New CRLTO Summary Available

Please Note: The summary now says “Approved by the City of Chicago, June 2013; summary revised 2016” – always check to be sure you are using the latest summary!

The City of Chicago has placed a NEW version of the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance Summary on its “Chicago Rents Right” website.  The summary is somewhat concerning in that it purports to have been approved in June, 2013.  Interestingly, to my knowledge, the July 2010 version was still available on the City’s website as recently as last month (maybe even last week!  I’m making efforts to find out).  I am wondering if the City of Chicago’s website team has been in a time warp for the last three years because if this was approved in 2013 (which would make sense as that’s when the bedbug law was passed and that’s the change to the summary), it was most certainly not made available generally on the website until 2016!  In any event, for any lease executed beginning today, landlords should use the June, 2013 version!  Landlords should no longer use the July, 2010 version.  Failure to use the new version of the ordinance summary (along with the entire security deposit interest rate disclosure for 2016 in both English and Spanish) will subject landlords with tenancies covered by the CRLTO to penalties under Section 5-12-170 of the ordinance.