Annual expo aids renters and landlords

The city is hosting the 5th Annual Rents Right Rental Housing Expo on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to inform renters and landlords of their rights and responsibilities. Unlike a homeowner, who deals mainly with their lender, renters deal with their landlor

The city is hosting the 5th Annual Rents Right Rental Housing Expo on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to inform renters and landlords of their rights and responsibilities.

Unlike a homeowner, who deals mainly with their lender, renters deal with their landlord. Dealing with a landlord is not always easy, especially if the tenant is late paying rent or has a dispute about services.

For these reasons and many others, the expo was formed to help people understand their rights and to help foster good landlord-tenant relationships, said Ellen Sahli, commissioner for the Chicago Department of Housing.

“Chicago Rents Right has helped residential landlords and tenants understand their rights and responsibilities for over 10 years,” Sahli said.

“We’re proud to support the Chicago Rents Right Expo and the effort to encourage good landlord-tenant relationships across the city.”

The expo will be held at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Van Buren St.

Milton Jameson, 41, plans to attend the event. He is a first-time landlord and purchased a four-unit apartment building on the West Side in January.

“All of my tenants are cool with me so far, and I don’t expect any of them to get out of pocket,” he said. “They pay their rent on time and keep peace in the building. However, I do know that could all change one day, and if it does, I want to know how to handle it.”

But Skip Williams, 28, rents a two-bedroom apartment on the South Side and said some landlords violate tenants’ rights.

“This is my second apartment, and the real estate company that manages my building is very professional and courteous,” Williams said. “But at my old apartment, it was owned by a private owner, and this guy would freeze you in the winter and took his time getting things fixed in your unit. He would even come into your apartment without your knowledge. The only thing he was proficient with was collecting the rent.”

The expo will offer bilingual workshops for landlords and tenants, providing information on conflict resolution, housing discrimination, common building code violations and other aspects of rental housing.

The free event will feature dozens of exhibitors, including government and community agencies, banks, insurance companies, developers of rental housing, property managers and more.

For more information, call the Department of Housing’s Rents Rights hotline at (312) 742-7368.

Copyright 2008 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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