As seems to be the case with much of the country, the US Mail is delayed right here in our own front yard. From the correspondence we send and receive for Association business to the assessment statements for Unit Owners, everything has been taking a lot longer.

To learn more about what is impacting the US Mail service here in Chicago, here is a helpful link:

Overworked, Understaffed, Sick With Coronavirus: Chicago Postal Workers Urge You To Mail In Ballots As Early As Possible

For Association related letters and business correspondence, the most reliable way around the US Mail is to use e-mail. If we have your e-mail address we will use it. If appropriate or legally required though, we will still send business via the mail. But Owners and Residents are always welcome to use our e-mail at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

The US Mail Service has impacted the assessment statements as well. Timing for mailing the statements and receiving mailed payments will obviously be influenced by any slow down. Of course, everyone is welcome to contact our team if you have not received your statement and need your balance due or a copy of your ledger. Payment can be dropped off at the office by the 5th each month, and needs to be received at the Association’s bank by the 10th to avoid the late charge.

If you are not already signed up for an electronic form of payment, we encourage you to consider it. Unit Owners can follow the below instructions to make an online payment or even set up automatic payments, receive e-statements, and direct debit.

For the instructions discussed below, attached is a sample January statement for reference: Click Here

Q: How do I sign up for online payments?

A:  The Habitat online portal is now available for Park Tower Condominium! Through this portal, you’ll be able to:

•            Make one-time payments

•            Set up recurring payments

•            Review your ledger

•            Submit service requests

•            Review condominium documents

The first time you login, anyone with an e-mail in our database, your username will start out as your email address. You can choose to change it after activating your account. You will need your Account # from your statement, and your Unit #. On the attached form, these are Circled and noted. On the online payment platform, your Account # is the “Registration Code”, and the Unit # is the “Apartment Code”.

Click on the link below to login, register and those with e-mails in the system already will be asked to chose a password to formally activate your account on the system. That’s it – walk step by step through the prompts and you’ll be registered.

Click here: Register With Habitat Online

Going forward, finding this link is easy. Here on the PTCondo Website, just click the “Payment” option on the menu bar, and it will take you to Habitat’s Online payment portal for Park Tower.

Q: How do I register for E-statements?

A: Toward the upper right hand corner of the attached form you will see a message, “To receive future statements electronically visit https://www.estmt.net.” Just below that is says “Your Registration ID: ####-####-####”. The link takes you to the online app Habitat has for Owners to set up and manage e-statements. Once you are there the first time, toward the lower half of the page you will see where it indicates you can “Create An Account”. Here you will enter the “Registration ID” and follow the prompts to set up your e-statement account.

Q: Are there any fees for Bank Payments?

A: NO! If you sign up for Direct Debit through the Habitat Company OR if you register online and setup an ACH Bank Payment, THERE WILL BE NO FEE! Some Owners who already registered online, saw a message about a fee being charged for bank payments, however this was an error and was corrected. Only credit or debit card payments will result in a service charge. And those charges are pretty much equal to the fees being paid to process the transactions.

These are the most frequent questions we’ve had so far, as the transition has unfolded.

Q: Can I sign up for a Direct Debit program through Habitat?

A: YES. Just print and fill out the form, Click Here, or you can get a form from the office. Provide it to the Management office with a voided check. We will set you up for automatic bank payments the The Habitat Company. Funds for the TOTAL BALANCE DUE will be taken out each month on the 5th or first business day thereafter. HOWEVER – it does take about 30 days for these to process and get set up. So you should still plan to either pay by check or make a payment online until you’ve confirmed the debits are going through successfully.

You can review the entire online FAQ posted earlier this year, for help with all payment options:

Association Payment Options – FAQ

Obviously if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out anytime at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.