Injustice Watch

The Tenant Trap

This five-part series from Injustice Watch reveals how tenants in Chicago regularly face eviction and informal displacement at buildings with histories of serious safety violations amid a legal system that skews in favor of landlords. As part of a yearlong investigation, journalists surveyed housing organizations about building conditions, spent months observing court proceedings, and delved into relevant data: 1.9 million code violations, 60,000 administrative court dockets, 300,000 eviction court dockets, and 43,000 housing court dockets. 

Senior reporters Alejandra Cancino and Maya Dukmasova found “2,654 buildings in the city with chronic serious building code violations and at least 328 buildings where landlords filed evictions at the same time the city was taking them to housing court over building conditions, including rat and roach infestations, lack of heat or water, and serious fire code violations.”

The reporting led a Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge to issue an order allowing tenants facing eviction quick access to records about their landlords’ building code violations.

“This series is a case study in thoughtful community outreach and tireless reporting with the goal of solving real problems in people’s lives,” a judge said. “The reporters who contributed to this project were able to identify a critical challenge facing residents of Cook County, and they produced an impressive package of investigations and explainers that provide their neighbors with vital information and led to meaningful change for local tenants. ‘Community Champion’ is the perfect title for these journalists.”

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The Tenant Trap

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