Understanding Tenant Rights: Essential Services in Cook County
As a tenant in Cook County, knowing your rights regarding essential services is important. Essential services are utilities like heat, hot water, and electricity, which are necessary for your health and safety. Under the Cook County Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance (RTLO), your landlord is required to provide you with these services.
What are essential services that the landlord needs to provide?
- Gas
- Electricity
- Plumbing
- Heat
- Water (running water and hot water)
- Internet (if included in the lease)
What can a tenant do if the landlord fails to supply essential services?
- Contact the landlord immediately with written notice.
- Make a complaint to the local building department.
- Lockout: Contact the local police, if the landlord intentionally shut off the essential service.
- Landlord stopped paying for the utilities: sue the landlord or pay for the service.
As a tenant, keeping records of any issues you have with essential services is important. This can include notes about when the service was disrupted, photos of the issue, and any communication you have with your landlord. These records will be helpful if you need to take legal action.
In summary, understanding essential services is an important part of being a tenant in Cook County. The RTLO requires landlords to provide these services; if they don't, you have the right to act. By knowing your rights and keeping records of any issues, you can protect yourself and make sure you have a safe and comfortable place to live.
The above article provides information about legal issues but is not the same as legal advice. Legal advice is when a lawyer applies the law to your specific situation. The information in this article does not replace the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. Law Center for Better Housing cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information in this article and is not responsible for any consequences that may result from using it. You should consult with a licensed attorney to ensure the information in this article is appropriate for your specific situation. Using the information in this article does not create a relationship between Law Center for Better Housing and you as your attorney.