Get Legal Help
A trusted advocate by your side.Getting Help with LCBH
Do you qualify for FREE assistance?
LCBH helps lower income renters in Chicago and suburban Cook County facing serious housing issues.
LCBH accepts clients on a case-by-case basis depending on need and situation. To qualify for services ALL renters must go through the LCBH intake process. Eviction cases often move very quickly, so contact our office as soon as possible to allow enough time for us to determine if and how we can help.
Can LCBH help you?
Are you a Chicago renter experiencing:
- Eviction
- A building foreclosure
- Housing discrimination
- Unsafe apartment conditions, such as bed bugs, mold or lead paint
- An unresponsive landlord
- Utility shut-off by your landlord
- Issues with your landlord requiring the help of an attorney
- Questions about security deposits
Our staff can protect your rights and will work with you to reach the best solution for your situation in terms that you understand.
How to contact lcbh
Do you live in Chicago?
Chicago renters facing a housing related issue.
We will gather information from you about your situation and schedule you for an intake interview or refer you to an appropriate agency for assistance.
In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, our offices are closed and intake interviews are conducted by phone.
Call us at (312) 347-7600
Chat with Renny by clicking on the icon in the lower right-hand corner.
Chicago renters living in a foreclosed building.
We can help you find out if your property is in foreclosure and provide you information about your rights during and after the foreclosure.
Call our Tenants in Foreclosure Helpline at (312) 784-3507.
Do you live in Illinois?
LCBH is only able to provide assistance to renters living in Chicago and suburban Cook County.
If you reside elsewhere in Illinois, the following organizations may be able to provide assistance.
Northern Counties
Southern Counties
Online Assistance
All Illinois residents can find legal information and help at Illinois Legal Aid Online
24/7 Online Assistance
Rentervention is a free resource provided by LCBH for Chicago renters facing housing issues. You can chat online with Rentervention to learn more about your housing issue and how to resolve it.
Whether you’re facing an eviction, a security deposit dispute, utility shutoff, or other conditions issue, Rentervention is here to help.
Rentervention can provide you with:
- Tailored letters to send to your landlord
- Self-help resources and guides
- A free lawyer
CHAT WITH RENNY:
Chat with Renny by clicking on the icon in the lower right-hand corner.
Rentervention
Rentervention is a free resource provided by LCBH for Chicago renters facing housing issues.Each year more than 20,000 people are evicted from their homes in Chicago. Tens of thousands more experience problems with the conditions in their homes or with disputes over security deposits. There are not nearly enough legal aid or pro bono lawyers to help every low-income tenant who encounters these issues. So how do we help these renters diagnose their legal issues, understand their rights, and choose the best option for solving their problem?
Enter: Rentervention.
Getting Started
To get started, tenants can press the Renny the Robot head at the bottom-right of this screen to start a conversation. Renny can help with evictions, utility shutoffs, problems with security deposits, issues with housing conditions, and more. There is no need to create an account and no matter which method they use to communicate, users get comprehensive assistance tailored to their needs.
Self-Help Tools
As tenants answer plain-language questions about their problems, Renny provides information about the best options for resolving them. These options include helping them write a letter to their landlord or complete a legal form. In some cases, Renny will refer tenants to other resources, such as Chicago’s 311 hotline or a social service agency. Renny might also see if they qualify to talk to a LCBH attorney free of charge.
Rentervention is a free resource for Illinois renters facing housing issues.
It is a joint project of the Law Center for Better Housing, the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, and other advocates dedicated to helping tenants.
RENTER STORIES
Donna’s Story
"Donna,” a Chicago Public Schools teacher, had lived in her Logan Square apartment for more than a decade when she learned that her landlord’s adult children were selling her building. “I was close with this family for a very long time, almost 15 years. I was told by them more than once, that...
Emily’s Story
Emily had been living in her home for nearly seven years when she lost her waitressing job and fell behind on rent. Having experienced homelessness before, Emily was determined to stay in her unit, and negotiated a payment plan with her landlord, promising to pay her rent for the next 12...