Move-in 'junk fees' could be banned under IL Democrat proposal

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A new bill by State House Democrats would look to remove move-in fees from Illinoisan when they rent a new home.

Right now, landlords are able to charge a move-in fee alongside a security deposit and other fees when renters move in.

State Rep. Nabeela Syed (D-Palatine) said these are junk fee's that are unnecessary.

"I have not encountered a very legitimate reason thus far as to why someone would be able to charge a move-in fee that's different from a security deposit," Syed said.

Advocates for the plan said many of these junk fees imposed on renters can be the difference between if someone lives in a home or on the streets.

"As I well know from my own experiences, when you're homeless you're watching every penny," David Zoltan said, who had been homeless in the past. "An extra few dollars is the difference between eating or not. It's incumbent on us to not allow these fees to balloon out of control."

The bill passed out of the House housing committee on a partisan 10-6 vote. It now heads to the House floor, where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks.