crime

Just Housing Ordinance Info

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For those of you following the saga of the Cook County’s Just Housing Ordinance, feel free to click on this legislative update link from the Chicago Creative Investors Association for some important information on TOMORROW’s hearing.

Lots going on – Illinois amending Human Rights Act

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Illinois Landlords Criminal Screening to Change Drastically

I’ve been away busy most of the summer, but plenty has been going on in Illinois and Chicago and not much of it has been good for landlords.  In the coming weeks, I’ll be back with some quick hits to go over some of the important things that have gone on over the last 120 days.

I’ll start with the State of Illinois legislature’s amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act.  This law prohibits discrimination in real estate transactions, financial transactions, employment, and public accommodations based upon membership in a protected class.  Senate Bill SB1780 has passed both houses of the Illinois legislature and has been sent to Governor Pritzker.  if the law is not vetoed by August 31, 2019, it will pass into law and will be effective beginning January 1, 2020.

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HUD issues fair housing “guidance” on landlord use of criminal background checks

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stupidNot good news for Chicago landlords

April is fair housing month and to celebrate, the Office of the General Counsel of HUD has released “Guidance on Application of Fair Housing Act Standards to the Use of Criminal Records by Providers of Housing and Real Estate-Related Transactions“.  This little ditty is a wonderful little gift to landlords throughout Chicagoland!  If you think that the application of fair housing to landlord screening procedures was hard before, just wait until you get a load of this one.  Unfortunately, folks, it’s the law (or at least, it’s HUD’s position on how the law will be enforced) and you need only head over to their website to see gleeful press releases related to big dollar settlements with landlords for fair housing violations to see the logical result of noncompliance.  This law applies to private landlords as well as public housing entities.  This one is going to get a bit long, so buckle up.

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Proposed law seeks to impose penalties on landlords for tenant crimes

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crimesceneIRPOA urges landlords to contact their representatives

Senate Bill 1547 has passed the Illinois Senate and is being debated in committee tomorrow at 10am in the Illinois House Judiciary Committee.  The Illinois Rental Property Owners Association is asking landlords to contact their representatives to oppose this legislation.  The proposed legislation seeks to allow municipalities to penalize landlords for the “underlying criminal conduct” of their tenants.  Penalties can include fees or fines, revocation, suspension or nonrenewal of a rental permit or license, termination or denial of subsidized housing contracts, and termination or nonrenewal of leases.

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Governor Quinn signs new eviction legislation SB 1766

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On August 2, 2011, Governor Quinn signed into law Senate Bill 1766 which became Public Act 97-0236, a bill opposed by the Chicago Creative Investors Association and the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association.  The law which amends Section 9-120 of the Code of Civil Procedure (the eviction law that deals with a leased premises used in furtherance of a criminal offense), as enacted, purports to provide additional rights to landlords related to crime on a rental premises.  The CCIA makes a number of arguments against the law.

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