Chicago Tenant Rights Ordinance
In addition to Illinois and federal law, there are renters' rights laws specific to Chicago. Those living in the city limits should know their rights to avoid being taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords. The Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance covers tenats' rights under municipal law.
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Paying Rent
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There is no rent control in Chicago. This means at the end of a lease or the end of an agreement period, a landlord can raise the rent as much as he likes. Further, there is no legal grace period for not paying rent on time. This means that any rent paid even a day late is considered late. This is true even if your landlord has a "grace period" before you are charged a late fee.
Eviction
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Your landlord may not legally remove you from your apartment in Chicago. This must be done by the sheriff. To get a sheriff to throw you out, your landlord must first take you to court and obtain a court order against you. Chicago law makes it a criminal offense for a landlord to change the locks to your apartment or shut off your utilities in an attempt to remove you from your apartment.
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The Building
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Your landlord must provide you with locks and a key to your building. If there are two sets of doors, at least one of them must have a deadlock. Your landlord must take all measures necessary to make your building and apartment livable. This includes extermination of pests as well as repairs and maintenance. Chicago law further requires your landlord to provide you with garbage disposal. If your landlord fails to respond to a maintenance request in two weeks you may pay someone else to repair the problem and deduct it from your rent.
Lease
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A lease may be either written or oral. The law requires, however, that the lease be written in whatever language you and the landlord make an agreement in. Some provisions are illegal to put into a lease. These are known as unconscionable provisions and include agreements to pay a lawyer's fees or forfeiting your right to due process in an eviction proceeding. Such provisions cannot be enforced as part of a lease.
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