Chicago eviction attorney - have you worked with these two attorneys?

Question

Hi all,

First time posting here - as a landlord who has been renting my condo in the City of Chicago for the last six years to the same tenant, things were going ok until this year, but now they are behind and won't even talk to me to come up with a favorable agreement - I have been very patient with them, but finding out now that being a 'good guy' doesn't pay off....

I am looking into eviction now, and in my case I want to work with an attorney (even though the process looks ok to be done w/o one, but I want to make sure I am doing everything right, since I am finding out that the Chicago Ordinance is a lot different than any other city/county rules)

I narrowed my list down to these two attorneys, has anyone worked with any one of them? If so would you recommend them?

Richard Magnone, Reda | Ciprian | Magnone, LLC, http://chicagoeviction.com/

or

Jonathan Blair, Bradford Miller Law,

http://www.bradfordmillerlaw.com/Attorneys/Jonathan-Blair.shtml

Much appreciated...

Account Closed · Answer

@Brent A.  you nailed it on the nose. But glad you see it as a learning lesson. You know sometimes I go to eviction court to get new leads. Yes some of these "landlords by default" after having to deal with the frustrations of eviction just want to dump the property. Enter me!

Larry Smet · Answer

Hi Brent

We've been using Robert Kahn of Sanford Kahn, Ltd.. Their number is (312)         263-6778.  My understanding is they're attorneys that specialize in Chicago evictions and they do A LOT of evictions each year (they file 400 actions per month!).  We made the mistake of using a general real estate lawyer prior to retaining Sanford Kahn, and that cost us several months and then needed to restart the process because they didn't really know what they were doing.  I recommend going with a specialist attorney.

Typically we don't have to deal with it because we mainly do flips, but sometimes we pick up auction properties that require an eviction.  Prepare for a long, painful (or expensive) process - Chicago is extremely tenant friendly, as I'm sure you know.

Good luck

Larry

Account Closed · Answer

I have never heard of either. When dealing with an eviction, Chicago laws and system are different than those in other areas in Chicago Metro system by a wide margin. So you want an attorney that regularly is in the Chicago courts and knows the CLTO and the process in and out.

My best recommendation, take a day to hang out at eviction court. See which attorney you like the best, then ask for their card and schedule an appointment.

As a landlord, no matter what you do, you will always have to do an eviction at some point. There is no avoiding it. There is a reason the process exists. Yes, being a nice guy doesn't pay off. You need to be firm in the enforcement of your rights in the contract (LEASE). If you relax on some terms, it can be used against you in eviction court.

If the tenant doesn't pay on time, hit them with proper notice. If they still don't, then FILE! If they aren't professional tenants usually two things will happen.

1. They will just vacate (giving you the ability to re-rent the place and start making money again)

2. They will pay up.

But you have to show you will stand your ground and have control of the situation.

Mark Ainley · Answer

I have never heard or used them but we use Andrew Maratea for our landlord work and evictions.  Their firm is young and aggressive and they use a great process server.

amaratea@axialaw.com

(847) 924-7498

Brent A. · Answer

OK, got it. I will look into it this weekend.

Account Closed · Answer

A tenant can sometimes "buy some time" by giving you a plan, but then always giving an excuse to delay the plan. Just keep moving forward with the eviction. If they pay up, you can stop at anytime, but dont' delay any longer than you have to.

Brent A. · Answer

@Ryan Steele yeah I felt disgusted and felt like someone punched me in the belly when I started researching all this stuff...  Going to the court is a brilliant idea, I had not thought of that.

Just got a call from my tenant and I think we were able to work some plan out. If he comes through, I may not have to go through this at all... One can only hope...

Brent A. · Answer

@Larry Smet thank you for the lead, I will also check them out.

Brent A. · Answer

Thank you all. Ryan, I agree, I think the housing crisis created a lot of landlords who HAD to get into this business. It was just impossible to sell the condos/houses, but most landlords (including myself) failed to see it as a real business... This is teaching me a valuable lesson.

Chicago eviction attorney - have you worked with these two attorneys?

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