Chicago Space / Occupancy Requirements
last updated on November 2, 2009 – 12:25 pm12 comments
In order to meet legal requirements, a unit must have at a minimum, the following amount of square feet per person:
one person – 125 sq. feet
2 people – 250 sq. feet
3 people – 350 sq. feet
4 people – 450 sq. feet
5 people – 525 sq. feet
6 people – 600 sq. ft
7 people – 675 sq. ft
8 people – 750 sq. ft
9 people – 825 sq. ft
10 people – 900 sq. ft
Can my lease be terminated if my side job requires me to care for pets in my apartment? I spoke with management about it, & I was told that I didn’t have to pay a pet fee as long as the pets weren’t living in the apartment for more than 3 months. However, my building is now under new management & I need to know how to protect myself..What should I do?
This is a good question and probably best answered on the hotline (see below). Do you have anything in writing from the previous management company stating that as long as the pets were not in the apartment for 3 months then you did not have to pay a deposit. How long have lived in the apartment was the past management aware that you kept pets in the unit. You may run into some problems regarding running a business out of your apartment.
What are the provisions for breaking a lease if the atmosphere between roommates is caustic?
This question would be best answered by call our tenants rights hotline. In general if you are going to break a lease when there are roommates involved you will have to have the agreement of all parties concerned including the landlord. In most cases each tenant will be jointly and severably liable to fulfill the lease. In these cases our first suggestion would be to try mediation. In Chicago the Center for Conflict Resolution provides free mediation services. They can be contacted at 312922-6464 or here is a link to their web page. http://www.ccrchicago.org/
What is the maximum amount a landlord can charge its tenants in late fees? Please advise. I currently pay $750 month in rent and I believe my landlord has been over charging me?!
If you live in Chicago and are covered by Chicago’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance then the maximum amount that you can be charged is $10 for the first $500 plus 5% for the remaining $250. This means the landlord can charge you $22.50.
What if I don’t want to move out? I just received a letter that I have to move out for no reason. It’s hard. I pay the rent on time and everything but my landlord has mental problem – he thinks my husband puts some chemicals in his appartement wich is crazy. My husb is a truckdriver and comes home 2 times a month and is not even close to the person my landlord thinks he is. What can I do? I don’t want to move again! I have 3 wonderful kids, don’t do anything wrong.. Paying on time! What do do?
A landlord does not have to provide a reason to evict a tenant. The Metropolitan Tenants Organization believes that landlords should have to provide some just reason to evict a tenant such as nonpayment of rent, failure to follow rules, etc. Under the current law a landlord can evict someone for wearing sunglasses because they do not like sunglasses. I would urge you to call your alderman, state legislator and ask why a landlord can evict a tenant who is paying their rent on time for a reason that is crazy. It is not fair.
The landlord is not allowed to discriminate based on the classes defined by federal, state and local laws. You did not mention any discrimination. Could there be any? Is there anything other reason that the landlord may be trying to evict other than he being crazy? Could the landlord be mad at you for complaining about something?
Do you have a lease? If you have a lease and if it is not over then the landlord should not be able to evict you as long as you pay the rent and follow the rules. There may be other other legal arguments that you many have that an attorney can help you with.
In a 3 beroom apt(11to 1200 sqr ft) is there a minimum and maximum amount of people allowed to live thre?
There are no state or city statutes regarding minimum amount of people allowed to live in a three bedroom. If you live in a subsidized building, HUD or any other agency can and often do set minimum occupancy standards for a variety of reasons. An owner can impose minimum occupancy standards as long as they do not violate fair housing policies. The City of Chicago does have maximum occupancy standards. For the most part they are quite high and are determined by the unit’s area. According to Chicago’s law more than 10 people would be allowed to live in 1100 square foot apartment.
I was wondering what the legal number of occupants are for a two bedroom apartment in Chicago, Illinois? The apartment is about 850 square feet and currently we have 3 adults and 2 small children.
According to the Chicago Building code 5 people need a minimum of 525 square feet.