Chicago tenant eviction questions
First off, let me begin by saying evictions in cook county are the worst...
This is my first rental. It's a 3 flat on the southside of Chicago and I live in one of the units(House hacking it).
I filed the eviction, completed everything, and the judge granted us possession.
Then the tenant came up with some sob story and managed to schedule another court date. He fed the judge another sob story and managed to get a 4 week extension. It's been 7 weeks since we got the order of possession and he received his extension.
He started moving his belongings out eventually, slowly. Now I haven't seen him at the property in over 10 days. There is not much left in the unit but there is some things like a fish tank, mattress, and loads of garbage. I sent the tenant a text about 10 days ago asking if he was done moving his belongings out. Surprise, he hasn't responded.
At what point is it legal for me to change the locks and start cleaning the place up so I can start to recoup my losses. I haven't received rent from the unit since July! I can't wait to get this property back into the cash flowing side of things.
Do I have to wait for the Sheriff to come before I can change the locks and remove the rest of his belongings? Can I just move his crap to the front/backyard and tell him he's got 24 hours to collect his belongings and then pitch it all.