Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Lease Addendum and how do I get one?
A Crime Free Lease Addendum is a form that you are required to
add to your existing lease (similar to a lease rider). Your resident
will sign this form when they renew their lease. A copy of the lease
addendum you will be using needs to be provided to the Crime Free
Coordinator. Sample lease addendums are provided at the seminar.
The Program is called Crime Free Multi-Housing, but I own a
single-family home or individual unit. Can I still attend a seminar
and adopt a lease addendum?
The term Crime Free Multi-Housing is a copywriter term and is
used universally throughout the United States and abroad for this
type of program. The City of Des Plaines welcomes owners who have 1
unit or a single family home to participate.
Is Des Plaines the only town participating in this program?
There are several towns that now participate in the Crime Free
Program and several have ordinances requiring every rental property
owner to attend the seminar. Some of the local towns include:
Schaumburg, Mount Prospect, Elgin, Naperville, Round Lake Beach,
Palatine, and Rosemont.
If I have attended a seminar in another town, will I be required
to attend a seminar to participate in the Des Plaines Crime Free
Program?
If you have attended a seminar in another town within the last
year, you may be exempt from attending a Des Plaines seminar with a
few exceptions. You still must provide a copy of the lease addendum
you will be using in Des Plaines and provide the Crime Free
Coordinator with a signed letter from the police department in the
town you attended the seminar.
Why is the seminar 8 hours and what will I learn?
The information contained in the seminar is a compilation of
experience and proven methods from professional rental property
managers, lawyers, and police officers. Seminar topics include:
- Crime Prevention C.P.T.E.D. (Safe By Design) Applicant
Screening
- Community Rules and Leases
- Dealing With Non-Compliance Partnership With The Police
Combating Illegal Activity Gangs and Drugs
When will the seminars be held?
In an effort to provide the rental property owner, agent
(manager), or the owner's designee, an opportunity to attend the
seminar with the least amount of difficulty, we will offer several
seminars scheduled on weekdays, weekends, and weeknights to
accommodate a variety of work schedules.
Does the program require me to evict a tenant for one criminal
incident?
No. The program does require the use of a Crime Free Lease
Addendum or similar wording in the body of the lease that makes
criminal activity a cause for eviction. It simply provides the
rental property owner the tool and ability to deal with a problem if
they choose or need to. The Crime Free Lease Addendum was developed
by HUD and is used in section 8 leases utilized by housing
authorities. Evictions based on this concept were upheld by the U.S.
Supreme Court in 2002 (see Oakland Housing Authority v. Rucker and
Department of Housing and Urban Development v. Rucker).
Doesn't the program promote discrimination or profiling?
No. The Federal Fair Housing Act, which is discussed during the
seminar and contained in the workbook, has seven protected classes.
The seven protected classes relate to a persons race, color,
national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap
(disability). A person's behavior is not a protected class. The
program is intended to deal with a tenant's or tenants friends and
associates criminal or excessive nuisance behavior that is impacting
the health, safety, or quality of life of a neighborhood regardless
of the tenant's race, ethnic background, or income status. Would you
like to live next to a drug dealer, gang member, or renter that has
loud and drunken parties every weekend?
How can I be held responsible for the actions of my tenant?
A rental property, regardless of size, is in fact a business
operation. While the city has powers to declare certain businesses a
nuisance, it has the right and responsibility to do the same for
troublesome rental properties. The program is designed to provide
education and tools to rental property owners that will assist them
and empower them to reduce the chances of problems and be prepared
to quickly and effectively deal with the problem tenants. This will
not only assist the city and local neighborhoods, but may also
protect the rental property owner from potential loss of rent during
a protracted eviction and costly repairs to damaged units.
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Des Plaines, IL 60016
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Crime Prevention & Other Programs
