Your Place recently sat down with Carole Bialczak, director of community outreach at the City of Chicago’s Department of Buildings, to discuss the city’s Landlord Training Program and issues that landlords and property owners must handle.
The Landlord Training Program, launched in 1997, is a free three-hour program designed to educate landlords, tenants and building owners on how to manage and maintain safe apartments and how to deter criminal activity in a building. The program is administered by the Department of Buildings and the Chicago Police Department.
Q–Why was the Landlord Training Program created?
A–The program was initiated a couple of years ago when the anti-gang and drug house ordinance became effective in 1996. This is where the liability falls on the landlord or owner of the property if the landlord knowingly, willfully allows criminal activity to continue to take place and does nothing about it. The purpose of the ordinance is to rid the city of criminal activity taking place in rental units, such as the manufacturing of drugs, prostitution and gang activity.
Q–What is the community outreach department?
A–The community outreach staff goes out to any group that asks to have a speaker on building-related matters and makes presentations, (on topics ranging) from plumbing to new construction to porch safety.
Q–What’s the main focus of the Landlord Training Program?
A–The program was designed to help landlords help themselves. It’s the landlords who have the power to set the rules; owners of property have to take charge of their buildings. The program was designed to give landlords techniques on how to use city services to help them through problems, including eviction, rodents, garbage and abandoned vehicles. The goal is to maintain your property and keep your tenants. By keeping long-term tenants, it’s making a stable community and neighborhood. The Department of Buildings works with the entire city of Chicago, and we want to make sure that (landlords) utilize all the city services.
Q–Please give examples of how another city agency can help landlords.
A–Streets and Sanitation handles rodent infestation, garbage and tree trimming, so your trees aren’t covering the outside lighting. Maybe cars are driving through the street too fast or it would be safer to have a one-way street. Landlords can contact the Transportation Department. Let’s say there’s a vacant lot at the end of the block. You want to check with the Planning and Development Department to see how to enhance it because the nicer the block, the better it is for you–you’ll keep tenants and bring tenants in.
Q–What is one key technique taught at the landlord program?
A–Preparing your property–not only from the outside, but from the inside. A nicely maintained building, with a little loving care, gives a good message that the landlord either lives there or he or she has someone managing that building. If the outside of the building looks nice, you’re giving the message to the tenants that you want the inside to be maintained the same way.
Q–Why is there the age-old problem of unrest between landlords and tenants?
A–The problem is communication between the tenant and the landlord. For instance, a tenant didn’t realize that he couldn’t take the garbage out the front door because nobody told him. If landlords want the garbage out the back door, they have to tell their tenants. It’s lack of communication, and landlords have to let it be known what they’re looking for and let it be known what tenants can and cannot do in the building.
Q–What have you seen landlords do that could help them protect their property from bad tenants?
A–One thing we have found with this program is that landlords or property owners have to learn to date and document. When they give information to tenants, they should write down on the document the date they gave the information to the tenant, make a copy and put it in a file. Landlords feel that the judges or the court system are on the side of the tenants, and it seems like the tenants are better prepared than the landlord. Landlords need to know what’s going on and what’s happening in their buildings, so they need to date and document events to protect their rights. We also tell the tenants that they have rights and that they can make their complaints using the city’s (312-744-5000) number.
Q–What’s the mission of the program?
A–The reason why we have this comprehensive program put together is to rid city buildings of troublesome tenants. Well, they have to go somewhere else. Where are they going to go? They’re going to go to the unsuspecting landlord who has no idea that this takes place and has no idea there are illegal fronts who will try to gain illegal access to apartments. One person applies for the apartment, and on move-in day, it’s not that individual who rented the apartment. We give all the safety tips and techniques for landlords to avoid all the pitfalls out there. The bottom line is good housing, safety, cleanliness and crime-free areas.
Q–What if a landlord finds himself with a problem tenant or criminal activity?
A–If you don’t have an attorney, you’d better get one who deals with real estate and landlord-tenant issues because this is something you need help with.
Q–What if a tenant doesn’t know who their property owner or landlord is?
A–Before you rent, you want to check out the landlord like the landlord wants to check you out. There are questions that tenants are supposed to ask before renting an apartment, so have a prepared list. Questions include: Does the landlord live on the premises? Who do I call in an emergency? Who is the owner of the property? You have to do your homework and check the landlord out.
Q–What’s one tip on how landlords can ensure control of their buildings?
A–They need to treat this like a business. Yes, you can have a steel heart, and you can have a little compassion. But you have to be fair, and you have to be consistent. What you do for one tenant, you have to do for the other. If you say no visitors can stay past two weeks, and if you allow it once, someone else will want to do it, too.
Q–What does the future hold for the landlord-tenant relationship?
A–We’ve got to go back to the basics. We’re moving into the year 2000, but maybe we should backtrack into history a little bit to where we needed one another. Sometimes the only time you get to know one another is an event, like a blizzard. If you can’t get out of the parking space and I can’t, we’re all in the same boat. That’s the only time people start looking out for one another. This is why you have to make a community in your building. I’m not saying have coffee and sit down. Just know who’s there and be concerned. A little hello once in a while helps, and the landlord should at least get to know everyone in the building. It’s very important because you are a community.
