Pritzker signs ‘Landlords Retaliation Act’ to mixed reaction

(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed off on legislation prohibiting landlords from retaliating against tenants who lodge code violation complaints against them.

The Landlord Retaliation Act also bans landlords from terminating leases, increasing rent, decreasing services or threatening lawsuits in instances of such disputes, as well as bars them from refusing to renew a lease after a tenant comes forward with such a complaint or seeks assistance from an elected official related to one.

Metropolitan Tenants Organization Executive Director John Bartlett stands in full support of the changes, adding he hopes the governor’s actions will start to even the playing field between the two sides.

“It is really needed because all too often if tenants complain about repairs, landlords get upset,” Bartlett told The Center Square. “They kind of blame the tenant, even though it's just like regular maintenance often times and then they threaten them with eviction. What it means is that a lot of people won't report problems and that's really not good for anybody.”

As chief sponsor of the bill, state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, raised many of the same concerns in advancing the measure. Bartlett added he is hoping the legislation will prove to be just the start in reforming the industry as a whole.

“I think that there needs to be more,” he said. “I think realtors like to be able to intimidate people a bit; they like to be able to threaten people with eviction if they complain too much. I think really the way to protect tenants from retaliation is to pass a just cause eviction ordinance that would … require landlords to actually state a reason why they're evicting the tenant. In the long run, what we need is a just cause eviction ordinance.”

While the measure passed both chambers in Springfield by a nearly 2-1 margin, not everyone was happy to see it become law of the land. Illinois Rental Property Owners Association Director of Legislative Affairs Paul Arena warned ultimately it could prove to hurt the people it portends to want to help most by leading to fewer landlords entering the market, sparking less competition and higher rents in a tighter market.

“Housing providers are presumed guilty of retaliation if they raise rent, do not renew a lease, or even change terms one year after a tenant requests a repair,” Arena added in a statement. “This forces housing providers to fight expensive legal battles to prove their innocence.”