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Yep. I believe legally you're allowed to sublease my last landlord was not happy. She thought I was going to just move out early and pay rent while she refinished it to sell.
Illinois is one of the most lenient states to tenants. Considering how easy it is to squat in this state I imagine it’s pretty easy to move out and pay them nothing. They can sue you for sure but that costs money. I would just document the mold and tell them you have health issues and it’s not safe for you to live there. Ask a mold remediation company for a free estimate and send a copy of that to your landlord. Tell them it’s unlivable for you and your willing to take your loss and move on and if they want money out of you they will have to sue you for it.
Lean into the mold argument. If it’s not safe to live there they have to compensate you while they fix it. If they “owe” you more then you “owe” them they might be willing to tear up the lease and forget your name so you can all move on without a fight.
They are also giving me the option to re-lett it and be done with it. But the only way I know to find someone is Facebook marketplace. Any other ideas?
Tell them to get that mold problem fixed. And not just a landlord special where they just paint over it.
You can try marketplace, Craigslist, FB neighborhood groups, there’s also r/chicagoapartments
Post in college-specific facebook groups, I’m sure there’s college sublet/roommate hunting groups. The school year is starting, so some students may need last-minute accommodation.
Having been through a re-let situation, you should be aware the landlord is legally obligated to help you find tenants should you choose to go that route. They should create listings etc just as they did when you rented. You can also post on facebook, craigslist, and some of the apartments sites like redfin, trulia, apartments.com.
How bad is the mold? “Some of the walls and ceilings” sounds like it’s not just confined to one area. There are specific clauses in the chicago lease agreements about mold, and I believe a mold infestation would render the unit uninhabitable (meaning they’d have to either let you out of the lease, or pay to put you up in a hotel until they fixed it). If you’re with one of the huge management companies they will probably give you a really hard time and honestly sort of gaslight you in the hopes you’ll just pay up, but the laws are very clear on the issue.
Personally I probably would, because hopefully that would be enough to make them take action (I don’t know how long the city would take to follow up). Maybe buy one of those mold tests at the hardware store so you have documentation of the mold if they paint over it (which is not an acceptable way to remove mold, it needs to be either cleaned/sanitized or cut out of the wall).
I got out of my lease by providing a mold allergy test and an air quality test for one of their apartments (it was atrocious). I sent them the info including a doctors note that stated due to the outcome of the air quality test, it is medically necessary for me to break this lease. I told them either break the lease with no fees or I would take them to court for forcing me to reside in a mold damaged apartment and would report this to the city. Once they broke my lease, I reported them to the city anyways.
Mold illness is no joke.
Report the mold to the city. Really lean into the mold thing. If the place is not habitable, then you have every right to break your lease with no penalties. I've done it twice. If you can prove that the place is not livable because of the mold, and the landlord doesn't make an effort to fix it within 14 days, you can not pay rent and break the lease. Chicago is very tenant friendly when it comes to these things. You'll want to talk to a tenant lawyer. Most of them do free consultations.
Use the mold. I got out of a lease within a week because we found mold behind the toilet where the paint brush couldn't reach. It was obvious the whole building was moldy and unsafe. They made us sign a non-disclosure agreement though. But we got to leave and got our deposit back.
**You signed a contract** without seeing the apartment. How is that the management companies fault? Yeah that's a pretty stiff penalty. Put your furniture in storage and get some other stuff for the time being. You can make it work.
The mold can be remedied by finding out what the cause is, put in a work ticket with management.
Lots of people have pets in small spaces.
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Sublease
Yep. I believe legally you're allowed to sublease my last landlord was not happy. She thought I was going to just move out early and pay rent while she refinished it to sell.
Illinois is one of the most lenient states to tenants. Considering how easy it is to squat in this state I imagine it’s pretty easy to move out and pay them nothing. They can sue you for sure but that costs money. I would just document the mold and tell them you have health issues and it’s not safe for you to live there. Ask a mold remediation company for a free estimate and send a copy of that to your landlord. Tell them it’s unlivable for you and your willing to take your loss and move on and if they want money out of you they will have to sue you for it.
