CHICAGO — Chicago City Council is preparing to weigh two competing proposals aimed at changing the city’s rules for renters and landlords.
The council’s Zoning Committee is scheduled to review the proposal known as FAIR on Thursday.
The measure is backed by aldermen who oppose Mayor Brandon Johnson’s housing plan. They argue the mayor’s proposal would place additional costs on property owners and could ultimately lead to higher rents for tenants.
Johnson’s proposal, the Protecting Renters Ordinance, or PRO, narrowly cleared the council’s Housing Committee on Wednesday.
Supporters say PRO would strengthen tenant protections by making evictions more difficult and establishing a new “tenants’ bill of rights.”
The measure advanced after revisions were made. Among the changes, the mayor removed a provision that could have required landlords to provide up to $10,000 in relocation assistance in certain circumstances.
Jonah Karsh of the Metropolitan Tenants Organization said tenant advocates still need to examine the revised proposal. He said the coalition would oppose any provision that reduces renters’ existing rights, arguing that the current ordinance continues to fall short.
Karsh also pointed out that Chicago’s housing rules have not been comprehensively updated in about four decades, giving landlords time to identify loopholes and ways around the law.
Opponents of PRO, meanwhile, contend that the mayor’s plan would impose too many obligations on landlords, particularly those who own smaller properties.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas of the 36th Ward said FAIR would redefine who qualifies as a small landlord. The proposal would increase the ownership limit from six units to 12 and remove the requirement that such landlords live in the buildings they rent.
Villegas said Johnson had two years to develop PRO, while supporters of FAIR worked for roughly two months. During that time, he said, they consulted tenant groups, housing providers and investors to identify problems and create clearer guidelines for those seeking to invest in Chicago housing.
Traci Randolph, a landlord who opposes PRO, said the proposal could make operating rental properties unaffordable. She argued that landlords facing higher costs would have little choice but to pass those expenses on to tenants.
Chicago’s housing ordinance has not received a major update since the 1980s, when Harold Washington was mayor.
The Zoning Committee meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Thursday.
If FAIR advances, both competing ordinances are expected to come before the full City Council for a vote next week.
