Old school landlord vs new property management firms in Chicago evictions

I had a landlord back in 2008, just a guy who owned a few buildings in Logan Square. When I had a rent dispute, he came over himself with a paper lease and we talked it out in 20 minutes. Fast forward to 2023, I'm dealing with a corporate management company over a security deposit issue and they sent me a 6 page form and demanded I use their online portal only. The old guy actually knew the Chicago RLTO by heart and fixed the problem on the spot. Has anyone else found that smaller landlords handle legal stuff way better than these big firms?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_davis2d ago

My last security deposit took three months and a Ouija board.

fisher.thomas2d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, the Ouija board part hits close to home. I had a landlord once who claimed they couldn't find my paperwork for two months. Then they said they lost the check. Then they tried to tell me I owed them for a scratch on the wall that was already there when I moved in. I swear they were just waiting for me to give up and forget about it. The whole thing felt like a game where the only way to win was to make a ghost show up and file a complaint.

carr.abby2d ago

Evan_davis's comment about the Ouija board is spot on. I used to think bigger firms would be more organized and by the book, but after dealing with a corporate place in Lincoln Park two years ago, I totally changed my mind. They lost my move-in checklist twice and then tried to charge me for carpet stains that were there when I walked in. Took me four months and a certified letter to get my deposit back. A small landlord I had before that would have just looked at the photos with me and handled it in one visit.