REALTORS® will receive exclusive guidance and training on the transition to the Bridge Phase for reopening Illinois, mask wearing, the statewide eviction moratorium and the top issues on the Legal Hotline during tomorrow’s 11 a.m. Legal Update Virtual Session. Then those who are housing providers can participate in a Wednesday webinar on how to apply for those funds.

UPDATE: Today’s Legal Session will now begin at 11:15 am CST due to technical issues.

During tomorrow’s Legal Update Virtual Session, Illinois REALTORS® General Counsel Betsy Urbance and Legal Hotline Attorney Anneliese Fierstos will discuss the Bridge Phase and the transition to Phase 5 for reopening Illinois. Urbance acknowledged some REALTORS® are confused about which COVID-19 regulations to follow.

“Follow the strictest of all if there is a conflict between federal, state, local, territorial, tribal or business regulations,” she said. “For showings, follow the lawful direction of sellers. If you can do virtual showings, do them. If sellers require you to wear masks and social distance, do so.”

On Wednesday, housing providers and landlords can participate in special training session for Illinois REALTORS® members on how to apply for the federal emergency rent relief housing assistance being administered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s (IHDA). That webinar starts at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

IHDA representatives will explain how the Illinois Rental Payment Assistance Program (IRPP) can provide up to $25,000 in one-time grants for housing providers and tenants who have experienced economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s eviction moratorium could end as soon as this August. But the governor on Monday signed HB 2877 into law, which seals eviction records until Aug. 1, 2022 and sets up the structure for distribution of the emergency assistance funds.

That money will be given directly to landlords and can cover missed rent payments between June 2020 through August 2021. IHDA indicates the following dates and deadlines for applications:

  • Housing providers/landlords may initiate joint applications starting Mon., May 17 through Mon., June 7.
    • Tenants will have until Mon., June 14 to complete their portion of landlord-initiated applications.
  • Tenants may initiate their own applications, starting Wed., June 9 through Mon., June 28.
    • Landlords will have until Tues., July 6 to complete their portion of tenant-initiated applications.

To tune into the IHDA webinar, Illinois REALTORS® members can use the following information:

https://illinois2.webex.com/illinois2/j.php?MTID=m6af5d8bedae784f258532cd6547ed100
Wednesday, May 19, 2021 2:00 pm | 1 hour 30 minutes | (UTC-05:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
Meeting number: 177 597 9412
Password: rsMSrfX8J98
Join by video system
Dial [email protected]
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.

Join by phone
+1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Chicago)
+1-240-454-0879 USA Toll
Access code: 177 597 9412