Living in Chicago can be tough, and dealing with slumlords makes it even harder. I have personally experienced firsthand the negligence, the disregard for tenants’ rights, and the failure of some property owners to comply with the law.

Owners intentionally ignore necessary repairs, allow unsafe and unhealthy living conditions to continue, charge increasingly unaffordable rent, and retaliate against tenants who stand up for their rights simply because they believe they are not required to adhere or comply with the law.

The City of Chicago Department of Buildings (DOB) is supposed to protect the public by investigating complaints, inspecting properties, enforcing building and housing codes, and ensuring that rental properties are safe and habitable.

When tenants report unsafe or unsanitary living conditions, inspectors should respond promptly, conduct thorough inspections, and remain impartial throughout the process. Instead, far too often, complaints are ignored, delayed, or closed without a meaningful attempt to investigate.

Inspectors have also made it a habit of becoming involved in matters that are outside the scope of their responsibilities. Their role is to inspect properties and determine whether code violations exist, not to question tenants about their rental history, whether they are behind on rent, how their rent is paid, or whether they receive rental assistance through Section 8 or any other program. Those issues have absolutely no bearing on whether a property complies with Chicago’s building and housing codes.

These failures leave tenants living in uninhabitable conditions, including mold, water leaks, pest infestations, broken heating systems, plumbing failures, electrical hazards, structural damage, broken elevators, and other dangerous conditions that threaten the health and safety of Chicago residents.

We are calling on the City of Chicago to implement meaningful reforms that improve accountability within the Department of Buildings and strengthen the inspection process.

The following reforms are necessary to restore public trust, improve accountability, and ensure that every complaint receives a fair, timely, and impartial investigation.

1. Require, enforce, and adhere to inspection deadlines based on the severity of reported hazards.
2. Require inspectors to contact tenants to schedule inspections and ensure access to the unit whenever possible, rather than simply arriving without notice. Inspectors who fail to appear for scheduled inspections without proper notice or justification should be subject to meaningful disciplinary consequences, and tenants should not be penalized or have their complaints closed as a result of the inspector’s failure to appear.
3. Require inspectors to make multiple documented attempts to gain access before closing a complaint for lack of access. Tenants may be employed, attend school, have medical appointments, or simply be away from home for personal reasons that do not need to be disclosed.
4. Establish meaningful disciplinary consequences for inspectors who close complaints without conducting inspections or without making the required attempts to gain access.
5. Prohibit inspectors and investigators from questioning tenants about their rental history, rental status, payment history, or whether they receive rental assistance. Those matters are irrelevant to determining whether an owner is complying with Chicago’s building and housing codes.
6. Establish meaningful disciplinary consequences for inspectors or investigators who improperly intervene in landlord-tenant disputes instead of limiting their responsibilities to housing and building code enforcement.
7. Provide tenants with written updates regarding complaints, inspections, violations, enforcement actions, and case closures from the time a complaint is filed until the matter is resolved.
8. Require written explanations whenever a complaint is closed without violations being cited or enforcement action being taken.
9. Create a dispute and appeal process for tenants who believe an inspection or complaint was improperly handled.
10. Notify tenants of administrative hearings and court proceedings related to code violations affecting their homes and allow them the opportunity to testify regarding whether repairs have actually been attempted or completed.
11. Require inspectors to photograph and document all observed violations during every inspection and include those photographs, along with all inspection reports, notices, findings, enforcement actions, and any other documents generated during the investigation, in the official case file. Tenants shall receive copies of all such records in writing to ensure transparency and to preserve documentation in the event of retaliation or an eviction proceeding.
12. Require supervisory review and approval before any complaint can be closed without an inspection or without violations being cited.
13. Require inspectors to identify themselves by name and employee identification number before beginning an inspection and include that information on all inspection reports and written findings provided to tenants.
14. Publish annual public reports detailing complaint response times, inspection outcomes, enforcement actions, department performance, and aggregate performance metrics for inspectors while protecting confidential personnel information as required by law.

The City of Chicago has a responsibility to ensure that its housing enforcement system is fair, transparent, and accountable. Chicago residents deserve timely inspections, meaningful enforcement, and a Department of Buildings that remains focused on protecting public health and safety.

Join us in demanding stronger oversight, greater transparency, and meaningful accountability within the City of Chicago Department of Buildings.

Please sign this petition and help us make a difference.