All Forum Posts by: Leah C.

@Jason Albasha @Tchaka Owen @Henry Lazerow

Thank you for the suggestions. I was thinking it would work to have a lawyer draft a new 30 day notice if the first was incorrect...

Has anyone had success with "cash for keys"?

I gave a Chicago tenant with a month to month lease a 30 day notice a few days after the new month started (big mistake, I know) and did not ask for them to pay other rent, just to leave in 30 days. 

I got a letter from a pro bono attorney they contacted stating that they want to avoid court and can stay in the unit for up to 60 more days because we failed to give the written notice– is this true?
Before I got this letter and spoke to tenants in person, they said the 30 day notice is invalid and appear to think they don't need to pay rent this month like a regular month....

Now I'm worried if they don't have to leave until the fall, it's another way to delay and we'll just have to start the eviction process later, which won't happen in the winter. We really need them to leave ASAP.
I'm in the process of finding a lawyer now who can help me figure out the best next step. Thank you for any suggestions.

Thank you for this information! That will be my next move.

Thank you! It's well over 100 years old. I'm fairly certain it was just built this way, so I'm going to search for old permits, blueprints, and anything I can find to learn more. 

Hi all, two questions: is an old 2 unit house required to have 2 doors (or 2 egress options) and how much might I owe to fix it?

This is the first rental I'm seriously considering- it's on the west side, 2 units with an attic space. It was built in 1901 and the strange thing is it only has one door to enter the house and it's in the back with indoor stairs to each unit and no fire escapes- is this a huge violation I'd be responsible for if I buy?
Current owner is an older gentleman who's had it for 10 years and seems eager to sell, uninterested or unable to drop the money to fix it up.

I've searched everything, including the city building and fire codes but haven't found a straight forward answer (I really am a newbie). I'm wonder how the house has been sold over and over without that being flagged if it really is an issue. I thought there were certain exceptions for really old houses.
Is this something I could ask an alderman about? It seems simple enough to get a yes or no answer about.

If the two exits are required, I'm wondering if a fire escape can be built in the front windows since there's nothing there.

Before I make a decision and go chasing quotes from 50 companies, I'm wondering if anyone here has an estimated cost they'd be willing to share based on similar experiences?

Thank you so much in advance if you read this far!