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Illinois Rental Property Owners Association

The Mission of IRPOA

IRPOA shall provide a statewide organization to promote the interests of persons, firms, and corporations who develop, own, or manage residential rental housing; to inform members about current issues and interests, including legislative activities; and to conduct such activities as are necessary to carry out the goals of the Association.
HomeCall to Action

Stop These Bills While You Can!

 

You can affect legislation when it is in committee, before it gets to the full General Assembly.
 
Committee hearings continue. Some bills we reported to you last week were not heard and are scheduled to be discussed this week. Some bills are being considered in committee for the first time.
 
Don't allow Lawmakers to dissect your rights.

 

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? Take a few minutes to file Witness Slips! They are an easy, efficient, and effective way to communicate your view.

 

If you haven't filed Witness Slips before, the painless steps to follow are below. Please scroll down to see them.

 

The time for action is NOW!

 

With the use of auto-completion, filing an individual slip takes only seconds!

Make your views known to those who were elected to represent you. Please file your Witness Slips now!


House Bill 5550 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE-REMEDIES (OPPOSE)


The goal of this bill is written to appeal to anyone reading it. It is to "lead to safer homes and greater financial security for more victims of domestic or sexual violence and their families".

But it won't accomplish that.

The bill "Requires the Department of Human Rights to create a summary form advising tenants who have suffered domestic violence or sexual violence of the rights that they have under Illinois law that provide protection in their ability to have safe housing. Requires landlords to attach a copy of the summary as the first page of any written residential lease entered into with a tenant." (Emphasis added.)

A summary form will do nothing to create safer housing. This bill would add even more information for tenants/residents to absorb at a time when they are brimming with things to know or remember already.

Furthermore, the bill puts housing providers even more at risk than they already are. A Housing Provider who is found to have failed to comply with the requirements of this Act for any tenant under a written residential lease shall be liable to that tenant for the greater of: (i) the tenant's actual damages, if any, not to exceed $2,000 or (ii) $100."

A consequence of HB5550 could be to have even more Housing Providers leave the business due to increased risks, thereby reducing available housing even more.

Summing up, HB5550 is ineffective and could reduce affordable housing in Illinois.

Housing Providers are not and should not be responsible for doing one of the jobs of government, which is to inform people of their rights. Please complete a Witness Slip now to OPPOSE HB5550.

  • This bill being heard THURSDAY, March 21 in the Housing Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in OPPOSITION of this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

House Bill 4528 RENTAL PROP - LEAKING WATER PIPE (OPPOSE)

 

  • This bill being heard THURSDAY, March 21 in the Housing Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in OPPOSITION of this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

This Bill is redundant. It addresses matters already in Illinois law, the Residential Tenants' Right to Repair Act 


House Bill 4768 LANDLORD RETALIATION ACT (OPPOSE)

 

  • This Bill is being discussed in the Housing Committee on Thursday, March 21
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in OPPOSITION to this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP
This bill repeals the existent Retaliatory Eviction Act and replaces it with a proposed law that would make it very difficult for a housing provider to end a lease without being accused of retaliation.

House Bill 5156 TENANTS RIGHT TO ORGANIZE (OPPOSE)

 

This bill presumes that any action taken against a resident who belongs to a tenants rights organization is retaliatory. In other words, the housing provider is guilty until proven innocent.

  • Being heard Thursday, March 21, in the Housing Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in OPPOSITION of this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

House Bill 5165 EVICTION-NOTICE-FEES (AND LIMITS) (OPPOSE)

 

A partial description of the bill reads, "Creates requirements for notice of termination of a residential lease. For any residential tenancy of less than 6 months, the landlord shall notify the tenant in writing at least 30 days before the stated termination date of the rental agreement of the landlord's intent to terminate a periodic tenancy, not renew a fixed-term rental agreement, or increase the rental rate. Provides that, if the landlord fails to give the required written notice, the tenant may remain in the dwelling unit for up to 60 days after the date on which written notice is given to the tenant."

  • Being heard Thursday, March 21, in the Judiciary - Civil Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in OPPOSITION of this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

House Bill 5305 REAL ESTATE ILLEGAL POSSESSION (SUPPORT)

 

One of the three bills intended to address the growing problem of illegal occupants, i.e. trespassers, commonly referred to as “Squatters”.

