Aldermen opposed to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s renters’ rights plan advance their own version, tell me about this news in (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/17/aldermen-renters-rights/)
17-09-2026
Here is an overview of the legislative clash covered by the Chicago Tribune regarding the competing proposals to update Chicago’s decades-old rental rules:
BackgroundA bitter dispute emerged in the Chicago City Council between Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration and a coalition of moderate and conservative aldermen over how best to reform the city’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Proposal: The Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO)Mayor Johnson and progressive aldermen advanced the “Protecting Renters Ordinance” (PRO) through the Housing and Real Estate Committee, but only after scaling it back to secure committee support:
Concessions made: Key progressive priorities were removed, including controversial “just cause” eviction restrictionswhich would have limited landlords’ ability to decline lease renewals without qualifying reasonsas well as mandated relocation payments of up to $10,000 for displaced tenants.
Core elements: The measure creates a mandatory citywide rental registry to track landlords and housing code compliance, institutes a $20-per-unit annual registration fee on landlords to fund a new Bureau of Rental Housing Services, restricts arbitrary rental fees, and permanently authorizes municipal legal defense funding for low-income tenants facing eviction.
Led by Alderman Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward) and backed by property owners and real estate associations, opposing aldermen bypassed the administration to advance their own competing measurethe “Fair and Accountable Illinois Rental” (FAIR) Ordinanceout of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards:
No per-unit registration fees: The FAIR proposal sets up a rental registration framework but expressly avoids charging landlords per-unit registration fees, with sponsors arguing that added fees would simply be passed down to tenants in the form of higher monthly rents.
Broader exemptions for small landlords: The aldermen’s measure significantly broadens exemptions for “mom-and-pop” landlords, shielding owners of up to 12 rental units from heavy reporting mandates.
Targeted protections: It focuses on cracking down on bad actors rather than sweeping mandates, penalizing self-help/illegal lockouts, capping application and move-in fees, preventing security deposit abuses, and codifying protections against landlord retaliation.
Both competing ordinances have advanced out of their respective committees and are heading toward the full 50-member City Council:
Approval of either measure requires a simple majority of 26 aldermanic votes.
Even if the rival FAIR ordinance secures enough council votes to pass, Mayor Johnson is expected to veto it, meaning its backers would ultimately need 34 votes to override the mayor’s veto.