The Illinois Real Estate License Act makes it illegal for licensees to advertise a property for sale or for rent unless they have written authorization to do so.
Leasing agents at Chicago rental services routinely advertise properties without having the required authorization. They violate the law so extensively that Craigslist and other websites are cluttered with illegal ads. That clutter frustrates and confuses renters into using rental services.
Aysha Hackert, Scofflaw of the day
A quick scan of Craigslist yesterday surfaced an ad placed by Aysha Hackert of Downtown Apartment Company for a property that the firm does not have written authorization to advertise.
We then limited our scan to the 318 abusively repetitive ads placed by Ms Hackert, and verified that she had advertised several additional properties without having written authorization from the properties.
Aysha Hackert is our “Scofflaw leasing agent of the day.”
We’re reasonably certain that additional Hackert ads were illegal, but didn’t take the time to verify that with the properties.
Ms Hackert was licensed as a leasing agent in mid-November of 2015. It’s been our long experience that leasing agents who engage in one form of illegal behavior are highly likely to engage in others. It’s also been our long experience that the principals of many Chicago rental services routinely lie to leasing agents about which properties they’re legally authorized to advertise. If you’re a leasing agent, you need to see the written authorization before you place an ad.
Leasing agents need to know that playing fast and loose with legal and ethical standards can alter the trajectory of their personal, professional and social life in a very negative direction for a very long time. Google search will ensure that the illegal and unethical conduct of a rental service scofflaw becomes known to his or her potential renters, friends, family and prospective future employers and business and social contacts.
We’ll be on the lookout for our next scofflaw of the day. We encourage renters and property management firms to nominate individual leasing agents for that distinction.
Google name search for previous Scofflaw of the day awards
Daniel Khomutov, Vesta Preferred Hannah Vanover, HotSpot Rentals Terry F Kraus III, Fulton Grace Realty