 

"Amends the Landlord and Tenant Act to provide that no person has a right to occupy or remain on or in any real property, residence, or structure in which the person has no written property interest under a written lease or rental agreement with the owner of the property . . ."

  • This bill is also being heard on Thursday March 21 in the Judiciary-Civil Committee
  • This bill was drafted by the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association, with the input from other stakeholders
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in SUPPORT of this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

House Bill 5314 LOCAL CRIME-FREE HOUSING ORD (SUPPORT)

 

Prohibits counties or municipalities from enacting various provisions of “Crime-Free Housing Ordinances”. This is important as many such programs are in direct conflict with other laws restricting screening for criminal background.

  • This bill is also being heard on Wednesday March 13th in the Housing Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in SUPPORT of this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

House Bill 5432 CRIME-FREE HOUSING ORDINANCES (SUPPORT)

 

This bill also prohibits counties or municipalities from enacting various provisions of “Crime-Free Housing Ordinances”. This is important as many such programs are in direct conflict with other laws restricting screening for criminal background.

  • This bill is also being heard on Thursday March 21 in the Housing Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in SUPPORT of this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

House Bill 5519 NATIVE LANGUAGE TRANSPARENCY (OPPOSE)

 

The synopsis reads, in part, "Requires the translation into a language other than English in the requester's native language of a lease, real estate contract, mortgage, or real estate disclosure document if the tenant, lessee, mortgagor, or purchaser so requests. Provides that if the landlord, lessor, mortgagee, or seller refuses to provide a translation, this Act allows the tenant, lessee, mortgagor, or purchaser to void the lease, contract, or mortgage and seek actual damages."

  • This bill is being heard on Thursday March 21 in the Immigration & Human Rights Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in OPPOSITION to this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

House Bill 5525 HUMAN RIGHTS ACT-REAL ESTATE (OPPOSE)

 

Declares that housing is a “human right”. Also prohibits requiring a credit check before approving a person in the process of renting or requiring a move-in fee in place of or in addition to a security deposit.

  • This bill is also being heard on Thursday March 21 in the House Housing Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in OPPOSITION to this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

House Bill 5584 MOBILE HOME-SALE OF PARK (OPPOSE)

 

Here's an excerpt from the synopsis: "Requires the park owner to submit a relocation plan for tenants who may be dislocated by the change and also creates a process for the tenants through their homeowners organization to buy the park. Provides that the change of use that is sought may not be approved until the park owner submits a relocation plan."

That's just some of it.

  • This bill is also being heard on Thursday March 21 in the House Housing Committee
  • Please fill out a Witness Slip in OPPOSITION to this bill
  • CREATE A WITNESS SLIP

Witness Slips are easy to complete and take only minutes of your timeMake your voice heard before time runs out! File these now, please!

 

Haven't filled out a Witness Slip yet? It's really very simple. Here's all you need to provide:

  • Your Information: Fill in your name identification
  • Representation:  You can list more than one thing here: self, your business, I.R.P.O.A. or other groups
  • Position: Please select the radio button for OPPONENT
  • Testimony:  Record of Appearance Only - this doesn't mean you need to be there - you are appearing via Witness Slip
  • NOTE: If you are going to be there and want to talk - Oral, If you are sending or handing in written testimony - Written Statement Filed
Then agree to the ILGA terms and hit the button to create the Witness Slip.

This is an example of a completed Witness Slip.

 

They are easy to fill out online. It takes only a few minutes.
ILGA-Witness-Slip-Completed

Please Consider Taking Your Action a Step Further


You can call your Illinois State Representative and Illinois State Senator and discuss these issues with them.

 

Please send them your comments in writing as well. How will these proposals affect you? Let them know that there is more than one side to this story.

 

Thank you! When you speak up, you help yourself and all of us. We are grateful.

 

Sincerely,

 

Andrew

 

Andrew R. Timms, President

Illinois Rental Property Owners Association

811 E. Rollins Road #42 * Round Lake Beach, IL 60073
630-534-2920


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