MTO works in Rogers Park

Last updated: December 29, 2016 – 2:26 PM

When Bryan turned on his faucet in early November, he held out his hand — and hope — that he’d finally have hot water in his apartment again.  He had always paid rent on time for his apartment in Rogers Park.  He had never caused any problems in the building, so he was frustrated when his repeated requests to the property manager yielded little success.  Multiple repair requests finally got someone to visit Bryan’s apartment and restore hot water, but it was just a temporary fix.

RPCold, frustrated, and feeling taken advantage of, Bryan started researching tenants rights in Chicago.  He found MTO’s website, where he discovered Squared Away Chicago, MTO’s FREE app for Chicago renters.  The app informs users of their rights and allows them to take action based on the Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance.  As important, Squared Away creates a digital paper trail for tenants — they can access, update, and print the information and forms at any time, 24/7.  Bryan used Squared Away to document what was happening in his apartment and sent a 24-hour notice to his landlord demanding that hot water be restored to his apartment.

The landlord responded to his legal notice promptly, and within two days, hot water was flowing again in Bryan’s apartment.  Documentation is a key component to successful resolution of disputes.  Tenants like Bryan increase their chances of success when they document apartment problems, a step MTO has made much easier with Squared Away.

Bryan is one of nearly 10,000 renters throughout Chicago that MTO has helped this year.  Please help us continue to help others in the year ahead. Consider donating today or joining our next Hotline Volunteer Training on March 18th, 2017.

 

All 4 Comments

    1. Are you in Chicago. Does your landlord live on the premises? If not and you live in Chicago, the law states that you can write the landlord a letter giving the landlord 14 days to fix the problem. If the landlord does not fix the problem in that time then you can hire an exterminator and can pay the greater of one half month’s rent or $500. You can also call 311 and request an inspection. We have had less luck with that course of action. If this is a large building, the best course of action may be to form a tenants association.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *