1. A tenant may file a written complaint for the purpose of attempting resolution of a dispute or for the purpose of informing other tenants about problems he/she has had with a landlord. A valid complaint must be about the landlord's legal or contractual obligations and may be filed at the Tenant Union offices:
2. When a written complaint is filed, a copy of the complaint and a Reply To Complaint Form, along with a cover letter, will be sent to the landlord against whom the complaint is made. A response within seven days is requested. Landlords are encouraged to respond in writing if they wish to have their side of the story reflected in the complaint file.
3. Any person requesting information about the complaint history of a landlord will be provided the following information which is recorded in writing on Complaint Record Forms:
4. A complaint will not be placed in the public file of complaints against landlords until seven days after written notice is sent to the landlord informing him/her that the complaint will be summarized and placed in the file.
5. A written complaint will not be included in the file if:
The purpose of providing this complaint information to the public is to provide tenants with a method for communicating with each other from year to year about their rental housing problems and experiences.
The names of tenants who file complaints are not released to the public. Only the landlord will be told the name of a tenant who files a complaint against him or her.
The Tenant Union maintains a policy of protecting the confidentiality of all contacts with tenants; however, this confidentiality is not protected by law. Unlike in an attorney-client or physician-patient relationship, a housing counselor can be called to testify in court about contacts with clients. For this reason, the Tenant Union does not maintain files for any client contacts other than those that involve the filing of a written complaint which the tenant agrees to have sent to the landlord.
Most people who come to the Tenant Union about problems ask for advice but do not file complaints. If you are having a problem, but do not wish to file a complaint against your landlord, you can be confident that your contact with us is confidential.
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The Tenant Union does not provide legal services of any kind. All information provided in this publication is intended to help the average person prevent problems and deal with common concerns of renting. When legal help is needed, always consult with an attorney at law.
The URL for these pages is http:// www.tenantunion.uiuc.edu
