Here’s how you can sum up Monday’s public hearing about possible changes in Evanston’s Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance (RLTO):
-Tenant in favor of a more restrictive ordinance: “We have bullies running our building. …Take a lesson from E. Jean Carroll, who stood up to the biggest bully and won.”
-Landlord who said a tougher measure could backfire: “There are several unworkable and unwieldy solutions in search of a problem.”
While most of the two-dozen people who spoke at a special meeting of the city’s Housing and Community Development Committee may have been a bit less colorful, the tenants and property owners were about equally divided (slightly more opposed) on the most controversial aspect of proposed RLTO changes, the “Just Cause” provision that would make it a lot harder for landlords to evict someone.
Because of the controversy, along with some possible add-on measures, the Just Cause issue will come back to the committee in March for further discussion, although not necessarily a final decision. The delay gives city attorneys time to review legal implications of the Just Cause options.
Currently, a tenant’s lease can be non-renewed for any reason. Under Just Cause, reasons would be limited to non-payment of rent, a “serious breach” or “deliberate or reckless violation” of lease provisions, criminal activity, a landlord or landlord’s relative wanting the unit, or condominium conversion.
The measure would also require landlords to pay a non-renewed tenant from one to three months’ rent to help in relocation, under some circumstances, but not for non-payment of rent. This section will come back as part of the legal review as well.
There was general consensus, although no formal vote, on 14 other less controversial changes. Among those are strengthening the rights of tenants to organize, limiting late fees to $50 or 5% of rent, whichever is lower, and eliminating the requirement that tenants pay a landlord’s legal fees in eviction proceedings.
Three potential modifications, or perhaps add-ons to “Just Cause” were also introduced.
One would require a specific reason in writing for lease non-renewal, with copies going to the City.
A second would establish an anti-displacement fund to help both tenants and landlords. The money would cover relocation expenses for evicted tenants, as well as property damages suffered by landlords.
Several committee members pointed out that while this may be a noble idea, there’s no current source of money.
The other modification would give tenants “Right to Purchase” a building going up for sale. The modification reduces the time period, however, from the originally proposed 120 days to reach a deal, down to 90 days.
However, several committee members said that however long the time period, the odds of renters being able to come up with enough money to buy the building are very small.
So where it all stands now is that in late March, the 14 more-or-less agreed upon changes will be back to committee for a planned vote. City Council then gets final say.
Just Cause, and the three related proposals, will be discussed in March, but no vote is expected then. Whenever the committee does vote, that to goes to Council.
One of the 14 areas of consensus would have been very helpful to one new Evanstonian had it been in effect now, requiring a “plain language summary” of the tenant rights ordinance attached to a lease.
An individual identifying himself only as Alphonse told the committee that he recently moved here from Europe, signed a one-year lease, and then, six months in, he was given a “notice of increased rent” making him “fear getting evicted.”
“Something’s not right,” he said.
“It’s not fair. It’s just not common sense.”
Alphonse said he heard about the special committee meeting, and just showed up, hoping to get some help. He was referred to city staff.
But even for someone who did not just move here from overseas, common sense may be hard to figure out from language in the RLTO.
“Ours is not easy,” said Community Development Director Sarah Flax.
“Most people don’t speak in legalese.”
Please side with the taxpaying landlords on this. They do not want to evict good people, only bad. One bad tenant can ruin the quality of life for the entire building.
If landlords need just cause to non-renew or evict, do tenants wanting to not renew need just cause as well? Shouldn’t fairness be on both sides of the rental contract rather than just one side? Or is fairness not necessary because landlords are automatically oppressors and tenants are automatically oppressed?
And why even bother putting in an end date for a lease if it can’t be enforced? Such silliness!!
…there must be Devon Reid’s hand in this.
channahk wrote:
“Or is fairness not necessary because landlords are automatically oppressors and tenants are automatically oppressed?…”
Spot – on, Channah, and it needs to be understood that as “progressives,” many of “Our Betters” that rule the roost here in Evanston hate, despise and denigrate landlords, property/business owners and other “capitalists” as evil incarnate who stand in the way of their progressive “equity agenda.”
Thus those who create “added value” in our community are to be taxed and over-regulated to death. They see those who produce profits in our market economy as “class enemies,” and suckers to be endlessly bled to death as a source of revenue for their hare-brained “equity” schemes.
They take no heed that their policies may actually *reduce* the stock of reasonably — priced Evanston rental housing. All that interests them is their pretentious “virtue signaling.”
Their views are akin to those of the old communist USSR’s leaders. From WIKI:
“The class enemy was a pervasive feature of Soviet propaganda… Lenin proclaimed that they were exterminating the bourgeoisie as a class, a position reinforced by the many actions against landlords, well-off peasants, banks, factories and private shops…”
Don’t laugh, but more than a few of our community “leaders” see landlords as akin to top-hatted and money-grubbing Mr. Moneybags capitalists, breaking the backs of the workers, as depicted in this old 1969 Soviet anti-capitalist propaganda cartoon entitled “Equality, The American Way”:
https://postimg.cc/9zYskk8p
Respetfully,
Gregory Morrow – Evanston 4th Ward resident