The Illinois REALTORS® advocacy team has published a brochure, Vacant property registrations: The good, the bad and the ugly. (member login required)

Many Illinois municipalities have adopted or consider adopting ordinances which create government registration of vacant properties. The intent is to ensure safety, health and welfare, but there can be some costly unintended consequences. Problems include excessive fees, unclear definitions and, perhaps worst of all, registration of occupied housing.

The brochure explains how to avoid these problems and provides definitions and a helpful “Understanding the Foreclosure Process in Illinois” infographic. The infographic is intended to help the public and local governments understand the probability that a home will be occupied by its owners during much of the foreclosure process.

Illinois REALTORS® hopes this brochure will help you, your clients and local elected officials understand how to avoid problems associated with vacant property registrations and begin a conversation about how to help Illinois homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure.