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More than 1,700 Cook County REALTORS® have responded to an Illinois REALTORS® Call for Action since Oct. 18, urging the Cook County Board to protect the rights of property owners and property managers when establishing rules for the “Just Housing Ordinance.”
As a result, more than 4,900 emails have been sent to the Cook County Board and its president. REALTORS® can go here to participate in the Call for Action.
The ordinance seeks to make it easier for those convicted of some crimes to have a path back into society by placing guidelines on screening housing applicants. But Illinois REALTORS® believes the ordinance, which was passed in April and is in a rule-making process, goes too far. The CCB’s Committee on Rules and Administration and the Cook County Commission on Human Rights (CCCHR) have proposed different sets of rules, trying to balance concerns of REALTORS®, landlords and housing activists with the Just Housing Coalition.
On Wednesday the CCB’s Committee on Rules and Administration asked for a new set of rules so the issue could be resolved by Nov. 6. Prior to that, the CCCHR had rejected rules developed by the Committee on Rules and Administration. The major differences between the two sets of rules were:
- The Committee on Rules and Administration suggested limiting reviews of past convictions to five years while the CCCHR shortened the look-back period to three years. (Illinois REALTORS® suggested seven years.)
- The CCCHR proposed that rental units be held off the market for 10 days while rejected applicants go through an appeals process, while the Committee on Rules and Administration suggested a shorter appeals process.
Five REALTORS® testified for preserving property rights Wednesday, including: Illinois REALTORS® Treasurer Zeke Morris of EMA Realty and Management in Chicago; Sarah Ware of Ware Realty Group LLC in Chicago; Chris Pezza of Miller Chicago LLC; Antoine Bass of Antoine J. Bass in Matteson; and Bob Parris of Manchester Realty in Evanston.
Illinois REALTORS® has worked for months to suggest ways to make the rules fairer for property owners. The Call for Action is an effort to make sure the association’s members are heard on this critical property rights issue. The new rules will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
(Standing far right) REALTOR® Sarah Ware speaks to the Cook County Board’s Committee on Rules and Administration. She was one of five REALTORS® who testified last week.
