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The Rental Fee Transparency and Fairness Act found in House Bill
3564 passed the Illinois House, but has pending Senate
amendments to prohibit a number of other charges a landlord uses
to recoup funds to pay for damages. The original version
prohibited any type of move-in fee.
Mike Glasser, president of the Neighborhood Building Owners
Alliance, said landlords need move-in fees for two reasons.
“One is, because we don’t take security deposits, we have funds
available to help us to repair damage in apartments, and
secondly, the move-in fees help us endure the true costs of
moving folks into apartments,” said Glasser.
The bill now would mandate that if the housing provider charges
a move-in or move-out fee, the housing provider must provide an
itemized list of the cost of the services, including "bundled
services."
The measure also would prohibit so-called "junk fees," such as a
fee or fine ancillary to the application fee, a fee or fine for
modification or renewal of a lease agreement, or a fee or fine
for an eviction notice or the filing of an eviction action.
Glasser said the sponsors of the bill are missing the big
picture.
“This is a small little potential Band-aid which is not going to
work in my opinion, but the bigger problem is that there is not
enough housing and that’s where the focus should be,” said
Glasser.
The measure is expected to be presented in the Senate Executive
Committee and if amended and passed in the Senate, the bill will
have to return to the Illinois House for concurrence.
Legislators are scheduled to adjourn May 31.
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