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I used to think you could just hand a landlord cash for a Chicago apartment without a lease, then a 4 hour wait at 555 W Harrison set me straight
For years I told anybody who would listen that a handshake and cash was good enough to get into a place around here, and honestly I got lucky twice doing it in Rogers Park. Then last March my sister got burned out of $1,400 when a guy took first and last month, never gave her a signed paper, and told her the unit was already gone when she showed up with the truck. I went with her to the Daley Center at 50 W Washington to ask about it, and the clerk explained it plain: no lease, no proof, so it turns into a he said she said thing that you basically can't win. What really flipped me was reading the rules on the landlord side too, because the written lease also protects you from a surprise extra fee or a deposit grab at move out. I always figured a lease was the landlord's weapon, turns out it's the only thing that pins them down on what they promised you in the first place. So now I won't hand over a dollar until there's a signed copy in my hand, even if it means walking away from a place I like. Anyone else get pushed on paying before signing, and how did you handle it?
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emma_garcia11d ago
Got burned for $900 same way, you learned the hard way too?
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