Ccw/ri/Jtce (ta fc
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, The preservation of rental housing stock is of great importance, since there are approximately 614,000 units of rental housing within the City. Rental housing provides needed, affordable housing for millions of Chicago residents and is a valuable asset that must be protected and maintained. The City has a significant interest in ensuring that rental housing is safe, healthy, and affordable; and
WHEREAS, Substandard and unsanitary rental housing exists in the City, with conditions that violate federal, State, and local law, including building, housing, and safety codes, standards, and ordinances; and
WHEREAS, Substandard and deficient rental housing is unfit or unsafe for human occupancy and jeopardizes the health, safety, and welfare of their occupants. Substandard housing conditions pose a particularly acute risk to young children, seniors, and people with chronic illnesses. Many health and safety hazards in housing are preventable, including those that cause lead poisoning and asthma; and
WHEREAS, Existing complaint-based enforcement programs has not ensured that rental housing is safely and adequately maintained. Too often, complaints about rental housing are not received in time to protect tenants, and tenants often do not complain due to fear eviction or retaliation, or in the face of language, education, and accessibility barriers that may prevent them from using complaint-based enforcement programs; and
WHEREAS, Deteriorating and substandard rental housing threatens the physical, social, and economic stability of adjacent structures, surrounding neighborhoods, and the public; and
WHEREAS, Providing landlords with knowledge of poor conditions before such conditions worsen helps landlords more efficiently and effectively maintain their properties. Proactive inspections encourage preventative maintenance; decrease the likelihood that properties become blighted; preserve neighboring property values and the local tax ba...
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