CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- People renting apartments in Chicago could get new protections against so-called "junk fees" and shady landlords, under a proposal advanced by a City Council committee.
Supporters of the "Protecting Renters Ordinance," or PRO, rallied outside City Hall ahead of Wednesday's committee, saying its creation of a tenants' bill of rights, a dedicated city office to handle rental housing issues, and a registry to help identify property owners will help protect the more than 50% of Chicagoans who rent their homes.
David Wilson from the Metropolitan Tenants Organization told reporters he'd just received a call for help from a woman who's been renting her current home for 20 years: "(She) found two bedbugs in her home and now the landlord does not want to renew her lease. Tenants shouldn't be living with bedbugs ... ceilings falling down, and then when they complain about it the landlord retaliates against them."
Rod Wilson from the Lugenia Burns Hope Center said the proposed ordinance's ban on "junk fees," including move-in and application fees, would also help people struggling to afford housing: "We should not be paying application fees for you to tell me I'm not gonna get the apartment. I can't keep paying $75- $50 every time ... it doesn't make sense."
However, property owner Bryan Esenberg told WBBM Newsradio that background checks on prospective tenants costs money, and if he can't recoup those costs from applicants, he'll have to collect more money from tenants.
"If you want me to ensure safety for my residents in the building, how are you doing that by eliminating my opportunities to ensure safety?" he asked. "Instead of addressing change with 'how do we improve process?' they address change through 'how do we add fees?'"
Mayor Brandon Johnson and supporters of PRO removed a provision which would have required landlords to provide "just cause" for not renewing a lease, but other aldermen say it still goes too far ... and they're set to consider a competing proposal in a different committee. That could set up a showdown between competing landlord-tenant proposals at the next City Council meeting September 23.
Bill of rights, "junk fees" ban included in "PRO;" alternative also on table
Bill of rights, "junk fees" ban included in "PRO;" alternative also on table
