Jan 15, 2010 5:48 pm US/Central
Plan Would Deny Slumlords City Loans Or Contracts
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Hyde Park tenant Melissa Michaels hopes a proposed ordinance will induce property owners to be better landlords.
CBS
The city of Chicago has a message for slumlords: You will not be rewarded with city loans or contracts.
CBS 2's Jim Williams reports the city council is close to passing a law that would put pressure on bad landlords to fix their property.
For Melissa Michaels, living in a Hyde Park apartment building has been terrible.
"The landlord basically just doesn't fix anything," she said.
Michaels says late year the gas was cut off because the landlord hadn't paid the bill, and she's had another problem: mold.
"I've had mold that has eaten through my bathroom window," she said. "There's mushrooms that come up in the summer. So I just have a shower curtain over it with duct tape."
The building is in city's 5th ward, represented Ald. Leslie Hairston, whose office confirms there have been numerous problems with Michaels' building. CBS 2 could not reach the owner.
Hairston's ordinance would block landlords with repeated violations from receiving city contracts or loans. It's a law supported by a tenants-rights group.
"It sends a very powerful message to slumlords that they need to maintain their buildings," said John Bartlett, executive director of the Metropolitan Tenants Organization.
There's no record the owner of Michaels' building received city money. Nor could the city say how many repeat violators have secured city grants and loans.
But it has happened. Years ago, political fund-raiser Tony Rezko was one of them, even though his property had housing violations. He was later convicted of unrelated corruption charges.
Michaels says after what she and her neighbors have been through, any step would be welcome.
"It's been hell," she said.
"They pay their rent, and it's just that the landlord's not stepping up and fulfilling their part of the bargain," Bartlett said.
The proposed law has been approved by a city council committee. Now it goes to the full council.
The plan has been criticized by some in the real estate industry. They believe the language in the ordinance is too vague and could target landlords with only minor violations -- landlords who are making a good effort to maintain their property.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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