Some Skokie residents advocate treating renters differently
A small, vocal group of Skokie residents are imploring the Skokie Village Board to adopt a proposal that would establish different nuisance and criminal penalties for Skokie renters compared to homeowners. Under the proposal, rental units in Skokie would be licensed and if a tenant allegedly engages in nuisance or criminal behavior than the Village could rescind the license and, according to proponents, the tenants would have to vacate the unit. At the same time, those that can afford to or choose to own a home can engage in even worse behavior and face no loss of housing. Not only is such a proposal fundamentally inequitable, but it sends a message that Skokie renters should be considered lesser residents of Skokie.
What is more, this concept profoundly conflicts with Illinois’ Forcible Entry and Detainer Act which governs the ability for landlords to evict tenants. The only lawful way for a landlord to regain possession of leased property is to file a lawsuit under the Act claiming that the tenant is occupying the rental unit without right. There is no allowance in state law to evict tenants based on a municipality revoking a rental license. This will place property owners in the unenviable position of choosing between compliance with state or local law.
Worse, the Village should be concerned with the unintended consequences of such a policy. Chief among them is that some renters or property owners, with loss of housing always hanging over their head, may be reluctant to call the police for assistance.
Another unintended consequence is that license revocation may simply shift nuisances. Those ejected from one property can simply rent a unit in another Skokie property. In the interim, evicted tenants will need immediate housing and will likely move-in with friends or relatives who may also live in Skokie which may lead to overcrowding and more nuisance conditions. If the evicted tenants do not have someone nearby who can take them in, they may resort to living on the streets. To the extent that children are involved, loss of housing can lead to loss of stability and disruption to schooling.
Lastly, rental licensing may lead to disinvestment in Skokie real estate causing increased vacancies and decreased property values. With a near-endless choice of communities to invest in real estate, some property owners will surely choose to invest in one of the vast majority of communities without such regulations.
While writing this article, this author can’t help but to think of his grandparents – William and Pearl Handler – who escaped pre-World War II Poland and spent their golden years as Skokie renters. While they were never able to afford to own a home, like so many other renters and homeowners, they helped positively contribute to the unique, inclusive community that is Skokie.
The Skokie Village Board is set to discuss this proposal this Monday, July 16 at 8:00 p.m. at Skokie Village Hall. Tenants and property owners are welcome to attend and weigh-in on the discussion.
Rudy J
7:12 am on Saturday, July 14, 2012
I remember reading "Animal Farm" as a child and thinking, "How absurd!" How sad to watch our society devolve to something so similar. My anger about this issue has left me speechless. I share your grievances; thank you for expressing them so well. See you at the meeting.
Justa6655321
7:27 am on Saturday, July 14, 2012
The point of the license is to make money for the village!
Judith Baur
11:22 pm on Saturday, July 14, 2012
Where a person lives doesn't dictate their behavior. I lived in Skokie for 18 years, and witnessed both good and bad behavior in all types of housing environments. It's like stating that a family down on their luck and qualifying for Section 8 to live in an apartment that will accept that will trash the place and be a bad neighbor because of their economic situation. Manners are taught, lifestyles change often due to circumstances beyond one's control. Different rules/laws? How about just fairly enforce the one's already on the books!
Tom Gross
3:56 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
they don't have normal families, that is a big part of the problem. They think life is a rap vidoe, because they aren't very intelligent.
Justa6655321
12:47 am on Sunday, July 15, 2012
1 out of every 15 black males will spend time in jail......
A 2007 special report released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, reveals that approximately 8,000 — and, in certain years, as many as 9,000 African Americans are murdered annually in the United States. This chilling figure is accompanied by another equally sobering fact, that 93% of these murders are in fact perpetrated by other blacks. The analysis, supported by FBI records, finds that in 2005 alone, for example, African Americans accounted for 49% of all homicide victims in the US — again, almost exclusively at the hands of other African Americans.
