Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Illinois

Notification of Rent Increase

I live in an apartment and am under a lease until July 1st. When I moved in, the building was under different ownership but since I was under a year lease my rent did not change when new owners took over. Those around me were under month to month leases but were forced to sign leases or face increasing rent. Everyone else's rent increased by around $100 per month at that time. Since my lease is up in July, I want to know what my rent is going to be so I can decide whether or not it's worth it to stay. My land lord says that he cannot give me anything in writing until June 15th, but if I want to move out I have to give 30 days notice. He said he could give me a range but he couldn't confirm anything until June 15th. How can I make a decision without knowing my future rent before I have to give notice? This company has a history of bad dealings and ripping people off, that's why I wouldn't trust a range or anything about the rent unless it were in writing. Is it legal for him to wait so long to tell me what my rent will increase will be? Is there a limit to how much it could increase? The range he's considering will raise it almost $100 per month. Is this legal?


Asked on 4/05/00, 1:52 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Charles Dobra Charles Wm. Dobra, Ltd.

Re: Notification of Rent Increase

The short answer is: plan on moving NOW. This is a variation of the old bait and switch, the bait is that the rent may not go up--belive me, it will, and the switch, kind of, is that you won't switch places to live because it is a pain for most people to find another place to live. So, the bottom line or end game of your landlord is to get you to a point where you have to either have to move or pay a lot more for your apartment. Again, plan on moving now to keep your options open.

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Answered on 4/19/00, 10:28 pm


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