Complaint Review: McGill Management - Arlington Heights Illinois

I am a disabled veteran and live solely from VA disability compensation. I lived in my two bedroom condominium with my son (part time). When I filed for disability, I was without income and was unable to pay the association fees until the claim was processed. I owed this company just under four thousand dollars, which I could easily have paid over the course of about twelve months.

When the disability claim was processed, I contacted McGill Management to inform them that my claim was processed and that I would begin to pay double the association fees to make up for missed payments. Their immediate response was to hire their law firm to sue me after I contacted them. This lawfirm demanded I pay them $750 per month or they would sue me. They demanded I pay the money directly to their lawyers and would not accept any payments.

I paid that law firm several times the $750 and never received any acknowledgment of the payments, though the money orders were cashed. After three months of this, I received emails demanding I start paying them, and claiming I did not pay them when I did. It was clear that I was being defrauded at this point.

As it turned out, this management company and their law firm filed a motion in Cook county court to take my home. I was denied my right to due process. I did not know this was happening until the day I was evicted from my home. They never told me they were doing this and a judge actually gave them a default judgment. The lawfirm also apparently upped the amount due to almost eight thousand dollars, double what I actually owed, with no account of any money I had paid them.

I since discovered the sheriff's department refused to carry out the eviction. They then paid what I think were off duty police from the Schaumburg police department to break down my door and drag me from my own home. These men invaded my home with their service weapons unholstered and in direct threat of my life. They did not identify themselves. They did not knock. I literally woke up to police invading my home and guns pointed at my face. These police officers refused to identify themselves. There was no warrant or eviction notice. I still have no documentation from any of these people. The police covered their name tags so I could not see their names. Fortunately my son was not home, because they almost shot me. There is an infant in this condo building one floor down from where these police officers nearly discharged their fire arms. They were terribly unqualified. They showed extremely poor tactics. Somebody is going to be killed because of these people. I have no doubt of that.

They forced me into my living room wearing only my underwear. They threatened me with physical harm when I asked them why they invaded my home and whether they had a warrant. They had no paperwork at all. They would not allow me to gather any items from my home. When I told them I needed my medications from the VA, they would not allow me to go into my own room to get them. A cop returned from my room with a pillow case which, as it turned out, contained my *empty* pill bottles. I have no idea where the pills went or whether they stole them. There were scheduled drugs missing. Furthermore, the police stole a $250 handmade knife from me, an 64gb iPod touch, a $60 fenix flashlight, and a $70 folding knife. They refused to give me any reciepts for the items they took from me. I still do not know how much is missing from my house. The items I listed here were taken from my pants pockets which were laying beside my bed. What disturbs me most about this is that the cops took knives without a providing a receipt of confiscation. Not only did they steal valuable property from my person and my home, some of that property could just as easily show up on a crime scene and I will have no means to prove that those weapons were stolen from me by Schaumburg police officers who refused to identify themselves.

The police officers ransacked my home searching through every possession. They had no warrant and no eviction notice. I had no idea any of this would happen, and I feel I am lucky to be alive, no thanks to their incredible incompetence and lack of discipline and muzzle control.

I am now homeless. For a $4000 debt, which I mostly paid, McGill Management has stolen a $200,000 home from a disabled veteran. I lost everything. I will not likely ever have a home again. My son lost his childhood bedroom, his toys, and possessions.

Besides this property management company literally stealing peoples' homes, they waste money and provide very little service in return for the exorbitant fees they charge home owners. For example, when they paid contractors to paint our building, it took these contractors just over an entire month to complete painting one side of our building. I personally do not see the benefit of dealing with this company. These people clearly act as if they are your landlords, when you really are their customers.

Based on the fact that these people actually got away with taking a home, without due process, while simultaneously defrauding the victim of payments, I believe these people should be prosecuted. I do not recommend any association deal with these people. Homeowners contemplating a contract with this company should weigh the fact that this company doubles the association fee over the course of about five years. They provide little service for that. They mistreat customers. They fraudulently stole one VA home from a disabled veteran.

I have no means to fight these people in court and can only hope and pray the Illinois State Attorney's office will prosecute them.

Stay away from these people. They are not good people, and should not be trusted with any property.