Chicago renters say they're living in 'a nightmare.' What happens when landlords let homes fall apart — and how to fight back

Dating back to at least 2024, Astoria Tower residents say they’ve experienced elevators swaying, stalling and, terrifyingly, dropping half a floor, leading to three firefighter rescues in December of that year and a city fine for “repeated noncompliance.”

Tenant Tyler Weddington recently told CBS (2) that falling drywall “hit me in the head and I found it in my food,” while fellow resident Brishti Basu called the last year “a nightmare,” wondering if the building would have hot water or heat each day upon returning home.

A number of tenants banded together to form an association to fight back, some withholding rent, but the landlord is threatening to possibly evict those who don’t promptly pay their back rent. CBS reported that Astoria Tower management had not responded to their requests for comment.

While residents plan to fight evictions (3), this Chi-Town throwdown echoes battles between tenants and landlords taking place across the country.

Disputes with landlords are a costly — and nationwide — problem

Landlords are legally obliged to maintain rental units in “a condition that is fit for habitation” (4). But as the average U.S. tenant spends 35% more to “comfortably” afford rent (5) than they did pre-pandemic, according to Zillow, while Realtor.com reported (6) that “nearly 1 in 10 renters is living in ‘substandard’ conditions.”

It may explain why stories like that of Astoria Tower persist.

Last year in Kansas City, residents of a 200-unit apartment complex were given 48 hours to evacuate the property that was deemed “severely deteriorated” due to mold and structural issues, including one resident whose tap water ran “yellowish-brown” and couldn’t use her shower for two years, according to NPR (7). Former residents eventually sued the landlord for “a robust pattern and practice of misconduct.”

In Washington, D.C., a judge found another landlord liable for $30 million in restitution to tenants following “years of living with mold, failed heating and hot water systems, rusted walkways and asbestos concerns.”

New York City published its annual “Worst Landlord Watchlist” (8) in January, with the public advocate’s office noting “not only has the #1 Worst Landlord amassed the most violations in history, but the #2 has also surpassed any previous owner in the top spot” (9). Combined, those two landlords amassed nearly 9,000 violations across 60 properties.

Neglectful landlords, meanwhile, often get away with letting tenants endure such substandard conditions in part because, as a Georgetown Law report noted (10), tenants in such rentals “cannot afford to retain counsel at market rates.”

If cases do move forward, the report authors added, “landlords regularly obfuscate and delay,” sometimes leading to multiple court appearances before even landing a hearing with a judge.

How tenants can fight back

Fortunately, there are steps that tenants can take to protect themselves against landlords who don’t keep living conditions up to code.