As an owner at Park Tower, whether you currently lease your unit or may do so in the future, it is important to stay informed about proposed municipal legislation currently before the Chicago City Council.
Two major housing proposals—Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO) and an alternative Fair Accountability In Rentals (FAIR) Ordinance introduced by City Council members—could significantly alter condominium leasing rules, shift operational costs onto owners, and impact building governance. This at a time when property owners are already dealing with extraordinary inflation impacting maintenance costs, and absorbing record increases in property taxes.
The Mayor’s Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO): Broadly restricts and bans non-optional fees in leases, requiring extensive disclosures and prohibiting fees not explicitly enumerated in city code.
The Counter-Proposal (FAIR Ordinance): Caps and restricts administrative, security deposit, and move-in fees in leases.
Impact on Condo Owners: Park Tower does have a registration fee for all new occupants and a deposit for elevator reservations which are charged to owners (either newly purchasing, or leasing their unit) to cover direct staff costs, pest inspection, and elevator wear-and-tear caused by moves. Under strict fee-restriction rules, if owners are prohibited from passing building-assessed move-in/elevator charges along to their tenants, the unit owner will absorb these expenses out-of-pocket. YES – the fees will still be charged, just will not be able to be passed on to renters directly. To recoup lost fee revenue and rising overhead, theoretically landlord owners will be forced to increase overall monthly rents, inadvertently raising the total cost of living for renters across the board.
The Mayor’s Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO): Codifies “Just Cause” eviction rules, severely limiting a property owner’s ability to non-renew a lease at the end of its term unless specific, narrow conditions are met. In situations where a lease is non-renewed without tenant fault, the ordinance imposes mandatory relocation assistance fees (e.g., 5–10 months of rent or $5,000–$10,000) payable by the owner to the resident.
The Counter-Proposal (FAIR Ordinance): Removes the strict mandatory relocation payout and “Just Cause” requirement, but introduces longer statutory notice periods and complicated compliance mandates regarding lease terminations.
Impact on Condo Owners: PRO substantially impairs an owner’s fundamental right to retake possession of their own private property—whether to sell the unit, move back into it, perform repairs, or address problematic behavior.
Impact on Building Community: When unit owners face expanded administrative hurdles, narrow eviction grounds, and financial penalties to remove non-compliant residents, dealing with disruptive tenants becomes significantly more costly and time-consuming. This delay directly harms surrounding neighbors and compromises the quiet enjoyment and security of the entire Park Tower community.
Both Ordinance Proposals: Contemplate a centralized city rental registry requiring registration fees, paperwork, and municipal oversight for rental properties.
Impact on Condo Owners: Adding a new bureaucracy to require municipal registration and inspections, increases administrative costs for individual condo investors. These recurring compliance costs may only act to further inflate monthly rents to maintain viability.
Impact on Everyone: Some might argue right now, with an already out of control City budget billions of dollars in the red, it is not the time to be adding something new. Nonetheless, whether it is in part or fully funded by the proposed fees involved, it is adding more money that needs to be paid in to an already bloated system. exhausted by increasing property taxes. It is more money coming out of our pockets, going to yet another ‘department’ of government. To paraphrase an attorney we spoke to about this, “…the courts already afford substantial and impressive protections to renters in Cook County. Creating this [new department] is just another way to justify scooping up more money that ultimately just translates to higher rents.“
If you wish to share your comments or concerns regarding these proposals as a condominium owner or resident, you can reach out directly to the Mayor’s Office and our local 48th Ward Alderwoman:
Ward Office Address: 1129 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, IL 60660
Ward Phone: (773) 784-5277
City Hall Office: 121 N. La Salle St., Room 300, Chicago, IL 60602
City Hall Phone: (312) 744-6834
Email: info@the48thward.org
Office Address: City Hall, 121 N. La Salle St., 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: (312) 744-3300 or 311 (within Chicago)
Website: City of Chicago – Mayor’s Office
