Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Students spread the word to strapped Chicago renters about their shot at buying in the neighborhood

suntimes.com · 2h · first reportShare

Many Chicago renters have been priced out of apartments in their neighborhoods over the past few decades. In eight neighborhoods over the last year, however, a city ordinance gives tenants a shot at buying their building if it goes up for sale. On the Northwest Side, where the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act has been in effect for more than a year, city officials say only one tenant association has purchased their building, out of hundreds of property sales in the area. Seven tenant groups went through the process but were unable to buy the building, according to the city. One group of Logan Square renters has sued their landlord for not complying with the ordinance. The ordinance also went into effect in April around the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side. There have been no attempts to purchase in that area yet. Many landlords and renters still don’t know about the ordinance, housing advocates say, and the process of buying a home is especially difficult for working-class