CHICAGO () — A City Hall fight over Chicago rental rules is beginning to intensify, as aldermen weigh two rival proposals that could reshape how evictions, lease renewals and tenant protections work across the city.
Backers of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan rallied outside City Hall on Monday, urging support for an ordinance that would require landlords to show “just cause” before removing tenants from their homes. The measure would also mandate relocation payments of up to $10,000 in certain cases, depending on why a renter is being asked to leave.
“Chicago landlords filed 20,000 evictions last year,” said Devon Carson of the Belden Sawyer Tenant Association.
Tenant advocates argue the ordinance is designed to curb sudden displacement and give renters more stability as housing costs continue to climb in many neighborhoods.
“It’s a tool to try to help with gentrification and displacement,” said Michelle Gilbert of the Law Center for Better Housing.
Gilbert said the proposal could be especially important in cases where, as she put it, “a landlord has decided that Morgan Park is the next cool neighborhood; so, I’m going to raise your rent by double.”
But the mayor’s plan is already drawing resistance from a group of aldermen. Among them is 36th Ward Alderman Gilbert Villegas, who introduced an alternative ordinance last week.
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Villegas warned that requiring landlords to pay relocation assistance could ultimately push costs higher for renters.
“The relocation fees is something that is ultimately going to end up being passed down to the renters,” Villegas said.
The competing proposal would eliminate the “just cause” provision and instead allow lease nonrenewals with required notice periods ranging from 30 to 120 days, depending on the reason for the nonrenewal.
It would also redefine small landlords by increasing the number of units they can own from six to 12 and removing the requirement that they live in the building they rent.
“There are smaller housing providers that have an owner-occupied unit that may want to purchase another one,” Villegas said.
Opponents of the proposal argue the changes would weaken protections for renters.
“You could be somebody in Florida organized as an LLC and own 12 condos in Chicago, and you would no longer be covered by basic provisions of existing law,” Gilbert said.
The debate remains in its early stages. With the City Council scheduled to go on break after this week’s meeting, consideration of both proposals will be delayed until at least September.
