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Just hit 30 landlord-tenant complaints filed in Cook County this year.
Ngl, I didn't realize how many shady lease agreements were floating around until I hit that number. Has anyone else here actually tracked how many cases pile up against a single property management company?
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maxl932h ago
Going to push back here a bit. Most landlords I know are running a business, not a charity, and a lot of these complaints come from tenants who don't read what they sign. If someone agrees to a lease with a maintenance fee clause or a renewal change clause, that's on them for not looking it over. The system works both ways, tenants have rights and they have responsibilities too. Blaming big property groups for everything takes the focus off the fact that people need to hold up their end of the deal, and yeah, lawyers are expensive because the legal system is complicated, not because landlords are out to get everyone.
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colethomas9h ago
Funny you mention that, my buddy manages a small apartment building in Evanston and he told me most of the complaints he sees come from the same three big property groups. Always the same tricks too, like burying maintenance charges in the fine print or changing lease terms without anyone noticing. Your mileage may vary, but it feels like the whole system is stacked so tenants have to catch every little thing themselves.
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Yeah exactly, and the worst part is these big groups have lawyers on retainer so when tenants do catch something, they get buried in legal threats or settlement offers that aren't worth the paper they're printed on... It's like the whole system is designed to wear people down until they just give up and pay whatever's asked. And the city council just looks the other way because these same companies donate to their campaigns... My buddy says even the well run buildings in his area are starting to copy these tactics just to keep up with the big guys, so it's spreading like a disease.
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