When a notice appeared on Sophia Morris’ door in November 2025 saying her lease would not be renewed, it marked the beginning of what she and other tenants describe as a rapid unraveling inside their Hyde Park apartment building.
Within weeks, Morris said, new owners began renovating vacant units, shutting off water without warning and failing to address ongoing maintenance issues at 1418 E. Hyde Park Blvd.
“They weren’t responsive,” Morris said. “In terms of what the tenants wanted or needed, that’s something they weren’t really tending to. They were really focused on every time someone moved out, immediately demolishing a unit.”
Four tenants who spoke with the Herald this winter said that after announcing they would not renew leases, management launched construction in empty apartments without permits, carried out intermittent water shutoffs and closed the building’s laundry room — all while remaining largely unresponsive to complaints.
Mavrik Capital LLC purchased the 15-unit building in October 2025 for $1.4 million, according to records from the Cook County Assessor’s Office. The following month, tenants said, they received notices that their leases would not be renewed, with some offered cash in exchange for moving out.
For tenants whose leases expired, arrangements shifted to month-to-month agreements under the same terms, tenants said.
Morris, who moved into the building in October 2023, said construction in vacant units and on the building’s exterior began within two weeks of the notices.
“The first thing that they did was tear the ivy down,” Morris said. “It was just super heartbreaking, because I think that it added a lot to the spirit of the building.”
Four tenants said construction occurred throughout the week and on weekends, often beginning as early as 8 a.m. and continuing into the evening. Workers would begin renovations as soon as units were vacated, they said.
“This has not only disrupted the quiet enjoyment of the building, but how habitable it is,” one tenant said, requesting anonymity for fear of retaliation.
A 311 complaint filed Jan. 9 alleged workers were conducting construction without permits and moving materials in and out of the building throughout the day. It also alleged that workers dumped bricks and wood into dumpsters in the late afternoon and evening hours “so the police wouldn’t notice.”
Tenants provided photos showing dirt and debris accumulating in common areas and raised concerns about air quality.
“I was worried about if breathing conditions were safe,” another tenant who requested anonymity said.
Tenants said workers told them permits had been obtained. However, no permits have been issued or are pending for work at the building, according to a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Buildings.
No permits have been issued in 2026 for water disconnections at the building, the department said, despite tenants reporting repeated shutoffs in late December and early January.
In January, tenants said management closed the building’s laundry room without warning, later citing safety concerns. Two tenants said they were offered $150 in compensation but were not given a timeline for reopening.
In a statement, the Department of Buildings said it will “conduct re-inspections to document the building’s current status and remain dedicated to using the full extent of our enforcement tools, including further escalation, to achieve compliance and protect residents’ safety.”
Housing advocates say such conditions can be part of broader efforts to clear buildings ahead of renovations.
Mavrik Capital LLC did not respond to repeated requests for comment over the course of two months. A supervisor for property manager Michael Tolliver declined to comment.
“If a landlord is trying to gentrify the building or needs to rehab the building, for good reasons or bad, giving the tenants a non-renewal notice is the way to do that,” said Sam Barth, supervising attorney at the Law Center for Better Housing.
Barth said tenants who remain after leases expire typically continue on a month-to-month basis under the same terms.
“A pretty common thing is landlords will let leases expire and keep tenants as month-to-month tenants basically until they want to raise the rent,” he said.
He added that repeated utility disruptions can, in some cases, be used to pressure tenants to leave, though they may also stem from maintenance issues.
Longstanding issues and new ownership
City inspection records dating back to 2020 document issues including deteriorating exterior masonry, missing balcony railings, rotting wood and a rusted fire escape.
A follow-up inspection in 2021 cited additional violations, including mouse and roach infestations, missing smoke detectors and defective door hardware.
More recent records show continued maintenance concerns. In 2025, the building was cited for issues including leaking water, defective bathroom floors and failure to maintain exterior walls.
Between 2024 and 2025, tenants filed at least 11 complaints through the city’s 311 system, citing plumbing problems, mold, insufficient heat and other issues.
Tenants said that while conditions were not always ideal under prior management, issues were generally addressed.
“It was pretty smooth sailing the first couple of years living there,” Morris said. “We had a lovely building manager … he was very present.”
The company was first registered Aug. 2, 2022, under Yang Zheng, with Alexander Domanskis listed as an agent, according to state records. Zheng and Michael Tolliver are listed as managers of Mavrik Capital and several affiliated entities, including Mavrik Management, Mavrik Properties and Mavrik Development.
Public records show Mavrik and its affiliates are connected to multiple residential properties across Chicago. In addition to 1418 E. Hyde Park Blvd., the company acquired a property at 10710 S. Church St. in Morgan Park for $1.5 million.
Records also show at least a dozen limited liability companies affiliated with Mavrik leadership, with several properties held under those entities.
Some of those acquisitions have been structured through investment vehicles managed by Mavrik. One such entity, Rise Fund I LLC, was registered in August 2022 and has been used to acquire additional South Side properties, primarily in South Shore, Woodlawn and Washington Park.
Rise Fund I LLC does not currently own properties in Hyde Park, records show.
Outside of Mavrik, Zheng and Tolliver are also listed as managers of Rise Fund II LLC, another investment entity affiliated with the firm.
Domanskis, the registered agent tied to the Hyde Park property, is also listed as an agent for multiple properties across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, including in West Side neighborhoods and in Markham, Illinois, according to city records.
The full scope of Mavrik’s portfolio is difficult to determine from public records, as ownership is spread across multiple affiliated entities.
Meanwhile, ownership turnover has become increasingly common in Hyde Park’s rental market in recent years.
Large property management firms have engaged in major portfolio sales, including a November 2025 deal in which Chicago-based TLC Management sold three Hyde Park properties for $23.7 million.
Other companies, such as Mac Properties, which owns roughly 1,000 units in and around Hyde Park, have continued to acquire buildings in the neighborhood, according to property records and prior reporting.
Investment activity has also increased across nearby South Side neighborhoods. Reporting from the Illinois Answers Project found that the development of the Obama Presidential Center has coincided with a rise in investor purchases in areas including South Shore and Woodlawn.
Housing advocates and researchers say that trend has raised concerns about affordability and displacement as more properties shift into investor ownership.
All four tenants who spoke with the Herald have since moved out of the building.
“I think that it does kind of get normalized – the building is bought out, they’re gonna take it, flip it, up the rent, all this stuff,” Morris said. “I think people’s narratives get erased in that, even though it’s something that happens so often … especially on the South Side. There’s always some kind of grief involved in that.”