Landlord & Tenant Information
Alderman Moore has a staff member permanently assigned to work on residential landlord-tenant issues. This staff member works very closely with landlords and tenants to resolve outstanding lease issues and to correct outstanding City Building Code violations.
PROCESS
Inspections by representatives of the City’s Building Department are arranged if necessary, and a 49th Ward Staff member attends all hearings if the violations are serious enough to warrant a Housing Court case. In dozens of instances where there has been criminal activity associated with a particular building, the Alderman has requested that the building owner attend a meeting at the 49th Ward Service Office with officers from the 24th Police District, 49th Ward Staff and neighbors of the building in order to arrive at solutions for the problems tied to the property. Many of these properties are currently among the more well-maintained in the 49th Ward.
During Alderman Moore’s tenure literally hundreds of buildings have been subject to City Building Inspections and their owners have been forced to bring their building into compliance with city regulations. In the worst cases Alderman Moore has successfully lobbied judges to order buildings vacated, and in three cases landlords have actually been required to do jail time for their neglect.
The 49th Ward experienced serious problems with a developer who engaged in bank fraud involving the conversion of twelve buildings to condominiums from 2000 to 2001. This developer used fraudulent appraisals and brokered mortgages through his own mortgage brokerage company to sell 153 condominium units to 16 conspirators at drastically inflated prices. The buildings sat vacant and began to suffer from neglect and drew criminal activity. Alderman Moore coordinated efforts of numerous City Departments, Community Organizations, neighbors, friendly attorneys, responsible developers and banks in order to turn these buildings around. A process that many thought would take over three and one-half years was accomplished in one year and today all of those buildings are in responsible hands and have either started selling or renting units or will be doing so soon.
In many instances problems lie with bad tenants rather than landlords. Alderman Moore’s Office has numerous resources and he has helped dozens of landlords with problem tenants, or sometimes with overzealous City Inspectors. In instances involving tenants engaged in illegal activities the Alderman has helped expedite the eviction process through his connections with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
RESOURCES
Landlord Training Program landlord training program proposed by the 49th Ward Staff; adopted by the City of Chicago Department of Buildings and the Chicago Police Department. Click the link above to see the current schedule of classes.
Security Deposit Interest Rates
Rogers Park Community Council (RPCC) improves the quality of life in our neighborhood by focusing on youth and education, housing, and senior concerns. Contact Mary Jane Haggerty at 773-338-7722 x26.
Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO) is dedicated to safe, decent affordable housing for all. Services include a tenants rights hotline and subsidized tenant empowerment.
Lawyers Committee For Better Housing (LCBH) promotes the availability of and access to housing and supports low and moderate-income households through legal representation, individual and public advocacy, and education.
Rogers Park Builders Group (RPBG) encourages and supports responsible residential and commercial property investment, development, and ownership in the Rogers Park community.
Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance - Click here to download the pamphlet copy of the City of Chicago's ordinance.
765ILCS605Notice.pdf (85 KB)- Click here to download an excerpt from the State of Illinois Compiled Statutes that addresses the notice requirements for a landlord and the rights of tenants when a building is converted from rental to condominium use.