Complaint histories will help you know which landlords are slow to fix a leaky roof, fail to fix broken air conditioning, blame you for a mold problem, or don't take seriously the threat to your safety of broken window locks or hallway lights that aren't working.
IF YOU ARE NOT A U of I STUDENT, PLEASE CALL 217-352-6220 TO CHECK COMPLAINT RECORDS.
All complaints are about a landlord's obligations under the law or according to the terms of the lease. Tenant Union does not take complaints about noisy neighborhoods, roommate problems, amount of rent increases or other matters that are not about the landlord's failure to fulfill his or her legal obligations.
Tenant Union's complaint record is organized by landlord name. Tenants file complaints about landlords, not buildings. Problems can arise anywhere. Complaints are about how the landlord handles problems when they arise. In most instances, no matter which building you live in, property maintenance and damage deposit refund are handled by the central office.
Ultimately, you will find that the NATURE of the complaint, the landlord's response (or failure to reply) and the time period and nature of resolution tell you more about the landlord than an evaluation based exclusively on numbers. All of this information is found in the complaint summaries.
When a complaint about a landlord is filed at the Tenant Union, a copy is first sent to the landlord who is asked to reply for the record. A valid complaint is one related to the landlord's obligations under the law or under the terms of the lease. Tenant Union staff work with the landlord and tenant to accomplish a resolution to the problem.
A summary of the tenant's complaint, the landlord's response (or failure to respond) and the resolution of the problem are included in the landlord's complaint summary. Any tenant requesting information about a landlord's complaint history will be provided with these summaries for the past five years.
Using this resource is most helpful if you check landlords' complaint histories early in your search for housing, while you are still comparing choices. That way, you can see how different landlords' records compare, and you can factor in that information with price, location, amenities, and other considerations you will include in making your final decision.
Once you sign a lease, you cannot get out of it. You will owe the rent for the entire term -- regardless of the quality of the housing or the service provided by the landlord. Tenant Union complaint records are maintained so that prospective tenants can find out what problems past tenants have had with a landlord, before committing to a binding contract.
