Chicago’s New Rental Proposals: PRO vs. FAIR — What Would Actually Change?

Chicago is considering two competing proposals that could change the rules for renters and housing providers: the Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO) and the Fair and Accountable Illinois Rental Ordinance (FAIR).

But what would actually change, and what’s already part of Chicago’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO)?

I went through the proposals after realizing that some of the provisions I thought were new already exist under Chicago law. In this episode, I compare the current RLTO with PRO and FAIR, including repair-and-deduct rules, rent withholding, rental registration, security deposits, application and move-in fees, and the proposed rental-housing offices.

I also share one of my own rental problems: a lease-violation case involving serious sanitation conditions that took nearly nine months to resolve. That experience left me with a different question: when a housing provider has a legitimate problem with a resident, what practical help is available before the problem ends up in court?

PRO and FAIR are both proposals as of this recording and can still change. Current source documents and additional reporting are linked below.

Every rental problem has a solution.

Keep going.

Chapters

00:00 Who Helps the Housing Provider?

1:44 Why I Started Reading Chicago’s PRO Ordinance

2:55 What Chicago Renters Can Already Do Under the RLTO

4:26 PRO vs. FAIR: What Would Actually Change?

6:29 The Rental Problem That Took Me 9 Months to Solve

8:41 Could Chicago’s New Rental Offices Help?

9:35 Rental Registry, Fees & Privacy Questions

10:56 What Eviction Data Doesn’t Tell You