# A Ravenswood building has 30 code violations since 2005. Both renter bills that would change the rules have sat on the Council floor since Sept. 23 *The City is preparing a court case over plumbing violations at Winnemac and Winchester. The Mayor's ordinance and the 22-sponsor FAIR alternative were each deferred by two members and haven't moved since.* By Chicago Politics · Updated Nov 12, 2026 Tenants of a 22-unit brick building at Winnemac and Winchester avenues in Ravenswood have complained about it for decades, [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/12/renters-have-raised-alarm-about-notorious-ravenswood-apartment-building-for-decades-can-the-city-help-them/) Thursday. The City's Law Department is working with the Department of Buildings on a Circuit Court case over plumbing code violations there, Block Club reported. The building is in the 40th Ward, by our map. Why it matters: the building is an example of what both of the Council's competing renter ordinances say they would address, such as a registry that flags repeat violators and stiffer penalties when landlords cut essential services. Neither has had a Council vote. ## The building's record From City records cited by Block Club: - 30 code violations since 2005, with no inspection records for 2007 to 2011, 2016 to 2022, or 2024. - 33 calls to 311 since 2022, most about hot water and water pressure. - Repeat problems with exterior masonry and windows, and inspectors unable to get inside. - The last inspection, Aug. 24, answered a plumbing complaint and found no violation for that call. The owners, who have held the building since at least 1995, did not respond to Block Club. Ald. Andre Vasquez Jr. (40th) told Block Club the current Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, written in 1986, gives tenants few options against buildings that keep failing inspections, and said, "We want to get to the point where there's a right to legal counsel." ## The two ordinances **The Mayor's Protecting Renters Ordinance** ([SO2026-0026554](/matter/SO2026-0026554-regarding-residential-landlord-tenant-ordinance)) would create a yearly rental registry with per-unit fees, a Bureau of Rental Housing Services to take complaints and investigate, a tenant bill of rights, and caps on deposits and fees. The original version also offered brief legal help, and full representation in some cases, to low-income tenants facing eviction if money is set aside; we haven't confirmed what the committee's substitute kept. The administration dropped "just cause" eviction rules and relocation payments from the version that cleared the Housing Committee 12 to 9 on Sept. 16, [Block Club reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/09/17/how-far-should-city-go-to-protect-renters-2-competing-bills-head-to-full-city-council/). **The FAIR ordinance** from Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) ([SO2026-0027202](/matter/SO2026-0027202-empowering-department-buildings-strengthen-standards)) would put an Office of Rental Housing in the Department of Buildings, require registration every two years, publish documented violations online and flag repeat-violator properties. Fines for lockouts and cutting off services would rise to $2,500 to $5,000 plus $1,000 a day, from $200 to $500. Tenants could withhold rent if a dangerous outage isn't fixed in 24 hours. It cleared the Zoning Committee 12 to 6 on Sept. 17. ## What our records add **Both stopped the same day.** On Sept. 23, each was "deferred and published" on the Council floor at the request of two members: Ervin (28th) and Sigcho-López (25th) for the Mayor's bill, and Villegas and Cardona (31st) for FAIR. Council rules let any two members do that. Our records show no action on either since, through the Oct. 14 meeting and the Nov. 2 special meeting. **Who's behind FAIR.** It has 21 co-sponsors besides Villegas: Beale, Cardona, Chico, Curtis, Dowell, Gardiner, Harris, Hopkins, Lawson, Lee, Lopez, Mitchell, Napolitano, Nugent, O'Shea, Quinn, Reilly, Silverstein, Sposato, Tabares and Waguespack. Vasquez is not among them. The Mayor's bill has no Council co-sponsors in the Clerk's record. **The numbers.** Passing either takes 26 votes. If the Mayor vetoed FAIR, an override would take 34, Block Club reported. **Older bills.** The Housing Committee also holds Ald. Gregory Mitchell's (7th) 2024 ordinance requiring landlords to maintain safety and security, waiting 938 days, our [committee page](/committee/housing-and-real-estate) shows. ## What's next The next regular Council meetings are Dec. 8 and 9, when the budget is also due for a vote. Tenants with no heat can call 311; the City's heat ordinance requires minimum indoor temperatures from Sept. 15 to June 1. *Sources: [WTTW: What to know about the competing renter proposals, Sept. 22, 2026](https://news.wttw.com/2026/09/22/city-officials-want-step-protections-renters-here-s-what-know-about-competing-proposals).* ## Sources 1. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/12/renters-have-raised-alarm-about-notorious-ravenswood-apartment-building-for-decades-can-the-city-help-them/) 2. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/09/17/how-far-should-city-go-to-protect-renters-2-competing-bills-head-to-full-city-council/) 3. WTTW: [WTTW: What to know about the competing renter proposals, Sept. 22, 2026](https://news.wttw.com/2026/09/22/city-officials-want-step-protections-renters-here-s-what-know-about-competing-proposals) 4. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2) On the map: [Lincoln Square](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/lincoln-square), [40th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/40) --- Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/ravenswood-building-30-violations-renter-ordinances-stalled-since-sept-23 · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt