The Lift the Ban Coalition formed in 2017 to advocate for the economic well-being and stability of Illinois families through the repeal of the Rent Control Preemption Act of 1997.
The coalition comprises more than 35 grassroots community groups, political organizations, nonprofits and labor unions across Illinois.
Illinois communities are unaffordable
In the six years since the Lift the Ban coalition formed, rents have skyrocketed. From gentrifying Chicago neighborhoods, to suburbs and small cities, to rural manufactured housing communities, working and middle class residents are being pushed out of their homes.
Nearly a quarter of Illinois renters are severely rent burdened, meaning they spend at least half their monthly income on rent.
- Rent and inflation have far outpaced wage growth in Illinois. At the current minimum wage, renters would have to work nearly 100 hours per week to afford a two bedroom apartment.
- Federal relief aid has lulled Illinois into a false sense of security. When federal dollars dry up in 2024, Illinois faces a catastrophic housing crisis that our state is wholly unequipped to tackle.
- Local policymakers need access to a broad swath of tools to implement policies that work for their communities. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to housing policy. To combat the housing crisis, communities need access to every tool at their disposal.
The Let the People Decide to Lift the Ban on Rent Control Act (HB 3709) will:
- Empower local voters to decide through a binding referendum how municipalities fight skyrocketing rents, keep communities affordable and stop displacement.
- Expand legal protections for renters and landlords, including:
- Procedures related to making repairs, withholding or deducting rent, breaking a lease and giving landlords access to units.
- Prohibition on retaliation against tenants.