TELL CHICAGO'S
CITY COUNCIL WHY WE NEED
PROACTIVE

RENTAL INSPECTIONS!

¡DÍGALE AL CONCEJO MUNICIPAL DE CHICAGO QUE NECESITAMOS UN PROGRAMA PROACTIVO DE INSPECCIÓN DE VIVIENDAS!

For years, the Chicago Healthy Homes Coalition has been advocating for the passage of the Chicago Healthy Homes Ordinance (CHHO), a proactive rental inspection program that moves away from the current complaint-driven inspections toward a more targeted proactive program that works to ensure health and safety standards.

Por años, la Coalición de Viviendas Saludables de Chicago ha estado abogando para que se apruebe la Ordenanza de Hogares Saludables de Chicago (CHHO). Esta ordenanza pondría en pie un programa de inspección de viviendas de alquiler en toda la ciudad que ayudaría a mantener a las familias de Chicago sanas y seguras mediante la implementación de inspecciones justas y frecuentes de forma proactiva, en lugar de esperar que los inquilinos presenten quejas.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

SE BUSCAN VOLUNTARIOS

On February 11, 2026, City Council will be taking up a Working Group Ordinance, which is the first step in passing this program. We need volunteers to provide in-person or written public testimony about any health issues, eviction or other forms of displacement they endured as a result of substandard rental housing conditions. These stories will help City Council members understand why a proactive rental inspection is urgently needed.

El 11 de febrero de 2026, el Concejo Municipal de Chicago considerará una Ordenanza del Grupo de Trabajo, que representa el primer paso para la aprobación de un programa proactivo de inspección de viviendas de alquiler en Chicago. Necesitamos voluntarios dispuestos a proveer testimonio por escrito o en persona sobre cualquier problema médico o desalojo que hayan experimentado como resultado de las malas condiciones de alguna vivienda de alquiler. Estos testimonios ayudarán a que el Consejo Municipal tengan un mejor entendimiento sobre el por qué hay una necesidad urgente de adoptar un programa de inspección de alquiler proactiva.

Volunteer to Tell My Story on February 11th

Voluntariar Para Contar Mi Historia el 11 de febrero

Proactive Rental Inspections

PROACTIVE RENTAL INSPECTIONS

Chicago renters should not get sick or die because of preventable health hazards. Unlike other major cities, Chicago does not regularly inspect buildings for health or safety issues. Homes are only inspected when there is a complaint, and there is currently a huge backlog. Meanwhile, Chicago families continue to live in unsafe housing or are being forced to move out.

The Chicago Healthy Homes Ordinance (CHHO) is a citywide proactive rental housing inspection program that would:

Improve the health of Chicago families
Create a citywide building registry for all rental homes
Begin as a 5-year pilot phase in 4 wards
Institute fair and regular inspections every 3 years

Major cities across the country are adopting proactive rental inspection programs to address issues such as absent, negligent owners. Programs require owners to register properties. Cyclical inspections occur to ensure compliance with existing building codes. The following cities have already implemented proactive inspection programs and we hope to see Chicago on this list soon!

Los Angeles, CA • Sacramento, CA • Boulder, CO • Cedar Falls, IA • Des Moines, IA • Iowa City, IA

Bloomington, IL • Mount Prospect, IL • Peoria, IL • Waukegan, IL • West Chicago, IL • Ann Arbor, MI

Grand Rapids, MI • Lansing, MI • Port Huron, MI • Minneapolis, MN • Easton, PA • Philadelphia, PA

Portsmouth, VA • Seattle, WA • La Crosse, WI • Milwaukee, WI

CHHO

Impact of Hazardous Housing

HEALTH IMPACTS OF HAZARDOUS HOUSING CONDITIONS

According to the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University, a little over half of all Chicagoans are renters. In 2019 renters made more than 30,000 complaints for occupied blight and other habitability issues, with most complaints coming from the South and West Sides. The National Center for Healthy Housing reports that compared to renters in other cities, Chicagoans face higher-than-average rates of hazardous housing conditions such as water leaks, HVAC and plumbing equipment breakdowns, sewage issues, and broken plaster or peeling paint problems. The lack of a rental property registration system exacerbates Chicago's housing crisis and puts families at risk.

EXCESS MOISTURE AND LEAKS

Environmental issues like dust mites, mold, and poor ventilation can cause allergic reactions in tenants. They can also trigger asthma and other respiratory illnesses. In Chicago, 16% of families have a child with asthma. In 2022, Chicago residents visited the emergency room as a result of asthma more than 12,000 times – with 92% of these visits made by Black and Brown Chicagoans.

POOR MAINTENANCE

Poor maintenance of rental units leads to fire hazards, pest infestations, and chronic health problems. Between 2014 and 2019, 140 fires killed 62 Chicagoans. Nearly half of those fires involved buildings without a working smoke detector. An investigation found more than two dozen cases in which safety conditions played a role in the fires. Records showed the buildings had not been inspected for 5 or more years.

LEAD PAINT AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS

Over 77% of Chicago’s housing stock was built before the federal ban on lead-based paint in 1978. Most units in these buildings likely contain lead based paint. For children under the age of 6, lead poisoning can cause irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system. In In many communities of color, the childhood lead poisoning rates are 2-3 times higher than the citywide rate.

Children are particularly at risk of harm from lead poisoning, asthma triggers, fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

This photo is that of the window in the Bolin family home that had peeling paint containing lead. No amount of lead exposure is considered safe for children under the age of six, but the Bolins’ home contained 58 times the allowable limit.

Read more about the Bolin family and how this nearly invisible hazard impacted their lives.

Get Involved

GET INVOLVED. TAKE ACTION!

Support the Chicago Healthy Home Ordinance with these easy action steps:

Sign this petition to show your support.
Call or email your alder and ask them to support proactive rental inspections. (Find your alder here.)
Spread the word! Share this petition with neighbors, family, and friends.