NBOA January Update

Starting the Year with a Housing Provider Conundrum: How to Fit a 4-Page Notice on Page 1 of Our Leases; CO2 Detectors Do Save Lives

Dear NBOA Colleagues and Friends,

I recently attended a City Club of Chicago luncheon featuring our impressive new Cook County State’s Attorney, Eileen Burke O’Neal. She reported that Chicago’s murder rate has dropped to its lowest level in decades. While stressing that her office will remain focused on reducing the murder rate further, she noted that addressing the epidemic of domestic violence will also be a top priority.

Having worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in a collar county years ago, I saw firsthand the challenges facing domestic violence victims. I applaud well-thought-out legislation that addresses their special needs, including securing safe housing.

One such law is the Illinois Safe Homes Act, enacted in 2006, which provides housing protection for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

In 2023, the General Assembly approved a measure, effective January 1 of this year, requiring all housing providers to include a “Summary of the Illinois Safe Homes Act” on the first page of all residential leases. This was intended to ensure victims are aware of their rights under the Act.

Jon Kozlowski, Legislative Director for our industry partner at Chicagoland Apartment Association (CAA) shared the following synopsis of this new disclosure law with me:

New Requirement for Landlords:

Illinois Safe Homes Act Summary

Beginning January 1, 2026, housing providers in Illinois will be required to include a Summary of the Illinois Safe Homes Act as the first page of all residential leases.

The Illinois Safe Homes Act (Public Act 94-1038), originally passed in 2006, provides housing protections for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. In 2024, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Summary of Rights for the Illinois Safe Homes Act (Public Act 103-1031), which mandates that landlords provide this summary to tenants starting in 2026.

The required summary outlines tenant rights and protections under the law, including:

The right to terminate a lease early without penalty when facing a threat of domestic or sexual violence.
The right to change or rekey locks to prevent further abuse.
Protection from eviction based on incidents of domestic or sexual violence.
A prohibition on discrimination against victims of domestic or sexual violence.
A list of free legal service providers available to assist survivors.

The required Summary of the Illinois Safe Homes Act is not a separate addendum.

The Implementation Challenge: The required summary is four pages long, includes areas for tenant signatures, and cannot be made part of a separate addendum; it must be on the first page of the lease. But unless the typeface is miniaturized to the point where it is illegible, the summary cannot fit on the first page of an 8.5 x 11″ lease.

The CAA, which offers its “Blue Moon” leases designed to be current with all pertinent laws, recommends leases in which pages 1 through 4 repeat the official summary and page 5 of the lease contains the necessary basics that we customarily set forth on page 1. This includes the apartment location, rent amount, and mandated language about security deposits.

Given that many of us (and our tenants) complain that our leases are too long (my leases exceed 50 pages), we can thank the members of the General Assembly for making our leases four pages longer — and far more cumbersome.

A simpler solution that accomplishes the goals of the legislation would be to require housing providers to include a brief statement on page 1 of the lease advising victims of domestic violence that they have certain rights. This statement would be followed by a link to the Illinois Department of Human Rights website, which contains the summary. Click this LINK to see the summary we must include on our leases.

While we certainly support advising survivors of their rights, requiring us to place a four-page summary onto one page is nonsensical. This reminds us that lawmakers often get things wrong when they fail to consult with housing providers before drafting laws affecting our industry. We hope to work with our state legislators to correct this oversight.

A Perfect Storm Nearly Brings Tragic Results

Last month, I experienced a bizarre occurrence at a twelve-flat I own in DuPage County. Late on a Friday afternoon, two of the four CO2 detectors in the basement sounded an alarm, followed shortly by CO2 alarms in two apartments. My maintenance staff immediately called the fire department. They responded promptly and told us to shut off the boiler despite outdoor temperatures in the 20s.

Within two hours our boiler professionals resolved the problem, and we were able to restore heat. Apparently, the problem was caused by a “perfect storm” of events — our landscaper blew leaves at the same time the high-efficiency furnace was on, and the exhaust system pulled some of the leaves through an improperly screened pipe, which curtailed the airflow and resulted in the release of C02.

Why am I sharing this with you on an NBOA email, which ordinarily addresses advocacy issues?

It’s important we learn from “near misses.” Fortunately, in my case my team averted a potential disaster, and I credit their diligence. They adhered to scheduled preventive maintenance program that involved testing and, when necessary, replacing fire and CO2 detectors or their batteries.

So, I will use my pulpit as NBOA president to remind you of the importance of steadfastly observing maintenance protocols, including monitoring your smoke and CO2 detectors, as doing so can save lives and spare you and your staff the horrors of a tragedy.

So, while racking your brain to determine how to squeeze a four-page summary into one page, be sure to also give yourself time to review and perfect systems that allow your buildings to function properly and provide a safe and comfortable home for your residents.

Hope you had a terrific holiday and we look forward to working with many of you this coming year.

Mike Glasser

NBOA President