Every Chicago property owner faces this decision when winter approaches: contract with a professional snow removal company or hire individual shovelers? While both options can work, each comes with distinct advantages and considerations. Let's break down what you need to know to make…

The business of being an apartment landlord has always been a serious one. Still, rising rent prices in Chicago have produced a serious question for the apartment rental season ahead: “Am I charging enough for my Chicago apartment in 2025?” 

  

First, to unpack this…

Looking for ways to increase your monthly rental income? You don’t have to invest in costly renovations to add value to a rental property. Instead, take advantage of budget-friendly ways to renovate your apartment. The best strategy? Low-cost, high-impact upgrades.



Simple aesthetic…

As a landlord searching for tenants, you’ve probably asked yourself, “Should I host an open house for my apartment?” Chicago’s current rental market is saturated with renters. If you’ve received a ton of interest in your property, holding an open house may seem like the logical solution to…

The familiar refrain in Chicago is that the summer months are so enjoyable because residents need to suffer through the winter in order to get there. But winter in Chicago doesn’t need to feel as miserable as the forecast sometimes suggests. Functioning heating and cooling systems, then, are an…

All Cook County landlords should be aware of the Just Housing Amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, seeking to remedy unfair housing discrimination against individuals with criminal records. We’ve written about the new law requirements, and while…

Beware, Chicago Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO tycoons, because the carefree days of operating an illegal Chicago vacation rental are over. In 2016 and 2017, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City Council amended the Municipal Code to regulate better and tax vacation rentals and shared housing…

During the spring of 2020, as Illinois residents hunkered down to try to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, furlough notices and job losses started to lead to late or missing rent payments.  Initially, Mayor Lightfoot asked property owners to “give tenants some grace, whenever…

The Chicago City Council approved a revised version of the Fair Notice Eviction Ordinance on July 22, 2020. The ordinance, which provides renters with a one-time right to cure before entry of eviction, also modifies landlord notification requirements with varying periods for rental…