The HCV Program places the choice of housing in the hands of the individual family. To assist families with their search, CHA provides a list of available units in the Chicagoland area.
Click here to find a place to live!
Please note: You are responsible for researching property owners and units to avoid fraud and make sure units meet your individual requirements. Listings are offered for your convenience only; units and property owners have not been screened by CHA and do not have CHA’s endorsement. After you find a unit and submit the required paperwork, all property owners and their units are subject to the CHA screening and approval process per our normal procedures. Click here for tips on how to avoid scams and fraud. Click here to view the City of Chicago’s list of problem building owners. Click here to view the Chicago Police Department’s CLEARMAP database.
The City of Chicago’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) governs the rights and responsibilities of both the landlord and tenant in Chicago’s rental market. The RLTO details what must be provided and maintained in the apartment by the landlord, remedies available to the tenant, security deposits, etc. Knowing your rights and responsibilities is important for a good rental relationship.
Click here for information about the responsibilities of tenants and landlords.
FAIR HOUSING
It is important to understand the basic rights provided to you under Fair Housing laws. The premise is simple: everyone has the legal right to live anywhere he/she wants (and can afford) to live. Fair Housing laws apply to both individuals and families, whether they are voucher holders or not.
Note: A property owner CANNOT use your status as a voucher holder to deny you tenancy. In the city of Chicago and throughout Cook County, property owners MUST consider the voucher as a source of income when determining an individual’s suitability as a tenant.
For more information, please see Are You a Victim of Housing Discrimination and Filing a Housing Discrimination Complaint. Contact CHA’s Fair Housing Department at 312-913-7062 or email fairhousing@thecha.org.
MOBILITY AREAS
Exception payment standards are part of CHA’s strategy to expand housing choices for HCV participants in Mobility Areas throughout Chicago. Effective March 1, 2018, a Mobility Area is defined as a Chicago community area with 20% or fewer of its families with income below the poverty level and a below median reported violent crime count (normalized by the community area’s total population). Some community areas with improving poverty and violent crime rates along with significant job clusters are also designated as Mobility Areas. CHA uses this definition of Mobility Areas for implementing its Mobility Counseling Program, for approving exception payment standards, and for providing landlord incentive payments.
To learn more about the Mobility Counseling Program, please click here.