Find Your Landlord’s Contact Information

Last updated: November 2, 2009 – 2:46 PM

Landlord’s Name
First, you must find out the Property Identification Number (PIN) of your building. Online, you can try www.newschicago.org. If the website is down or it is not finding your building, you can call the Cook County Assessor’s office at 312-443-7550.
Once you have the PIN number, you can go to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds’ website and click the link to do a “Property Identification Number (PIN) Search.” This page can get a bit confusing, so a phone call to their office is a good alternative at 312-603-5050.

You can also find out the landlord’s name by going downtown. Begin your search in County Building (118 N. Clark Street).  First go to the Revenue Dept., Room 112, and ask someone at the counter for the Permanent Index Number (PIN number) for the address of the building.   You may also get the PIN number yourself by looking at the green books on the counter.   Go to the tract dept. of the Recorder of Deeds which is located in Room 120.   Give the person at the counter the PIN number and tell them that you want to know the name of the owner of that building.   The grantee of the most recent deed recorded is the owner of the property.   If the property is in a land trust you can send letter to the bank trustee.   They should forward the letter to the beneficiary of the trust your landlord.   The bank will not disclose the name of the beneficiary of the trust to you.   Get the document number of the deed (see below).

Landlord’s Address

  1. Take the document number of the deed to the microfiche department in the Recorders Office, down the hall from the Tract Dept.   Tell the person behind the counter you want to look at the deed to determine the grantee’s address.   Give him the document number.   Look at the deed for the grantee’s address, usually near the beginning.   This is the landlord’s address at the time he/she purchased the building.   The address could be near the bottom under “send subsequent tax bills to”.   If it is a corporation, call the Secretary of State at 312-793-3380 to get the name of the registered agent and corporation’s address.
  2. Call the Revenue Dept. 312-443-5100 or 443-6253 to find out the property taxpayer’s name.   Caution – the taxpayer is not necessarily the owner, it could be the previous one.   You can also get this info in Room 112.
  3. If you have the landlord’s phone number, call Ameritech’s Reverse Directory at 312-796-9600.   They will give you the address if the number is listed.
  4. Call the City’s Dept. of Buildings Multiple Dwelling Registration number 312-744-3452.   All apartment buildings should be registered.   They can give you the name and address of the landlord or landlord’s agent.   However, few buildings are registered even though failure to register is a building code violation.
  5. You can check to see if your landlord is being sued (defendant) by calling the three numbers listed below.   (Or use the computers in room 602 of the Daley Center 50 W. Washington Street.   Type “users” to get to the main menu.)   If he/she is, get the case number.   Then go to the appropriate floor at the Daley Center and look at the file (see below for the location of the different departments). The address where the landlord was served should be on the summons.

Chancery (foreclosure) 312-443-5133 files on 8th floor

Law 312-443-5426 files on 8th floor

Municipal 312-443-5145 files on 6th floor

Divorce Files on 8th floor

All 10 Comments

  1. I have been sharing an apartment with who I thought was my neat friend and we have not heard from him inb4 months and I gave my part to go to the landlord and he has been spending it. I’m 56 I have seizures due to the father of my kids and the man who has been golfing the rent till we find the landlord. He has not been found yet and the man I live with has been spending the rent money. I need help to get out of this house. Please help me get the 4 months of rent he won t give it back.

    1. This sounds like a bad situation. It is a little beyond our mission. I am a bit confused. So you have been giving your roommate the rent money the roommate has not been giving it to the landlord? Or are you giving the rent to the father of your kids? Is it the landlord who has been missing? Do you have a lease on a month to month agreement. If you have a month to month agreement give the landlord and your a notice that you are leaving. As for getting the money from you roommate, I am not sure how to do that. Has he spent all the money. What does he say when you ask for it?

  2. Rent To Own needs me to call you landlord of this house that I really want as of my desires of wants of reasons wanting to have this house thank you. Address : 2655 Whalen St. Hamtramck, MI 48212

    1. We are a Chicago based organization and thus I am not familiar with Michigan rental laws. In general, rent to own situations can be very dangerous and it is important to have an attorney look over any lease to own agreement.

    1. I am not sure what the issue is but you may want to contact your alderman. Alderman can often exert influence on property owners to make improvements.

    1. Here is what the law states if you are covered by Chicago’s Landlord and Tenants Ordinance.

      5-12-090 Identification Of Owner And Agents.
      A landlord or any person authorized to enter into an oral or written rental agreement on the landlord’s behalf shall disclose to the tenant in writing at or before the commencement of the tenancy the name, address, and telephone number of:

      (a) the owner or person authorized to manage the premises; and

      (b) a person authorized to act for and on behalf of the owner for the purpose of service of process and for the purpose of receiving and receipting for notices and demands.

      A person who enters into a rental agreement and fails to comply with the requirements of this section becomes an agent of the landlord for the purpose of (i) service of process and receiving and receipting for notices and demands and (ii) performing the obligations of the landlord under this chapter under the rental agreement.

      The information required to be furnished by this section shall be kept current and this section extends to and is enforceable against any successor landlord, owner or manager.

      If the landlord fails to comply with this section, the tenant may terminate the rental agreement pursuant to the notice provisions of Section 5-12-110(a). If the landlord fails to comply with the requirements of this section after receipt of written notice pursuant to Section 5-12-110(a), the tenant shall recover one month’s rent or actual damages, whichever is greater. (Prior code § 193.1-9; Added Council Journal of Proceedings, September 8, 1986, page 33771; Amend, Council Journal of Proceedings, November 6, 1991, page 7205)

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