Grab your local adjudicated newspaper (Chicago Tribune) and look in the legal notices section of the classifieds. 

The largest newspaper here, the Star Tribune, does not have many, if any, ads for SFH for sale.

. -- Herald Tribune

He owns or used to own lots of other stuff, the Chicago tribune and Schwinn Bicycle co for example. however he made his original money in Real estate.

Here in the Maritimes it is not common either - in NB, security deposits are held by the Residential Tenancies Tribunal (formerly the Rentalsman) and are not available to tenant nor landlord prior to the end of the tenancy.

“I knew it was worth money,” the man tells the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

@Alex Heifetz I've included the Chicago Tribune neighborhood crime map link below.

If such premises or any part thereof be re-let by the Owner for the unexpired term of said lease, or any part thereof, before presentation of proof of which liquidated damages to any court, commission or tribunal, the amount of rent reserved upon such reletting shall be deemed to be the fair and reasonable rental value for the part or the whole of the premises so re-let during the term of the re-letting.

As for the 5 days, the only provision in the code civil is that if the tenant thinks it is excessive, he can take the matter to the regie, execute the work himself and charge you (which in your case would take much longer than 5 days) "Lorsque le locateur n'effectue pas les réparations ou améliorations auxquelles il est tenu, en vertu du bail ou de la loi, le locataire peut s'adresser au tribunal afin d'être autorisé à les exécuter."

This law also provided sections for the registration of property valuers and for technical consultants for the Tribunals, giving them recognition work for the Public Administration.