Enforcement of Just Housing Ordinance Delayed

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Richard Magnone

Cook County Delays JHO Rules

As the January 1, 2020 deadline for implementation of the new law looms, the Cook County Human Rights Commission remains unprepared to handle the questions or to provide the resources necessary regarding the new rules adopted to enforce the Just Housing Amendment (JHO) to the Cook County Housing Ordinance.  In response, the County has agreed this week to delay the enforcement of the JHO until January 31, 2020.  This will allow the Commission to respond to the many questions that have been posed by the housing and rental industry regarding the implementation of this new rule.  To be clear, the new law will be in force on Janaury 1, 2020 but enforcement will not begin until January 31, 2020.

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2019-2020 Cook County Eviction Stoppage

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Richard Magnone

Cook County Court Halts Evictions

On November 25, 2019, Circuit Court of Cook County Judge E. Kennth Wrights, Jr. issued the expected General Order 2019-01 which sets out the annual eviction moratorium for the enforcement of Cook County eviction orders for December 2019 and January 2020.  As usual, the order applies to residential (not commercial) eviction in Cook County. Continue reading →

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Cook County’s Just Housing Amendment is SCARY!!!!!

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Richard Magnone

I posted yesterday about the new rules issued by the Cook County Board with respect to the well-intended but badly implemented Cook County Just Housing Amendment.  Those rules are, in a word, nuts.  It is apt to suggest that the inmates are truly running the asylum.  Here’s why. Continue reading →

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Cook County Issues Yet Another Set of Just Housing Rules

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Richard Magnone

Cook County Landlord Rules for Criminal Background Checks

The Cook County Board of Commissioners released a new set of rules on October 23, 2019 to implement the Just Housing Amendment to the Cook County Housing Ordinance.  This set of rules is basically a rejection of a number of landlord suggested modifications.  The County went with a pro-tenant version.  Distilled down to its essence, under the Just Housing Amendment, a landlord cannot run a criminal background check until after following a number of procedural steps.  Continue reading →

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Just Housing Ordinance Info

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Richard Magnone

Chicago landlord alertFor 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.

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Call to Action for Comment on Just Housing Ordinance

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Richard Magnone

Call to Cook County Landlords time to act on Criminal Background Screening

Yesterday, I posted about the Cook County Joint Housing Ordinance.  Today, the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance issued a landlord “Call to Action” related to the proposed interpretive rules that are under consideration by the Cook County Commissioners.  Oftentimes, landlords ask me “what can I do about all this legislation that points in favor of tenants and against landlords”.  The only real answer is to get involved and get active in landlord advocacy.  This is one of those opportunities. Continue reading →

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Do you know about the new Cook County Just Housing Ordinance?

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Richard Magnone

That was FAST

On April 21, 2019, the Cook County Board proposed an amendment to the fair housing portion of the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance.  They voted on and passed the measure on April 25, 2019.  That’s not a typo.  They proposed it on a Sunday and passed it by Thursday.  That sure seems like shady dealing.  Dubbed the “Just Housing Ordinance” (do justice-y laws usually need to get rushed through a legislative body without comment or consideration?), the law is to take effect on October 25, 2019.   What is the purpose of the ordinance?  Continue reading →

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Pritzker signs law to protect illegal immigrants

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Richard Magnone

Legislation Prohibits Landlords from Reporting Illegal Immigrants

It was President Barak Obama who said that elections have consequences.  I don’t get political on this page, but I do talk about policy and you can’t talk about policy without recognizing how politics can sometimes play into the development of a policy.  In a move that may have more to do with politicizing the tug of war between “red states” and “blue states” or those who wish to “resist” the immigration policies of President Donald Trump, Illinois became the second state in the nation (the other state is California) to pass legislation that seeks to protect tenants based upon their immigration or citizenship status.  According to the Chicago Tribune, Governor Pritzker said “he wants Illinois to stand as a firewall against a xenophobic president who is creating a climate of fear”. Continue reading →

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Lots going on – Illinois amending Human Rights Act

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Richard Magnone

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. Continue reading →

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A victory for landlords in the rent control fight

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Richard Magnone

HB0255 defeated

A number of sources, including Capital Fax, are beginning to report that Rep. Will Guzzardi’s HB0255 intending to repeal the ban on rent control has been defeated in committee.  Other bills remain in both the House and the Senate but this is a major victory for landlords in Illinois.  Landlords need to remain steadfast in their opposition to rent control, an idea that has failed everywhere it has been implemented and roundly criticized by economists.

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