I have it on good authority that Alderman Moreno’s office has expressed that it is no longer the Alderman’s intention to present the Good Cause ordinance to the City Council this month. Instead, his office will seek to have a task force formed to review the proposal. So, landlord advocates have been heard for now, but this is likely not the end of this issue. Good cause laws have been passed in Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Seattle, among other places, and a similar law is currently proposed in Philadelphia. Landlords need to remain vigilant on this issue and advocate for their rights whenever possible.
I’m going to suspend my review of the draft ordinance because I’m guessing it will not come back in the same form as the current one. No doubt, you will all miss out on my commentary regarding the $21,200 penalty plus attorney’s fees for violation, the changes to eviction notices required by the ordinance, the notice requirements and limits on rent increases, and the moving assistance allowance.
Nonetheless, this does not mean that landlords should not continue the discussion with their alderman and the mayor. Make clear that Chicago should not have a good cause eviction law.