Cook County Sheriff warns that eviction orders might go stale

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staleorderEviction enforcement by Sheriff could take longer than 120 Days!

Today (February 4, 2014), the eviction schedule website for the Cook County Sheriff includes an ominous additional warning.  Landlords in eviction lawsuits are being advised that because of the number of days evictions have been cancelled due to adverse weather, many orders for possession will expire before the Sheriff can get around to enforcing them.  A copy of the warning on the website is found below:

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Chicago Association of Realtors says “NO” to Chicago Security Deposits!

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chicago security deposit leaseLocal Realtor group recommends Chicago landlords avoid taking a deposit!

The Chicago Association of Realtors just released the 2013 revised version of their Chicago Apartment Lease.  Interestingly, one traditional item is missing from that residential lease.  The Chicago Tribune reported earlier this week (the story is behind a paywall so I have not bothered to link it) that the realtor organization has taken a formal position against the practice of collecting a security deposit from residential tenants with leases governed by the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance!

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Medical Marijuana and the Illinois Landlord and Tenant

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cannabisNew Illinois pot law could get landlords in the soup!

On January 1, 2014, the “Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act” took effect making Illinois the twentieth state in the union to permit some form of lawful medical marijuana.  This may be a great victory for people who are sick and people who want to try to play the system to get recreational drugs, but it creates a whole new world of regulation and requirements for Illinois landlords.

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Update on extreme cold in Cook County as it relates to tenant evictions

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brrCook evictions called off because of cold weather.

For those of you landlords who have been following the Cook County Sheriff’s eviction schedule web page, you will have noticed that evictions are once again this week canceled for the 24th of January.  The Sheriff’s web page says “Evictions Will Be Cancelled Due To Weather / Rescheduled At A Later Date”.  There have not been many evictions so far in this new year.

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Chicago #1 for Bedbugs… again

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Orkin bedbug list puts Chicago on the bottom! The list published by Orkin Pest Control for the worst bedbug-infested cities again cited the City of Chicago as the number one location for bedbugs.  Chicago beat out Los Angeles; Columbus, Ohio; and Detroit to hold its grip on the top ranking for the second year in … Read more

Cook County Sheriff Sending Emails for Scheduled Evictions!

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emailnoticeGood news for Cook County landlords.  It looks like evictions are finally scheduled to take place again beginning on January 13, 2014.

In addition, the Sheriff seems to have a new method of notifying landlords of impending eviction enforcement.  I recently received notice via email from the Cook County Sheriff that an eviction was scheduled for execution.  In the good old days, you checked the website and received a telephone call from the Sheriff’s office letting you know when and where you need to be for the eviction.  Looks like Sheriff Dart is making advances in getting the word out electronically for scheduled Cook County evictions. 

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Chicago releases 2014 Security Deposit Interest Rate Summary

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Chicago issues CRLTO Summary for 2014 Interest Rate Section 5-12-170 of the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance requires a separate summary (in addition to the ordinance summary) “…describing the rights, obligations, and remedies of landlords and tenants with respect to security deposits, including the interest rate as well as the rate for each of … Read more

Brrrr… looks like Cook County eviction enforcement won’t resume today

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UPDATE:  This was originally posted on January 6, but as of January 9, 2014, it looks like things are still not on track for evictions tomorrow.  As I understand it, weather permitting, evictions will begin again on January 13, 2014. Bone chilling cold appears responsible for an additional delay in the resumption of evictions by … Read more

2014 State of Illinois Security Deposit Interest Rate set

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2014illinoisrateThe new 2014 security deposit interest rate for those leases and tenancies governed by the Illinois Security Deposit Interest Act has been released by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Banking Division.  

For Illinois leases governed by the law, the security deposit interest rate to be paid on security deposits for 2014 is:

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