my landlord has not dealt with a mice issue in my apartment for months and the backdoor is blocked, so we have only one entrance/exit in my apartment. what can I do?
What do you want to do? 1. you could call the City of Chicago and request an inspection and they may cite the landlord for code violations. 2. You might be able to terminate the lease by giving the landlord a notice that you want the mice exterminated and the you want the second entrance opened and if it is not done in 14 days you will terminate the lease. 3. You could form a tenants association with the other tenants in the building and work with a group to hold the landlord accountable.
The law allows tenants to write a letter to the landlord about the lack of heat and then go out and purchase a space heater. You ca deduct the cost of the heater from the rent. If the landlord pays for the heat, you could also deduct any increase in electricity bill.
The first step is always to document the situation. Can you get a thermometer and take a photos of the reading. The law states the unit needs to be 68 in the day and 66 at night. If the it is not then the law allows tenants after giving the landlord a 24 hour notice to fixe the problem, you can purchase a space heater and deduct the cost from the rent. You could also deduct and increase in electricity from the rent.
Your landlord can not evict you without going through the courts and winning an eviction lawsuit against you. Please gather whatever notices you have received and call our hotline at 773-292-4980 or use the “Contact Us” form to send us an email.
my landlord has not dealt with a mice issue in my apartment for months and the backdoor is blocked, so we have only one entrance/exit in my apartment. what can I do?
What do you want to do? 1. you could call the City of Chicago and request an inspection and they may cite the landlord for code violations. 2. You might be able to terminate the lease by giving the landlord a notice that you want the mice exterminated and the you want the second entrance opened and if it is not done in 14 days you will terminate the lease. 3. You could form a tenants association with the other tenants in the building and work with a group to hold the landlord accountable.
My apartments is freezing and landlords can careless. But they will ask for the rent.
The law allows tenants to write a letter to the landlord about the lack of heat and then go out and purchase a space heater. You ca deduct the cost of the heater from the rent. If the landlord pays for the heat, you could also deduct any increase in electricity bill.
My landlord is not following the heating ordinance in my building. It’s freezing in my apartment. I have a newborn baby here. Please help.
The first step is always to document the situation. Can you get a thermometer and take a photos of the reading. The law states the unit needs to be 68 in the day and 66 at night. If the it is not then the law allows tenants after giving the landlord a 24 hour notice to fixe the problem, you can purchase a space heater and deduct the cost from the rent. You could also deduct and increase in electricity from the rent.
My landlord is attempting an eviction, in 5 days; what are my rights?
Your landlord can not evict you without going through the courts and winning an eviction lawsuit against you. Please gather whatever notices you have received and call our hotline at 773-292-4980 or use the “Contact Us” form to send us an email.
Can you email me a copy of the landlord tenant ordinance?
Here is a link to Chicago’s Residential Landlord and Tenants Ordinance. It is on our website. https://www.tenants-rights.org/the-residential-landlords-and-tenants-ordinance-rlto/