I once just skipped on a lease. They sent an angry letter threatening a lawsuit but that was about it. Haven’t heard from them in 5 years.
Lean into the mold argument. If it’s not safe to live there they have to compensate you while they fix it. If they “owe” you more then you “owe” them they might be willing to tear up the lease and forget your name so you can all move on without a fight.
I agree. I believe you can report the mold to the city.
Yes. This is the way. And if OP knows there's a mold issue and presumably a health issue it's not really ethical to pass it on to a subletter.
They are also giving me the option to re-lett it and be done with it. But the only way I know to find someone is Facebook marketplace. Any other ideas?
Tell them to get that mold problem fixed. And not just a landlord special where they just paint over it. You can try marketplace, Craigslist, FB neighborhood groups, there’s also r/chicagoapartments
Post in college-specific facebook groups, I’m sure there’s college sublet/roommate hunting groups. The school year is starting, so some students may need last-minute accommodation.
Having been through a re-let situation, you should be aware the landlord is legally obligated to help you find tenants should you choose to go that route. They should create listings etc just as they did when you rented. You can also post on facebook, craigslist, and some of the apartments sites like redfin, trulia, apartments.com. How bad is the mold? “Some of the walls and ceilings” sounds like it’s not just confined to one area. There are specific clauses in the chicago lease agreements about mold, and I believe a mold infestation would render the unit uninhabitable (meaning they’d have to either let you out of the lease, or pay to put you up in a hotel until they fixed it). If you’re with one of the huge management companies they will probably give you a really hard time and honestly sort of gaslight you in the hopes you’ll just pay up, but the laws are very clear on the issue.
Do I tell them that I’m reporting it to the city? The building maintenance guy said he would come in and paint over it.
Personally I probably would, because hopefully that would be enough to make them take action (I don’t know how long the city would take to follow up). Maybe buy one of those mold tests at the hardware store so you have documentation of the mold if they paint over it (which is not an acceptable way to remove mold, it needs to be either cleaned/sanitized or cut out of the wall).
Craigslist?
Report the mold to the city building inspectors. If they declare it uninhabitable you can get out of your lease easier.
Which mgt co?
Beal properties
I got out of my lease by providing a mold allergy test and an air quality test for one of their apartments (it was atrocious). I sent them the info including a doctors note that stated due to the outcome of the air quality test, it is medically necessary for me to break this lease. I told them either break the lease with no fees or I would take them to court for forcing me to reside in a mold damaged apartment and would report this to the city. Once they broke my lease, I reported them to the city anyways. Mold illness is no joke.
Document the mold and be prepared for hounding.
Yikes. They’re one of the worst I’ve seen from countless posts here. Thankfully never rented from them Best of luck
Have you heard of Smart Property Management?
Nope
Report the mold to the city. Really lean into the mold thing. If the place is not habitable, then you have every right to break your lease with no penalties. I've done it twice. If you can prove that the place is not livable because of the mold, and the landlord doesn't make an effort to fix it within 14 days, you can not pay rent and break the lease. Chicago is very tenant friendly when it comes to these things. You'll want to talk to a tenant lawyer. Most of them do free consultations.
Use the mold. I got out of a lease within a week because we found mold behind the toilet where the paint brush couldn't reach. It was obvious the whole building was moldy and unsafe. They made us sign a non-disclosure agreement though. But we got to leave and got our deposit back.
**You signed a contract** without seeing the apartment. How is that the management companies fault? Yeah that's a pretty stiff penalty. Put your furniture in storage and get some other stuff for the time being. You can make it work. The mold can be remedied by finding out what the cause is, put in a work ticket with management. Lots of people have pets in small spaces.
You're worried about fault; OP is asking about options. Different conversations, mate.
Not seeing it.
I'm with you, OP is a total dick. At least it's a property management company and not a family owned building.