MPC supports the Fair Notice bill as progress toward what we hope is a more robust set of protections for Chicago renters.
Metropolitan Planning Council supports the provisions of the Fair Notice bill as progress toward what we hope is a more robust set of protections for Chicago renters – people need stability and certainty, especially under these times, and these protections can help provide that. The extended cure period will provide tenants with an opportunity to redress any back rent owed to landlords before some evictions are finalized, thereby keeping some tenants housed and unmarked by eviction, a proceeding that does long-term damage to renters. The extended notice provisions will give both month-to-month renters and annual leaseholders more time to plan for any potential rent increases or non-renewals. Both of these are modest and necessary policies to extend protect tenants’ rights.
We hope and trust that these protections are only the next step toward a more robust and comprehensive set of tenant protections. Specific policy mechanisms to protect tenants include limiting arbitrary non-renewal of rental agreements and a relocation fee for tenants displaced through no fault of their own. In designing these policies, Council and the Department of Housing must be attentive to their potentially racially disparate impacts and implementation in different neighborhoods so as to not stymie investment where it is needed, while protecting renters facing displacement. That will not be easy, and the Metropolitan Planning Council stands ready to assist. The City must continue to reach out to stakeholders and tenant advocacy groups to ensure that their experience guides the policy development process. Again, we stand ready to assist in this matter moving forward.