Tom Gross
3:51 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
They are lesser than homeowners, because they have no interest in keeping skokie nice. The landlords are to blame. I grew up in Skokie in the 80's and 90's, and the renters then were not as bad, because they wasn't section 8. You can' put people who can't afford a neighborhood, into that neighborhood, and expect them to know how to behave. They don't know any better. The liberals in Skokie have finally started the process of ruinning it, with the help of their poor, uneducated friends. Congratulations. They should have only allowed for 2 to 3 section 8 units, that whay they would have been forced to assimilate. But instead, there are too many, and they just revert back to their project ways.
Rudy J
3:31 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Who is they? Do you live in Skokie now? If not, why are you so interested? You hate speech is hardly furthering this debate.
Tom Gross
3:55 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
If you don't like the direction of the city, vote out the mayor who brought it to your doorsteps.
anna
11:36 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
Howard Handler is a LOBBYIST for the real estate industry but does not identify himself as such in this piece.
Here is how he signs his e-mails:
Howard Handler
Government Affairs
Illinois Association of REALTORS
Serving as Government Affairs Director for the:
- Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS (Lake County); and North Shore - Barrington Association of REALTORS.
His objective is to prevent regulation that affects real estate interests.
This particular ordinance is aimed at making LANDLORDS responsible for taking action if and when their tenants commit repeated disturbances and/or criminal behavior. The purpose of this is to make the community SAFER.
Any TENANT who does not create disturbances or break the law has nothing to worry about.
The Village of Skokie has stated on numerous occasions that if the ordinance passes, it will likely be extended to ALL residential rentals in due course, including condos and single-family homes.
Such ordinances are in force in dozens of Chicago-area communities, including Niles and Schaumburg.
Mr. Handler has a right to his opinion. But why isn't he being HONEST about his identity and agenda, and why is he distorting the facts?
Howard Handler
10:44 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
Anna... when submitting this blog post to Patch -- I submitted biographical information fully disclosing my affiliation -- why it's not posted or easily accessible is a question you'll have to ask Patch. The irony though is you do not disclose your affiliation or even you last name.
Nonetheless, your statements are very indicative of someone that has heard the rental licensing talking points but do not understand how it would be applied in the real world. For example, you state "any TENANT who does not create disturbances or break the law has nothing to worry about." There are a number of problems with such a statement, including:
1. In all likelihood it will be a Village Administrator, not a Judge making that decision. I don't think you would want your housing status being decided by a Village staff person -- otherwise, you would be advocating for this proposal to be applied to owner occupied homes as well.
2. Landlords do not have the legal ability to eject tenants from their apartments just because Skokie says so. You can wish this all you want but it does not make it so. Please, very specifically, explain how that would work.
3. What are you going to do if one member of a household, say a 16 year old kid, creates disturbances. Are you going to kick out his entire family, including younger siblings, perhaps an elderly grandmother, out on the street? This gets more complicated when you are dealing with multiple people, doesn't it?
Rudy J
3:29 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Why single out renters? What's the benefit? I have yet to hear any concrete facts, only vague terms such as "noncompliance". What does that mean? Are homeowners always "compliant"? How is this not discrimination?
Justa6655321
12:52 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
Stop the nonsense! This is a TAX! Stop the nonsense! This is a TAX!
Crime isn't going to go down! This is not enforceable! All a landlord can do is call the police and not rent again to the problem tenant when the lease is up.
Skokie Mom
9:33 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
"they don't have normal families" "they aren't very intelligent" "they are lesser than homeowners" "they don't know any better" "The real problem here is that African Americans do not know how to behave in a normal society.".......
what a sad, hateful, ignorant bunch you are
Tom Gross
10:03 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
Tell me who are the ones mob attacking white people in Skokie? Four times in the past 4 weeks, groups of 3-15 black males attacking whites. And we are the ignorant ones? That never happened before they moved in.
Justa6655321
10:26 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
The Skokie school system has the same drop out rate as the city of Chicago and the testing results are even lower equaling some of the inner city schools. YET our teacher make on average 20% MORE!
h m
11:23 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Justa6655321, I would hate to tell you but D219 dropout rate is not the same as CPS. You are correct in saying the test scores are better in Chicago but you are trying to compare Disney, Payton, Northside College Prep, etc... to Niles. Disney, Payton, etc are Magnet Schools that you need to test to get into. These are not you normal CPS Schools. Take a look at Marshall AND Juarez, can you tell me they have the same test scores as Niles township
Justa6655321
9:58 am on Monday, July 16, 2012
Sing it Skokie mom, sing it while your property values decline, crime in Skokie skyrockets, and education dives.
