Rent is due on the 1st day of the month and is late after the 5th. Rent must be in our office by the end of the business day on the 5th of the month in order to not incur a late payment fee. Any rent payments made after the 5th should include this fee.
In compliance with city regulations, we charge a $10.00 per month late fee on rents under $500 and a 5% per month late fee on that part of the rent exceeds $500.
Most of our buildings are now set up for online payments through our Tenant Web Access Portal. Payments made using a checking/savings account and routing number are free and payments made by credit/debit cards incur a 3% processing fee. For access to the online portal please email info@winnemacproperties.com.
If you are paying with a check or money order, send your payment to our office or drop it off in person. If the office is closed, you can slide your payment through the mail slot.
We also offer auto-draft payments from your checking or savings account at certain properties. If you are interested in automatic rent payments, download a copy of our ACH Authorization form. Once we’ve received this information, we can begin deducting your payments. Payments will be drafted between the 1st and the 5th day of each month.
If your rent payment is returned to us, we will notify you and expect immediate re-payment, including any NSF or late fees due as a result. The fee for an NSF or similar check non-payment is $25.
We follow the guidelines outlined in your lease and in the City of Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, so please be prepared for the addition of late fees and possible eviction.
Five days after you have been served the Landlord’s Five Days’ Notice, if you have still not submitted full payment for all past due rent and late fees, we will file for your eviction. You will be served by a representative of the Cook County Sheriff’s office at your home with a court date for the eviction proceedings. Once a judgment is granted for past due rent and possession of the property, the court specifies the number of days you have to vacate the property.
If you do not vacate within that time frame, an Order for Possession will be filed. You will again be served by the Cook County Sheriff’s office informing you of the date for the Order for Possession. On that date, representatives from the sheriff’s department as well as a representative from Winnemac Properties will arrive at your home to remove all of your personal belongings and set them at the curb.
A judgment in favor of the landlord can stay on your record for 10 years and might make it difficult to obtain future housing and credit. An eviction filing can also be expensive and is the responsibility of the resident. Eviction filing fees start at $650. After the eviction, we will also turn over any unpaid accounts to our collection agency for further action.
The tenant, the tenant’s family and invited guests must comply with all obligations including:
- Buying and installing batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your unit
- Supplying and changing heating and air conditioning filters as needed if your unit is equipped with a furnace and central air
- Minor repairs, including replacing light bulbs
- Keeping the unit safe and clean
- Using all equipment and facilities in a reasonable manner
- Not deliberately or negligently damaging the unit
- Not disturbing other residents
For additional tenant responsibilities, review your lease and any additional building-specific riders.
We strongly urge all tenants to acquire Renter’s Insurance. Residents are solely responsible for insuring their own personal property against any loss resulting from damage, destruction, theft, fire, storm and other hazards and casualties while in residence on the property. Many policies start from as little as $10 per month.
Unless utilities are included in the lease, it is your responsibility as a tenant to secure any required utilities. Contact information can be found in your move-in packet.
If your emergency is life threatening, dial 911 immediately.
If a maintenance emergency occurs during regular business hours, please call our office immediately at 773-728-9900. If no one is available and you reach our automated attendant, choose option 1. For an after-hours emergency, call and use our automated attendant. Be sure to leave your name, number, address, and the nature of the emergency. Once you complete your message, it will be forwarded to several of our on call staff members who will return your call as quickly as possible.
Anything that endangers life or poses severe damage or risk to the property if not corrected immediately is considered an emergency. Lock-outs are not necessarily considered emergencies.
The preferred method for submitting a maintenance request is using our Tenant Web Access Portal. This enables you to monitor the status of your work order and communicate with our maintenance team directly. You can also submit a maintenance request by emailing maintenance@winnemacproperties.com.
No, but you are more than welcome to observe. Many requests can be handled by our in-house staff and are usually resolved during normal business hours. If we can’t handle it, we will call in an outside vendor and let you know when they are scheduled to arrive. Please note that if the situation is deemed to be a risk to the property or to other units, we will access the apartment whether you are there or not.
We will contact you the same or next business day regarding your request, will complete the assessment of the situation and will determine the next course of action. Because outside vendors and replacement parts may be needed, we may not be able to set a firm date for completion.
No. Unauthorized repairs will not be reimbursed. Should you wish to perform work in your apartment, contact our office first and we will let you know how to proceed.
Please contact our office immediately so we may investigate the issue.
Locks are changed before you move in. If for some reason they need to be changed again, please contact our office. This work must be done through Winnemac Properties and the tenant will billed the charges.
In order to paint any walls in your apartment, you must first request and receive written authorization from us. If you are given permission to change paint colors, any changes must be restored to our building standard – Benjamin Moore’s China White – before you vacate the apartment. In some instances, we may agree to paint using a different color prior to your moving in, so ask if this is an option.
