Overview
- The City Council Housing Committee voted 12–9 on Wednesday to advance Mayor Brandon Johnson’s revised Protecting Renters Ordinance after he removed the proposal’s ‘just cause’ relocation-payment and earlier $10,000 relocation-assistance language.
- The revised PRO would require a citywide rental registry, create a Bureau of Rental Housing Services, establish a Renters’ Bill of Rights, eliminate most application and background-check fees, and charge landlords $20 per unit to fund inspections, enforcement and tenant legal aid.
- A competing FAIR ordinance sponsored by Ald. Gilbert Villegas is scheduled for a Zoning Committee hearing and would drop the registry, bureau and fees while expanding the definition of ‘small landlord’ from six to 12 units.
- Critics warn the PRO’s new rules and fees will raise costs for small landlords and could push some to sell properties to larger investors while supporters say the registry and bureau are needed to hold anonymous LLC owners accountable and curb predatory practices.
- Both measures must clear committee votes before a full City Council decision and the outcome will shape enforcement capacity, city staffing and pension costs during a period of projected budget shortfalls while directly affecting renters’ access to legal help and housing stability.