Almost got evicted because of a shady 'lease amendment' trick

I was at a diner in Lincoln Park last month and this guy at the counter told me his landlord slipped a paper into his renewal that changed the rent by $200 and the late fee from $50 to $150. He signed it without reading because it was mixed in with the regular stuff. Has anyone else dealt with a landlord sneaking in changes like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

wood.uma1d ago

That diner story reminds me of when my old landlord in Rogers Park tacked a "pet fee addendum" onto my renewal and circled a line about "caged animals" in red pen. I don't have any pets, so I asked her about it and she got all defensive, said it was just a standard form. Turned out the form also had a clause that let her enter my unit with 12 hours notice instead of 24. She "accidentally" left that part in from a previous tenant's lease. Real piece of work that woman.

nelson.wren1d ago

Couldn't believe a landlord would try to slip the 12 hour entry thing past you.