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.
Cold, 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.