Illinois / Chicago Landlords - Call to action

[Brie Schmidt]

HB2775 (Rep. Ford, D – 8th, Chicago/ Sen. Villivalam D – 8th, Chicago) is a MANDATE on property owners and is being considered by the SENATE as soon as this week. The bill essentially MANDATES all rental housing providers to participate in ANY local, state, federal or private subsidy or assistance program, and comply with the requirements and restrictions of those programs, if an applying tenant qualifies for those programs.

This is a huge expansion of what this legislation has traditionally called for. Mandatory participation in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP - commonly known as “Section 8”), has been the intended scope in prior years, and the HCVP is also what the EXISTING local ordinances in Chicago and Cook County are aimed at.

The sponsors are considering amending the bill to simply mirror the language in the Cook County and Chicago ordinances, but we need to voice our strong objections, particularly with this broadened version of the legislation.

This version of the bill would greatly expand the mandate in Chicago and Cook, and establish the broad mandate to the rest of Illinois. This expanded mandate would, for example, make the current Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which was intentionally designed as a voluntary program, MANDATORY for landlords to participate in.

If passed, the bill would

• Make discrimination based on a person’s “source of income” a violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act, and therefore a violation of the Illinois Real Estate License Act.
• “Income” could be ANY local, state, federal, or private housing assistance; unknown just how many programs this could apply to.
• For the HCVP:
  • Must use HUD–dictated lease
  • Subjects landlords to “at-will” inspections
  • Provide new rules regarding rent increases
  • Further erode rental housing market
• Unknown and potentially unreasonable requirements in other now-required local, state, federal, private programs.
  

We support the Housing Choice Voucher Program and believe that the program is very advantageous for both landlords and tenants in many circumstances, but it was never designed to be mandatory. Last Spring, HB2775 narrowly passed the House. It could be called in the Senate at any moment. Do not delay

Lookup your Senator and make your voice heard

https://www.illinoispolicy.org...