Warning: Don't sign that eviction notice waiver without reading the fine print first

My landlord slid a paper into my renewal lease that said I waived my right to a 60-day notice before eviction court, and I only caught it because a tenant rights paralegal told me to look for the word 'summary' in the header - has anyone else found shady clauses hidden in Chicago leases?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_kim979d ago

Signed a waiver once without reading it because my coffee was getting cold and I figured "how bad could it be?" Turned out I accidentally agreed to pay my landlord in expired subway passes if I was late on rent. Nearly evicted myself from embarrassment when I tried to hand him a stack of used Ventra cards. The 60-day notice thing is real in Chicago though, I got a flyer from the Metropolitan Tenants Organization that explained it with a cartoon of a judge holding a gavel and looking sad.

barbara_jenkins6610d ago

That 60-day notice thing sounds overly dramatic honestly. I've signed plenty of leases with faster eviction timelines and never had a problem, most landlords just want their rent on time.

-1

quinnm779d ago

Well, I've been through a few landlord disputes myself and I'd say the 60-day notice is actually there to protect tenants from shady landlords who file evictions the second rent is late. Most landlords are reasonable until they aren't, and having that buffer gives you time to find a lawyer or fix the problem without a court date. It's better to have the protection and not need it than to be scrambling because you waived a basic right.