Fight Junk Fees in Housing
Senate President Don Harmon, Speaker of the House Emanuel Chris Welch, and Governor JB Pritzker
The cost of living is out of control, especially in housing. We must stop landlords from charging us additional fees just for doing their jobs. Move-in fees that landlords keep in full are being charged in place of or, even worse, in addition to security deposits with zero accountability. Many of these mandatory fees are buried deep in long leases too and come as a complete surprise after we've moved in.
It's time for a change. Join us in saying to the leaders of the General Assembly and to the governor that we need relief now. HB 3564, the Rental Transparency and Fairness Act, would put an end to 10 junk fees charged by landlords, including many fees that are just for them to do their jobs in maintaining their own property, limit the size of application fees and move-in fees, stop the practice of letting landlords charge both a move-in fee and a security deposit, and would force landlords to put all mandatory fees on the front page of the lease for complete transparency.
In a time when we're under literal assault by federal forces here in Illinois, it's also all the more important that we keep people safely housed and help those that are homeless to get into housing. This bill will be sure to help with doing just that and has been endorsed by housing leaders across the state for doing so.
We have a chance to pass this bill this month in the Fall Veto Session, Oct 14-16 and 28-30, but President Harmon, Speaker Welch, and Governor Pritzker need to hear from you about how important this is. Will you join us in demanding housing justice this fall?
Endorsing Organizations:
A Just Harvest
Access Living
AIDS Foundation Chicago
Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County
Belden Sawyer Tenant Association
Center for Disability & Elder Law
Center for Housing and Health
Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness
Circles & Ciphers
Citizen Action/Illinois
Crossroads Collaborative
Enterprise of Destiny
Fresh Start Home Community Development Corporation
Glenview Community Church
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Heartland HOUSED
Helping Hands of Springfield
Housing Action Illinois
Illinois Legal Aid Online
Impact for Equity
James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy
Latino Policy Forum
Law Center for Better Housing
Legal Action Chicago
LYTE Collective
North Side Housing & Supportive Services
North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic
Northside Action for Justice
Northwest Center
ONE Northside
Red Line Service
Restore Justice
Shriver Center on Poverty Law
Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA)
Trinity United Church of Christ
Uptown People’s Law Center
Working Family Solidarity
Sponsored by
To:
Senate President Don Harmon, Speaker of the House Emanuel Chris Welch, and Governor JB Pritzker
From:
[Your Name]
I write to urge you to ensure that HB 3564, the Rental Transparency and Fairness Act, that would regulate junk fees, move-in fees, and lease transparency passes in Veto Session and gets signed into law. This bill will make a significant difference in the lives of many renters and homeless people that need housing here in Illinois.
While we are under threat of invasion and people in homeless encampments are being taken into custody by ICE and other federal agents, it highlights all the more how important housing is for everyone at any time. Our homes are safe havens, and everyone deserves to have housing. We must actualize ensuring that housing is treated as the human right that it is here in Illinois, even as it's under attack by President Trump and his regime.
I hope you will do everything possible to ensure that we pass HB 3564 this month for the sake of so many tenants and prospective tenants across the state. Thank you.