Politics & Government
Skokie To Consider Sweeping Ordinance On Rental Properties
The ordinance would require landlords to maintain properties to code, evict tenants who commit certain crimes and follow other procedures. The village's challenge is to balance the need to reduce crime with the rights of property owners and tenants.
Skokie is poised to adopt a significant set of rules that would allow the village to more closely regulate tenants in rental properties.
The bill, which village officials said is a response to complaints about crime in, or committed by residents of, multi-family housing, would require property owners and/or managers to comply with certain requirements, such as registering their rental units, getting detailed information on tenants, attending crime-free housing seminars, initiating eviction proceedings against tenants arrested for certain crimes, and displaying their contact information near the front door of the rental buildings.
"The ordinance recognizes that landlords are a critical component of our neighbohoods and furthers the collaboration between landlords and village staff for the benefit of neighborhoods and ultimately, the entire community," said John Lockerby, assistant village manager.
Deputy Chief of Police Al Lopez said cities across the country which have implemented similar crime-free housing strategies have seen reductions in crime.
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The village has released the following information.
The Village of Skokie values its rental properties as a key component of vibrant and functional neighborhood life and seeks to maintain neighborhood integrity by assuring safe, pleasant living environments. Within the Village there are approximately 1,200 multi-unit buildings providing 5,000 units of rental housing. The Village recognizes that landlords are a critical component of neighborhoods throughout the community. In an effort to provide effective tools for landlords, the Village will provide additional trained staff from the Skokie Police Department in collaboration with Property Standards to marshal all Village resources for the benefit of neighborhoods.
The Village Board previously considered an ordinance regarding multi-unit rental licensing and established an Interim Landlord-Resident Advisory Committee to provide further deliberations. A copy of the report from the committee is available here. The comments received from the committee, landlords and public at large, including conflicting opinions, were taken into consideration in drafting a new ordinance.
A draft of the new ordinance, Residential Rental Unit Standards and Neighborhood Integrity is available here (updated as of November 14, 2013). Please note that the ordinance does not include licensing. In addition, Frequently Asked Questions regarding the new draft ordinance are available here (updated as of November 14, 2013). The rental registration initiative is still in the planning phase. Comments and suggestions may be directed to info@skokie.org.
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At the November 18, 2013 Village Board meeting, the Village Board will give the new ordinance initial consideration. The Village Board meeting will be held at the Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street and start at 8:00 PM. The Village Board meeting agenda and information packets including this draft ordinance will be available on the Village’s website no later than the Thursday prior to the meeting.
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