Advocacy Update: The Latest from City Council

This has been an active month for real estate advocacy in Chicago. Keep reading to get the highlights on how your GADs are working with your best interest in mind.

Listen to the full advocacy update:

Special COVID-19 Renter Protection Passes

Last month, the City Council voted to allow renters special COVID-19 protection. Your GADs worked hard to make substantive changes to this measure, although the measure was passed by the City Council. This Ordinance allows for an additional 60 days of protection when the Governor’s moratorium on evictions expires or the Cook County Chief Judge lifts his General Order on a cessation of eviction activity, whichever comes last. During this 60 day period, any landlord who issues a 5-day notice must wait 7 days before proceeding with the eviction action.  These 7 days are considered a cooling-off period, and landlords and tenants are encouraged to come to an agreement that hopefully avoids an eviction.

Call for Action Ongoing Regarding Proposed RLTO Amendments

Thank you to those who responded to the RLTO Call For Action to help amplify our message! We believe the amendments to the RLTO infringe on private property rights and increase the cost of renting property to tenants. As many Aldermen voiced reservations about the relocation fee, it was pulled from consideration. The substituted provisions were still not what we were hoping for, including:

• Allowing a tenant to pay back rent after an eviction process begins
• Rent must be accepted at any time prior to a judgment being entered
• Tenancy of fewer than 6 months get 30-days notice, tenancies of 6 months to 3 years get 60-days notice, and tenants of more than 3 years get 120-days notice

We will continue our Call For Action in an effort to voice our concerns about this ordinance to Aldermen and City Council.

Accessory Dwelling Units Ordinance Stalled

The Joint Committee for Housing and Zoning met earlier this week to discuss Accessory Dwelling Units. We hoped the Ordinance would be advanced, but there was too much push back from Aldermen to allow the Ordinance to move forward. If the Ordinance is not passed by September, it is unlikely the Ordinance will be passed this year.

Apply to Vote By Mail

For those living in Cook County, don’t forget that Vote by Mail will be an option this November! You will need to begin the process at the Cook County Clerk’s Office for suburbanites and the Chicago Board of Elections for City Dwellers.Once your registration and application are verified, you will be sent a paper ballot to the mailing address in your application. The deadline to apply is five days before an election. You will need to begin the process at the Cook County Clerk’s Office for suburbanites and the Chicago Board of Elections for city dwellers.