We need your help immediately. State Senator Mike Simmons is pushing HB3564 for a vote. This bill is an extreme measure. It will severely damage housing availability and affordability across Illinois.
This poorly conceived legislation drastically caps or eliminates fees essential to running safe, well-maintained buildings. It limits security deposits to just one month’s rent. Furthermore, it caps move-in fees and forces 0% interest installment payments on fees. These fees are vital to covering the costs of preparing a unit for a new resident.
Housing providers who are alleged to have violated these provisions and similar conditions could face civil penalties and have to provide injunctive relief, monetary relief, attorney's fees and costs. In other words, an error could wipe out a housing provider.
When the ability to manage risk is reduced, so is the incentive to invest. This bill makes it harder and more costly to operate and maintain rental units. Consequently, new housing development slows down. This scarcity ultimately drives up costs for everyone. It directly harms the renters that the bill claims to help.
HB3564 only needs a simple majority vote to pass in the Senate. Therefore, time is of the essence.
The Unintended Reality of HB3564
These restrictions will force housing providers to recover costs elsewhere. This means less money for necessary maintenance and capital improvements. Ultimately, this leads to poorly maintained properties and fewer affordable units. Ultimately, this will hurt renters most of all.
We must act before the Senate votes, likely as early as next Tuesday.
3 Reasons to Oppose HB3564
Use these points when you contact your State Senator:
- Reduces Available Housing: By limiting key fees, the bill makes owning and managing rental property less financially viable.
- Damages Management: It severely restricts security deposits and move-in fees, making it harder to cover expenses and property damage.
- Increases Rent Costs: Increased operating risk and reduced investment lead to higher rents, which hurt everyone, especially renters.
Please contact your State Senator now and tell them to vote NO on HB3564. A link below has been provided to help you find them.
You may use the three reasons above to make your case. If you'd prefer, you may use a letter provided by theChicago Creative Investors Association. It is in Microsoft Word format, so you may personalize it.
Your action today is critical to protecting the future of housing in Illinois.
Please join us for the October Legislative Update, a virtual meeting held Monday, October 27, at 7:00 p.m. Central. We will discuss HB3564 and other matters of concern.
Online Submission Link from NBOA
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Senators and Representatives,
Please Vote NO on HB3564, which regulates fees on apartment rentals. This bill will harm all residents, not help them.
Rental fees cover real costs: application processing, background checks (which are especially important to combat fraud - reportedly in more than 50% of rental applications), and apartment preparation. When you ban or cap these fees, the costs don't vanish—they get spread across everyone's rent.
You can't regulate away hard costs—you can only shift the expense to all residents.
HB3564 will force all residents to pay higher monthly rent to cover expenses that used to apply only to people who were moving. That's not protection—that's punishment.
Vote no!
Sincerely,