Tag: Advice
Chicago’s dirtiest dozen rental services – Rent Proactive is #1
You'll find scores of sleazy rental services on YoChicago's do-not-call list. In the coming weeks we'll single out twelve of them – the dirtiest d [...]
Killing Rent Proactive spam ads on Craigslist
According to Craigslist, "Free classified ads sufficiently flagged are subject to automated removal."
Rent Proactive, a Chicago-based apartmen [...]
These apartments are unbelievable, awesome, amazing
If you scan enough Craigslist ads you'll find words that are almost always used only by Chicago's sleazy rental services.
We searched Craigsli [...]
On Zillow, Trulia and hotpads, almost every rental service ad is illegal
The headline makes a broad but defensible claim, and one that reflects grossly indefensible behavior on the part of Zillow, Trulia and hotpads.
[...]
Apartment Savvy doubles down on dumb law-breaking
The Illinois Real Estate License Act makes it illegal for real estate brokers to run blind ads, i.e. ads that don't include the brokerage name, an [...]
State slaps $10K and $25K fines on Chicago rental agents
The most recent summary of disciplinary actions (pdf) from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) includes the follo [...]
The Craigslist Apartment Cleanup begins today
YoChicago is launching a campaign to clean up Craigslist apartment ads by putting a stop to the many 1,000s of illegal ads placed every day by the [...]
Most Craigslist ads violate the Illinois Real Estate License Act
The great majority of the tens of thousands of Chicago apartment ads you see on Craigslist are placed by rental services, also known as locators o [...]
Add $30 to the cost of selling your Chicago home
The City of Chicago has raised the fee for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance from $90 to $120, effective January 1, 2013.
The certificate “is [...]
An updated rental service do-not-call list
Note: See the 2014 version of the do-not-call list. This version of the list is out of date.
New renters in Chicago are often confused or misle [...]
December is deal time for renters
The tight rental market of the past year has made this a dismaying year for many renters who've seen rising rents and limited apartment availabili [...]
Is this a den or a dining area or an office?
In the not-too-distant past the area labeled "Den" in the above floor plan would have most likely been tagged as a dining area. Many first-time re [...]
Occupy Our Homes vs Fifth Third Bank
Almost a year ago we wondered whether Occupy Chicago was using the homeless as cannon fodder by encouraging them to occupy foreclosed homes.
A [...]
A blizzard of apartment lies on Craigslist
Chicagoland Property Group is a charter member of YoChicago's rental service do-not-call list.
A Craigslist search late yesterday surfaced more [...]
Rental service pirates invading the suburbs
A tipster alerted me to a development that's worrisome to suburban landlords, and ought to concern tenants also.
City-based rental services have b [...]
Another rental service trawls for suckers
We've posted repeatedly about the perils of filling out an online rental application. Supplying your Social Security Number and other personal informa [...]
Urban Lux irresponsibly solicits suckers
Are you naïve enough about the realities of identity theft to send your Social Security and Driver's License numbers, and other personal informati [...]
domu wants you to be the renter from hell
Each and every one of domu's "10 must-dos for renters" is a reasonably sensible bit of advice, and the list is supplemented by the caution that "t [...]
Brook Furniture Rental brings a vacant condo to life
Trying to sell an empty home can be risky. Not every prospective buyer can imagine the full potential of a home without the benefit of strategical [...]
Craigslist is an apartment liars’ list
As of 9:30 last night, 17,511 ads had been posted yesterday in the Chicago > housing > apts/housing for rent section of Craigslist, almost all of [...]