the guy who was like «auuugh, he wouldn’t let me in to see my girlfriend!»; um, GOOD. You don’t live here? I don’t really want you wandering around my building. How is a landlord supposed to know you’re not a creepystalkerbreakupman?! I appreciated the secure atmosphere of the building. That being said, if your neighbor; or Steven or Gabriel see you waddling down the stairs with a hamper full of laundry, someone is sure to hold the door for you. I seriously would not have felt weird knocking on my neighbor’s door for a cup of sugar.
Additionally, I’m pretty sure my apartment was lucky. I mentioned that Job of a Lifetime thing? Well, the couple who had it before us had to break their lease early because one of them ALSO got offered crazy out-​of-​state Job of a Lifetime. So if you want the Job of a Lifetime to inconveniently but excitingly fling you across the country just after you get settled into a cozy XL property, ask if you can live in 408. Lucky.

Steve and Gabriel are awesome. I have lived in an XL-​property building for a year now and haven’t had a problem. I would not give them anything less than 5 stars.
The only time I had a minor issue was when my A/​C started making a rattling sound. I called up Steve and he came in some time to check the problem. While he was checking it he broke a plank of my bed by accident. It was a small thing and I didn’t really affect anything, so I didn’t care and we didn’t talk about it then. He checked the problem with my A/​C and sent a technician the next business day. The technician came and fixed the A/​C while I was out, obviously with my permission.
The next day while I was just cleaning my bed I saw that the broken plank had been replaced! I knew only Steve could have done it. So, I called him up and thanked him for fixing the A/​C and the bed, without me even asking. He got the bed fixed along with the A/​C. In fact, even after fixing it, he never called me. While, I was talking to him he just said «Well, I broke it so, I had to fix it». That’s how great of a guy he is. They don’t make them like him anymore.
I didn’t have a Unilocal account. I just created one, to write about them. That alone should say it all.

Okay, seriously, if there’s an issue with these folks that would make you give them less than 5 stars, I’d be willing to bet you didn’t speak to them about your concerns. Steve and Gabriel are undoubtedly the best property management team in Chicagoland.
But let me step back and provide you, the savvy researcher, a little bit of background as to why I say that. First, I am writing this review from Hawaii. Why you ask? Because I just got a phone call. My rent checks never showed up.
Oh geez, what a great way to start 2010 right? Here I am, about to enjoy sunbathing and a Mai Tai, and now I’m thinking about my rent. Panic ensues (but I still want that Mai Tai). I log into my bill pay account only to find out I have the WRONG address — hey, look at the address Unilocal has on here. W. R. O. N. G. Thank Unilocal.You really screwed the pooch on that one.
So I call XL back and tell them I’ll FedEx Overnight a money order because I don’t have my checkbook with me in Hawaii. I was put to ease and told that they’re not terribly concerned about getting it ASAP because I was acting in good faith*, but just to get it to them however it is easiest for me.
Obviously we’re no longer dealing with the mega-​behemoth property management companies that just think of you as a check. These folks are understanding, know me by name and face, and are a genuine pleasure with which to deal. That says a LOT given the main dialogue between us is me forking over some greenbacks.
All this aside, I had a heating issue one time. I called to basically say I was «a little concerned» at best. Well the same evening they came to my place, took temperature readings, and brought me a space heater. They kept me informed of the updates they were going to make to resolve the issue, and by golly, I think they’ve already improved it significantly. Their follow through and customer service just can’t be beat.
Rent with XLPM (esp Winthrop Station) and see if you’re not just as delighted as I am. If you’re not, I’ll buy you a Mai Tai. Well, I guess a Hot Toddy since we’re in a midwestern tundra. ;)
*Disclaimer: Terms such as «concern», «ASAP», and «good faith» are subject to XLPM discretion. I, nor XLPM, are responsible if you’re just a lazyass and can’t get your check in on time.

UGH!!! THE BEHEMOTH SPEAKS!!!
I was waiting for my girlfriend one day. I was all buzzing her buzzer, thinking she would naturally get to her place before me (we used her place as a rendezvous point).
I was politely buzzing her buzzer, thinking she might be home. This is 1:00 in the afternoon, by the by.
BUT THEN… THE BEHEMOTH STRIKES! The aforementioned built-​in den mother comes out all accusatory. «I cannot let you in. Maybe she is not home! I cannot let you in!»
Never mind I NEVER attempted to force my way into her building. I know Ceberus (guarding the gates of HELL!) and do not try and play. I told her I was just buzzing thinking she may be there, in an attempt. My body language was totally away from the door, buzzing this non-​responsive buzzer like a moron. Yet, like a robot-​matron, she replies:
«I CANNOT LET YOU IN!»
Okay, Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. I understand that I SHALL NOT PASS!!! However, I wasn’t trying to barge into your little idyllic Ravenswood slice of Heaven. Beast is gnarly. I mean, for literal, I was hella deferrent and just BUZZING my FRIEND’S BUZZER. And this behemoth is all in my grill?
After 3 awkward minutes (or perhaps more) my friend-​tenant shows up and I see her eyes swell up with the FEAR OF GOD in them. Suddenly, she was my golden ticket to entering the building, when I wasn’t even ATTEMPTING TO ENTER THE BUILDING IN THE FIRST PLACE!
She tried to say «Oh, your friend tried to enter the building.»
I passed her and said «I KNOW apartments, and I’ve MANAGED them» as a slap in her damn face.
Ceberus needs to go. She is so irrelevant, and so damn damn damn gnarly.

I’m not sure what these other two people are talking about. I’ve been in an XL-​managed building for two years, and it’s been a positive experience all around. When my refrigerator broke, I called at 11 p.m. and left a message for Steve, and five minutes later he had sent my landlady upstairs to help me carry my food to a different refrigerator in an empty unit. They replaced it the next morning.
Steve is one of the most competent, attentive and well-​versed property managers I’ve ever met. None of my messages or requests have ever gone ignored or unfulfilled, and although I’m currently breaking my lease to move to a larger apartment with my fiancé, it will be tough to find a better management company.

My mother and I went to sign a lease renewal with XL Property Management on a Saturday. We went without an appointment because the «Manager» Steve Warnelis does not return phone calls. He was in his office and became enraged that we came without an appointment. He came out side YELLING and pointed right into my mothers face and said, «I HAVE THE POWER TO TERMINATE HER LEASE» I think this is a very unstable person that should not be managing property let alone deal with people.