Yea, roll one, smoke one
When you live like this you're supposed to party
Roll one, smoke one, and we all just having fun
So we just, roll one, smoke one
When you live like this you're supposed to party
Roll one, smoke one, and we all just having fun
So what we dont sleep (smoke weed)
We're just having fun
We don't care who sees
So what we go out
That's how its supposed to be
Living young and wild and free
Rudy J
3:24 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
I'm trying, as a black person, to not be offended by some of these comments. However, the hate speech is just to get a reaction, so I'll ignore them. What is being suggested is that renters be treated differently - separate but equal. Two classes of citizens? What year is this? How does this help build a community? What does liberalism have to do with it? Come to the meeting and let's have an intelligent, honest discussion.
Confused African American
3:55 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Wow......proof that we have NOT overcome! African Americans are the reason crime exists in Skokie?
By the way.....you might want to use spell check to help you Mr. Gross. Don't want those "Black" people thinking you are uneducated. And, your last name suits your thoughts and opinions.
Educated black woman
4:25 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Justa6655321 - You are one ignorant individual. I hope you don't have children because we do not need anymore people like you in this world. There are other races commiting crimes in Skokie but it isn't put out there as it is when the individual commiting the crime is black. Other races get away with a lot because people are so busy watching the "black folks". You all are very sad!!
Justa6655321
5:49 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
I do not want section 8 in Skokie and I do not want more taxes in the form of licenses!
Let the people that can afford to live here stay. Let the others go! This town is bloated with liberals that want nothing more than to spend our tax money. So called social reform schools in the basements of religious centers teaching criminals that are marched to our parks for lunch! Go somewhere else please! Or is the money just to rich for the elite few that collect on these programs? We have teachers that make 20% more than the Illinois average and a school distract that feels its important to expand in one of the greatest economic downturns in history...yeah that makes a lot of sense.
What we need to do is vote these people out. Oh wait, it's almost impossible to do that because they have changed the laws and regulations to make it so. You just can't vote the mayor out oh no it doesn't work like that around here.
Does anyone know that the village manager of Skokie make more money in salary than the president of the USA? Anyone? That's a FACT! Look it up people! He took a pay cut so he wouldn't be in the top 5 in the state. Poor boy is making over 200k a year....yeah thats a fact!
Justa6655321
5:56 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
The average senior citizen's property taxes increased by almost $2k a year recently. You want pain....open your tax bills and take a look. Yeah let's stick it to the tax payers of Skokie and at the same time lets bring more people into the village that can't afford to be here on their own. Then let's tax the landlords AGAIN with a license.
h m
11:36 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
You need to realize that a lot of the problems with the tax bills is caused by Springfield. Homeowners exemptions used to be between $4,000 & $6,000 per home. Now it is $2,500 or less, and going to be less next year. Not because the schools want more money. Because Springfield changed the rules.
George Slefo
11:15 am on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Hey all -
Comments will now need approval before being posted. We encourage discussions on controversial issues in the community on Patch, but we also encourage people to do so with respect to the other side.
Some of the comments posted here were highly offensive and they have now been removed. If you have any questions or concerns, please send me an email at georges@patch.com
Thanks.
George Slefo
5:06 pm on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Just a heads up to everyone -
There will be another post on this issue come Wednesday morning, Aug. 29. Be sure to check it out. Thanks!
Sweetg
9:31 am on Friday, September 28, 2012
This discussion has degraded into biased and hateful arguments because the proposed bill definitely opens the door to discrimination in Skokie. It is viewed as targeting low income and minority tenants for additional taxation, legislation and possible eviction. Read the ordinance & learn the facts. The Skokie Independent Landlords Association is pro Skokie and is against this bill. Visit www.Skokielandlord.org for more details on how this ordinance will actually effect the village and you.