The Home Front

(Above) Aerial view looking north from Jackson Park toward the Chicago skyline, showcasing the Woodlawn and South Shore neighborhoods. (Photo: Adobe Stock) By Don DeBat With the Obama Presidential Center approaching, a new anti-gentrification ordinance is rattling the real estate industry, pitting landlord rights against city efforts to prevent displacement in Chicago’s lakefront neighborhoods. The threat of rising apartment rents in “Obamaville” and other South Side lakefron

Photo by Olga Yastremska (Adobe Stock) Chicago’s new Residential Lease gives renters the right to terminate leases early due to threats, offering crucial protections for victims of domestic violence but extra costs for landlords. By Don DeBat Domestic violence in Chicago and across Illinois regretfully is on the rise. In 2024, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline received a record-breaking 18,940 requests for shelter in Chicago and across the state, a 112 percent increase f

(Above) Dining/Great Room of an Airbnb in Old Town. Interior photos by Andrew Charles Miller. (Click on images to view larger versions.)...

A conflict is brewing between landlords and tenants in Chicago’s North Side apartment rental market over non-refundable move-in fees. A...

Appeals increased by 11 percent over 2023 as property owners in Chicago and surrounding suburbs turned to the Cook County Board of Review...

(Above) Looking south down south branch of Chicago River in 2018. Wolf Point West at right. Photo by Sean Pavone. Rent prices in Chicago...