January 2018 Update: This news is as relevant today as it was in 2012.
Today’s news demonstrates yet another high profile example of a landlord ignoring the law. According to the Chicago Tribune, one Chicago landlord has notified its tenants that building repairs are expected to leave tenants without heat or hot water for about three weeks. Instead of leaving tenants without a warm shower, the landlord found itself in hot water with the City of Chicago.
Just asking to make matters worse, the building’s management company delivered a letter (the Chicago Tribune has posted a copy of the letter here) to tenants suggesting that building occupants use a space heater for heat and that the tenants “can also turn your oven on to supplement heat as needed”.