I own one single-family rental on the Southeast Side of Chicago and I’m looking for attorney recommendations, ideally from other Cook County landlords who have dealt with CHA.

Situation:

• I bought the property in 2021. A national property management company placed a Housing Choice Voucher tenant in 2022 after the home sat vacant about six months. I later found a long history of prior evictions in public court records that were never flagged.

• The tenancy is month-to-month (she declined to sign a new lease) and is over four years old, so Chicago’s Fair Notice Ordinance requires 120 days’ notice.

• My prior attorney served a non-renewal notice with a defective end date. I’m re-serving a corrected notice and need service completed by December 1.

• CHA failed the unit on inspection (mold, ceilings, wiring, door, handrail). The inspection followed a complaint filed the same day the first notice was served, so I’m expecting a retaliation defense under RLTO 5-12-150. The November HAP payment hasn’t arrived and I haven’t gotten an explanation. A reinspection is set for November 20.

• Access has been a problem, including a safety incident that led my maintenance platform to stop sending vendors.

What I need, in two parts:

1. A Cook County landlord-tenant attorney with real CHA/voucher experience for a one-hour review of my notice and CHA communications before I serve it, then possible representation if it goes to court.

2. A plaintiff-side attorney with experience bringing claims against property managers, including in arbitration (my management agreement requires mediation then binding arbitration). The limitations clock on that claim is tighter than I’d like.

Questions for responders: Who did you use, and how did it go? Have you worked for or against CHA? How did the fees compare to what you were quoted?

Please don’t recommend anyone who currently represents CHA, since that would be a conflict. I can share the full background privately with serious candidates. I’m organized, have a documented timeline, and can send it all quickly.

Thanks in advance.