Landlord Advice

Universities and colleges around Chicago will soon resume classes. Chicago landlords renting to students should consider these tips to make sure their lease agreements make the grade for the upcoming academic year.

Insist on a (Credit-Worthy) Guarantor
Worried your student renter might fall short on rent? Then employ the financial backstop of a guarantor (see the guarantor provision in Domu’s model lease). A guarantor agrees to the financial obligations of the lease – in other words, to pay the rent....

Whether your tenants live in a 3-flat, a single family home, or a tall residential tower, Chicago’s new Recycling Ordinance applies to your rental property. As a landlord, you have four obligations under the ordinance:

1. Provide recycling services. Landlords must provide sufficient recycling containers to enable residents and visitors to recycle. Because Chicago has endorsed single-stream recycling, all recyclable materials can be deposited in the same blue cart—you
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Have you heard that the state representative from Logan Square is hoping to make rent control a possibility for Chicago?  Here’s what Chicago landlords need to know about the bill (HB 2430):

1. Currently, Chicago Landlords Can Raise The Rent At The End of the Lease. Many major U.S. cities have rent control—which means that local laws regulate or prohibit the raising of rent. But Chicago is not among them. While Chicago’s Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance provides many protections to renters, it does not shield renters from landlords who wish
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In 2015, the City Council approved a new ordinance that clarifies existing guidelines for when sidewalks need to be cleared of snow and increases fines for failure to do so. Some of the key changes to the ordinance are outlined below.

• The new ordinance increases fines from $50 to anywhere from $50-$500 per occurrence. Fines are determined on a case-by-case basis by an administrative hearings judge.
• The previous ordinance gave Chicagoans the day off from shoveling on Sundays. The new ordinance requires residents to shovel seven days a week.
• The City Council
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