I read over 20 reviews for TJ's place before booking. I booked his place for two weekdays, on somewhat short notice (2 weeks). From other reviews, I already knew that parking would be difficult so we decided not to get a car. We took the CTA instead, and it was a short walk away.
The unit is in need of deep cleaning. There were stains on the floor, dirty dishes in the drying rack, mold in some of the cups stored in the cabinets, water stains on the ceiling (I would suggest repainting the ceiling for a quick fix), and the tub really needs a deep clean since it was covered in grime (I think it used to be white). I'm not a germaphobe by any stretch, and overall we had a good time in Chicago, but this unit is just not quite clean enough that you notice it, and that's basically the absolute minimum I'd expect from staying at an AirBnB.
The sink strainer was full of food pieces (disgusting!), there were dirty dishes in the drying rack, the kitchen sponge was rank, there were opened bags of chips in the cabinets, and underneath a couch cushion was some kind of unidentifiable spill that looked like beans (I don't expect anyone to look under a couch cushion except it is also a sleeper bed). There was no high chair though the listing says it's an amenity. Our infant crawled on the living room floor for no more than 5 minutes and had brown stains on his knees.
To his credit, TJ responded quickly to send his cleaner when I messaged him some pictures of the state of the unit, and a high chair was delivered. To his detriment, the cleaner did not clean properly. They did not clean the stains on the floor and they left moldy cups in the cabinet.
The unit is also showing a lot of wear and tear that could easily be fixed, but hasn't, and that speaks to the lack of care in maintaining this unit. I think this is because TJ has many different units on AirBnB and doesn't check this one personally. At least, I hope that is why these items have not been fixed: There is a missing outlet cover that is a safety hazard, the soap/conditioner/body wash dispenser in the bathroom is broken and should be removed, the shower doors slam onto the edges (no stopper), there is no fan in the bathroom, the comforter in the bedroom is too small for the bed and its zipper is broken, and the furniture legs show a lot of chipping. Again, these are really, really small issues, but they show that this unit is just barely maintained enough to fill it with guests who are just happy to find a good place to stay in Chicago. I really hope that TJ spends $200 and fixes these issues with a trip to Home Depot.
The bedroom was HOT at night. I didn't find that this was an issue, but my husband had a really hard time sleeping at night.
There is a full kitchen in this unit, but good luck cooking in it. There are a random collection of pots and pans that seem like they came from goodwill and are of bad quality. There is a random collection of pantry staples that are basically leftovers from previous guests. Instead of cooking, I suggest you eat out at many of the places close by.
The location is WONDERFUL but does not make up for the lack of basic cleanliness that we would expect for this price point ($170/night for weekdays after taxes and fees, YMMV depending on the season/month). For an equivalent price I had also been looking at hotels in the area. I enjoyed the extra space and kitchen that we got with the AirBnB, but since we spent most of our time outside in Chicago, a hotel may have been a better choice because they at least have some regular housekeeping services.
The positives:
- The unit is on the ground floor so it was easy to carry our suitcases into it.
- 5 stars for the location! Close to many restaurants and a wonderful shopping district. Aldi (grocery store) just a short walk away. Lincoln park zoo very close by too!
The bottom line: If you are just looking for a place in a good location and don't care too much about upkeep and cleanliness this could be an option, but keep in mind there is a cleaning fee on top of taxes & fees. It's also a good option if you need more space for whatever reason (kids or larger group size). Just don't expect very high quality.