Chicago City Council Considers “Just Cause” Evictions

Chicago lawmakers are preparing to reintroduce a “just cause” ordinance later this month that would limit landlords’ ability to evict tenants or refuse lease renewals.

Backed by a broad coalition of more than 100 groups, including the Chicago Teachers Union and Metropolitan Planning Council, the measure would require landlords to cite specific grounds for evicting tenants.

Those grounds include failure to pay rent, lease violations or owner move-ins, In These Times reported. In cases where landlords want to take a property off the market or rent to a relative, the ordinance would require them to pay relocation assistance.

The proposed measure marks the most significant tenant protection proposal in the city since the height of the pandemic. That includes an ongoing two-month-long rent strike and resistance to so-called “invisible evictions,” in which renters are forced out without formal filings.

Advocates say many of these cases involve buildings being cleared by investors looking to raise rents, situations that rarely appear in court records but contribute to displacement citywide.

Under the draft ordinance, major rent hikes — more than 10 percent — would also trigger a requirement for relocation assistance if a tenant chooses to leave.

“This should just be a cost of doing business as a landlord,” said Rachael Wilson of the Chicago Housing Justice Coalition. “If you’re going to take housing away, you should help ensure tenants can find a new safe place to live.”

The latest version also addresses “renovictions,” a common loophole in other cities where landlords claim renovations justify clearing tenants. Under Chicago’s proposal, landlords would be required to show documentation from a licensed contractor that substantial repairs actually necessitate a vacancy.

The ordinance has stalled in the past, most recently in 2020 under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who instead pushed a weaker notification rule. But with more than 20 City Council members now on board, including lead sponsor Alderman Desmon Yancy, advocates say momentum is building.

Ten states and nearly 30 localities across the U.S. have adopted some version of just cause protections, including the states of New York and Colorado last year. Research suggests they reduce evictions without significantly slowing new housing development, a top concern among critics.

— Judah Duke