Landlords: watch out for tenants
I am a property owner of a building just like you. I am neither a slum landlord nor rich, but only seek to acquire a little extra income through owning property. Since I’ve had my building, I have become a victim of scheming tenants that know the ropes in regard to “Tenant and Landlord Rights.”
The tenants knowingly use the weaknesses within these ordinances and manipulate them ?” not to protect their rights, but to get over on the landlords who always lose money in the end.
Within the time that I have had my building, I have been confronted with this problem on several occasions with an approximant loss of over $10,000 in rent, court cost and unwarranted citation repairs, plus, the cost in mental frustration and loss of time.
The laws governing the relationship between tenants and landlords do not equally protect the rights of landlords. We always end up losing while the tenant eventually goes away looking for another landlord to use while laughing at how they used the system to get over.
It is time that something is done to correct this injustice upon landlords. If you have been confronted with the same problem, it is time to get together and do something about it. I would like to hear from you and maybe together, we can stop this abuse of landlords.
Butch Campbell
Landlord shenanigans force tenants to move
Ms. Jones, I enjoyed your column so much that I’m sending a copy to Washington DC. Let me tell you a brief story about what happened to me and how I continue to suffer.
In March, my former landlord of the 1500 block of west Spaulding said there was a closing on the building. He said the new owner, whom he said he didn’t know, told him we had two weeks to leave or had to pay $1500 rent. We weren’t given a 30-day notice and no interest was returned on our security deposit. I went to City Hall and was told I couldn’t get an extension because the landlord provided me with a written statement.
I had to sell some furniture, throw away books and sell clothes or be forced to move. I ended up moving into a studio in April. I work 20-hours a week and had to pay an extra $145 a month for rent, moving expenses and security. I was so upset that I asked for medication from my clinic.
He said the building would be torn down, but this was a lie because it’s fixed up now. I don’t know who’s wrong and no one helped me. This landlord got away with this and now I’m living in a bad environment.
Shirley A. Sivels
Gambling casino won’t help the West Side
In my opinion, I agree with the Democratic nominee LaShawn Ford with his suggestion of building a new school on the West Side of Chicago where the abandoned Brach candy factory is. I don’t agree with gambling ?” not one bit! This will bring the crime rate higher than it already is here on the West Side of Chicago. Gambling causes a lot of problems, and it is already seen as a quick fix to all our problems. Gambling brings about more robbery when a person knows there is a casino in their area. Gambling creates financial problems when one becomes addicted to gambling. Gambling causes suicide when a person loses all their bill money, they take their own life. Gambling causes divorces when one of the couples loses all their money for bills, rent, food, cloths, car notes and insurance. Divorce court ?” here they go. These are just a few things that gambling can cause – and they are all bad. But Ms. Jones, your suggestion of a roller rink for the family is an excellent idea, especially here on the West Side.
Mary Hartsfield
Vice President, Herdsman Corporation
