1050 W George St

I rented this apartment for a great deal, two years ago. It seemed perfect for a sub-$1000 studio. Since then, management has raised the cost of laundry by a third (to $6/load in some ancient machines that smell like other tenants' pets) and threw a ghastly color of paint up in main areas, along with a few pieces of cheap furniture and some fake plants in the entryway. The word "EVIL" is still etched into the stairwell (the word is still visible in relief, albeit painted over), and the carpets in entryways are filthy. The back stairs are not up to code, but the company requires tenants to move up and down those stairs. The front door is not secure--lots of tailgating. I've had packages torn open in the downstairs entryway.

Within the unit, there is very old hardwood, greatly in need of refinishing. The management company paints over the unit when it turns over, but it doesn't always clean the unit properly. There is pet hair painted onto the walls and scratches from previous tenants' critters' apparent separation anxiety. There are still radiators from before the building converted to baseboard (electric) heating in the 1980s.

In 2 years, the rent has gone up about 20%--much faster than inflation. It's priced at about a 1-bedroom level, with no improvements (management blames price increases on "the market," which is locally made up of . . . its own buildings). The super is a nice guy. This building would be amazing if management did some much-needed renovations.