2016-17 Cook County Sheriff Holiday Eviction Moratorium

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Cook County Eviction winter “stay” starts soon It is that time of year where the Cook County Circuit Court extends some holiday cheer to tenants (certainly not to landlords) and prohibits the Sheriff from enforcing eviction orders.  By way of a general order, the court has ordered that the Sheriff not evict any tenants beginning … Read more

4 Mistakes Landlords Make with the 5 Day Notice

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5 Day Eviction Notice TipsDon’t make these mistakes with the 5 Day Notice

The five day notice for non-payment of rent (by the way, it is 10 days in Evanston, thank you very much) – it’s that “simple” little notice that is the beginning of many eviction cases.  And boy can it mess up an Illinois eviction lawsuit if it is done wrong!  Section 9-209 of the Illinois Forcible Entry and Detainer Act governs the “demand for rent” that must be provided in an action for possession.  Most versions of the 5 day notice form that float around are pretty simple.  However, many landlords and even some of their agents (who should know better) mess up the form with regularity.  And, if the notice is wrong, the eviction case is unlikely to succeed.

Here at Reda | Ciprian | Magnone, LLC,

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Chicago Association of Realtors issues a Security Deposit Receipt

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receiptNew Receipt Form issued by CAR for Deposits

As readers of my blog should be well aware, I do not advocate the use of security deposits in those rentals governed by the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance.  While many landlords and landlord advocates agree with me, there are still some landlords who insist on taking a deposit.  The Chicago Association of Realtors (CAR) has just released a new form that hopes to ease the burden on landlords providing a security deposit receipt.

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City clarifies confusion about CRLTO summary

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Chicago clarifies about CRLTO summaryChicago Landlords Catch A Break

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

In April, I reported being disturbed to find that the City of Chicago had updated their “Rents Right” website sometime recently to include a CRLTO summary purporting to have been approved in 2013.  My concern was that landlords using the July 2010 summary might be out of compliance with the ordinance despite the June, 2013 ordinance summary not being made widely available.

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HUD issues fair housing “guidance” on landlord use of criminal background checks

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stupidNot good news for Chicago landlords

April is fair housing month and to celebrate, the Office of the General Counsel of HUD has released “Guidance on Application of Fair Housing Act Standards to the Use of Criminal Records by Providers of Housing and Real Estate-Related Transactions“.  This little ditty is a wonderful little gift to landlords throughout Chicagoland!  If you think that the application of fair housing to landlord screening procedures was hard before, just wait until you get a load of this one.  Unfortunately, folks, it’s the law (or at least, it’s HUD’s position on how the law will be enforced) and you need only head over to their website to see gleeful press releases related to big dollar settlements with landlords for fair housing violations to see the logical result of noncompliance.  This law applies to private landlords as well as public housing entities.  This one is going to get a bit long, so buckle up.

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New CRLTO Summary Available

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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 … Read more

Had a fun morning teaching @properties agents

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It is always great to get the opportunity to speak to a classroom full of @properties agents.  Thanks for taking the time to listen to my information about the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance.  Hopefully the folks in attendance enjoyed it and learned something as well.  Remember – watch out for those security deposits!

Rich Magnone quoted in Cook County Record Article on CRLTO

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Intricacies of the Chicago Landlord Tenant Ordinance Subject of Interview I was recently interviewed in the Cook County Record regarding the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance and the difficulties faced by landlords trying to comply with its requirements.  Readers of this blog will not find all that much new from me.  I think the ordinance … Read more

Amendment to Chicago Fair Housing approved by Committee on Human Relations and new tenant right to claim retaliation

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veteran status and fair housing ChicagoLaw expands protected class to veterans and adds right to retaliation claim for any fair housing proceeding

Yesterday, the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Human Relations approved an amendment to the Chicago Fair Housing and Human Rights Ordinance proposed by Mayor Emanuel making military status a protected class.  The intent of the amendment is to prohibit discrimination against members of the military in housing and employment.  The text of the original amendment as proposed can be found on the website of the City Clerk.  Based upon reports from the Chicago Sun Times, there were changes made to the original amendment before it was approved but those are not yet available online.

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