Oak Park studies revisions to rental licensing, training and fair-housing enforcement after HOPE testing

Oak Park village staff on June 3 led a study-session review of proposed amendments to the village’s rental-licensing code and related tenant-landlord and human-rights provisions, aimed at addressing findings from fair-housing testing by the Hope Fair Housing Center.

Assistant Village Manager Jonathan Birch said the changes are intended to operationalize recommendations from HOPE’s testing and to align Chapter 12 (rental licensing), the RTLO (residential tenant–landlord ordinance) and portions of the village human-rights ordinance. The proposals would not raise existing license fees, Birch said; they focus on training, reporting and clearer enforcement procedures.

Key proposals and board concerns: - Annual training: the draft requires the village’s “big three” housing actors — property owners, property managers or agents — to complete an in-person property-management seminar annually; anyone whose business is based more than 45 miles away could take an approved online course. For other staff who interact with tenants, the draft permits online training with a requirement to complete training within 90 days of hire. - Demographic surveying: staff proposed a tenant-demographic sampling process every four years to produce building-level integration information finer than American Community Survey data. Trustees asked whether the village should do surveys more frequently and suggested using community-based “trusted messengers” to improve response rates. - Enforcement and due process: staff added clearer language about suspension and revocation of rental licenses, stepwise due-process procedures for license actions, and owner responsibilities for posting fair-housing material and providing tenant resources. - Testing and legal action: Birch confirmed the village contracted HOPE for ongoing, iterative testing and training. HOPE will provide reports and may pursue separate legal action when its testing uncovers violations; the village’s ordinance revisions are intended to strengthen the village’s internal enforcement pathway.

Public comment and trustee questions focused on operational detail and tenant protections. A public commenter cited the National Fair Housing Alliance report and the 2023 HOPE testing that prompted local attention; trustees asked how complainants or tenants would file human-rights complaints and whether the village currently has the data needed to identify repeat violators. Birch said staff had not requested identities of specific owners from HOPE’s prior testing but will continue to work with the organization and the Housing Programs Advisory Committee.

Trustees also requested: - clearer language and a closer read of the security-deposit provisions (to avoid inadvertently requiring deposits), - staff analysis of the enforcement pipeline and complaint volumes, and - a plan for posting tenant-help resources (for example, emergency rental-assistance contacts) in building entryways and during eviction notices to improve access and reduce displacement.

Next steps: staff said it will revise the draft based on trustee feedback, continue community outreach, work with HOPE on training content and timing, and return with a refined ordinance for adoption consideration. Birch said the proposed training schedule will be staggered (licensing on renewal anniversaries) to produce smaller, more effective group trainings than the prior single annual renewal period.