CLA Enterprises Inc - DeKalb, Illinois

DuchTaja B.

Words cant express how great both Chuck and Derek are, I am in love with my place although I did NOT prefer the area for my own personal reasons, my apartment sure makes me reconsider. Everything is perfect. Every maintenance issue has and been resolved in a timely manner if not expeditiously. Chuck goes above and beyond to keep up his property to maintain decent living for the residents, the area is kept clean. Derek is very informative professional and patient. Hands down the best landlord I have rented from since the decade I've been in Dekalb. Any negative reviews is an absolute surprise to me. I can honestly say if I were to move near future I would hope it's with CLA properties.

Kenneth H.

I lived in their Annie Glidden studios for one year. The entire building shares 1 water heater. That being said, don’t expect to take a hot shower for more than 4 minutes. The washer and dryers are expensive, out of date and terrible. They use quarters but they have no where to get them from on the property. The walls are extremely thin. You will hear your neighbors thoughts. The landlord is weird and didn’t say anything to me until I was moving out. During the winter, they will not remove ice. I slipped and fell on some ice and when I reached out to there two email addresses I got no response. There was ice on the stairs the entire winter, so I had to watch my step every time I left my apartment. The ice wasn’t removed until the sun melted it. Also, you will not get most of your safety deposit back. They charge for carpet cleaning, painting the walls, and also another fee for cleaning. I cleaned the apartment, but I forgot to take pictures to prove it (rookie mistake). The guy in the front office is nice but you have to remember his job is to get people renting their apartments. In conclusion, I do not recommend these apartments unless you are desperate and have no other options. Terrible experience. I couldn’t wait until my lease ended.

(1/1/2025 edit: added pictures of the ice and my email that they never responded to. The man that replied said that you cannot see the ice but it is clear in the pictures. 🙂)

Katy L.

I've had a pleasant experience renting here. Any issues I've had (refrigerator handle broke, faucet wouldn't work, etc.) were all fixed either the same day, or the next day. If you call them about anything, they will call you back, so I appreciate that. The building I live in isn't super sound proof, so that may be a deterrent to some. I also believe when you sign your lease, it says you will be charged for carpet cleaning I believe from your security deposit, so just make sure you read that part over before signing to make sure you're okay with that.

Updating my review to five stars. I've lived here even longer now and really do appreciate the consistency of service that I've received. My friends who have rented from other agencies have had issues with maintenance, shady slumlords, and sketchy residences. I am grateful that my landlord is responsive, cares about your privacy, and screens applicants well. I've never had an issue with other tenants that live in my building. I can't say that for my friends and family that live here in town.

Frank C.

The owner of the building is rude and has very minimal skills when it comes to maintaining apartments. Moved in to the Unit in August and I was constantly was repairing the toilet in order for it to work, took them 7 months to replace that. Been 2 months since there was 3 inches of water in the laundry room upstairs causing our ceiling to obtain a lot of water spots and cracked ceiling. When I called the emergency line because our ceiling was cracking, I got yelled at by the owner for costing him $125 because our ceiling was cracking and could have collapsed. Stove top is warped and does not work all that well. Dryer does not dry much of anything, takes 8 hours to dry. Terrible mice issue we had when we moved in causing us to replace a lot of our stuff in the apartment, no reimbursement as they stated the mouse issue was our fault. All these issues and when you tell the owner them, he gets mad and will say everything is fine. Rent of $790 is too high considering all of the issues and the area it is located. I would not recommend them to anyone. However Derrick is a good guy there, just feel bad for him having to put up with Chuck. Chuck struggles with communication skills and repairs.

Rob S.

Chuck and Jamie were good landlords to us! Of the three places I rented in DeKalb, CLA was the best. We lived just off campus for 5 years. During that time, rent stayed the same. Any time there was an issue, e-mails were responded to quickly. The only thing negative I can say is that snow removal could have been a little quicker. Other than that, everything was great. The building was taken care of, and the location couldn’t have been better. If I were renting in the area again, I would definitely look at CLA properties first.

Jackie

So far, the communication with Derek is pleasant and efficient, the home appliances are working well, and the required maintenance is always fast. The initiative changed the heater filter this week, which is very good. Soundproofing upstairs and downstairs is okay. The only thing is sometimes there some times a little noise of the fan of the heater and AC, but not too loud. When someone asks me to recommend a place to stay, I'll recommend talking with Derek if not looking for a luxury and expensive apartment.

Bria T.

They do not have set office hours so paying rent is a hassle. They will charge you late fees but won't even be in the office the day rent is due. They will enter your apartment without your permission to show it to prospective renters and if they do call it will not be adequate notice. I've not answered the door on purpose to see if they would enter and they did. If you want to pay 4 times to dry your clothes in their broke driers this is the place for you! The buildings aren't secure so many random people knocked on my door. There was always bugs in the apartment and hallways as well. Not to mention when security deposit refunds come around they will charge you for normal wear and tear and things that were already damaged prior to your move in even when u list it on your move in conditions report, so take pictures of EVERYTHING! when I say everything I mean every nook and cranny! Don't even lay a finger print on the wall or they will charge you for painting and don't mind replacing anything they will charge you for it anyway.

Tesha K.

I resided at one of the CLA properties. I must say my experience in my unit was very peaceful. The building was/still clean. Most of all my unit was very spacious. The W/D & dish washer was the perks that I fell in love with. Maintenance orders was done in 24 hours tops. Owner/ Property Manager Chuck/Derek are the best. FYI - I always had hot water ...
FYI- All future potential tenants , They are the best in Dekalb.. Be respectful & you will receive respect & most of all do your part & keep the unit clean.

Thanks Derek,
TK-