SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A new plan led by Illinois Senate Democrats would ban extra fees added on to a lease, such as late fees and pet fees.
On-top of certain fees being banned, all additional fees outside of rent must be made visible on the first page of the lease, letting renters know what extra fees they're paying and what for.
State Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) says these junk fees are hurting Illinois renters.
"I've heard horror stories where people are trying to move out where their landlord starts attaching all these fees," Castro said. "There's the moving fee the move in fee, they're just making a lot of excuses."
If the plan passes, alongside late fees and pet fees, the extra fees that would be outright banned would include renewal fees, change of lease fees, contacting building owner fee and an eviction notice fee.
Illinois is facing a housing crisis, with gross median rent in some cities in central Illinois going up by almost $200 in the past seven years.
Bob Palmer from Housing Action Illinois says landlords use extra fees too often and are sometimes hidden from the tenant.
"If a fee is really necessary, then it probably makes more sense for the landlord just to put it in the rent," Palmer said. "Because then it's clear from the get-go what the tenant is going to be on the hook for."
These expenses add onto what is already becoming a more expensive renting market, with many landlords asking for a first and last month's rent, larger security deposits and higher prices.
Castro said the answer to the housing crisis lies with lawmakers, where she hopes they can create more laws to protect housing rights.
"A lot of this is a consumer protection act," Castro said. "Limit how these fees are charged but also put them up front so that any person who's looking to rent a property knows what they're getting into."
The bill has been sent to the assignments committee, where it waits to be assigned to a committee hearing.
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