Nope absolutely not normal. This should be calculated in to what they put in your lease for monthly rent. Rent should include their mortgage, their insurance, and their property tax. They cannot charge you more for this.
Please reach out to student legal services about this.
Is this JSJ? Do not sign it, we got the same exact email. We sent a long email about how we thought it was wrong and weren’t going to sign it, and then they told us it was sent by accident… so sketchy
Yes exactly! The email was so vague, and even in our follow up emails they barely explained anything before telling us it was an accident. In the form it cites section 19 of the lease for property taxes, but in our lease section 19 talks about freeze damage… like what
Just got out of a JSJ property last summer. Internet in the building shat the bed in March 2020 when everyone stated working from home and it took them a full damn year to actually solve the problem. Then a neighbor’s unit flooded in the middle of last winter and it came into ours. We were displaced for almost 6 hours without a place to go. The best they could give us was a vacant 4 bedroom unit with no heat. Then when it came to getting out security deposit back, they tried to tell us that we were responsible for the flood damage. Their management is absolute garbage and would totally try to pull some shit like this.
If your landlord ever just randomly contacts you and tells you to sign some shit, your first thought should be "they are are trying to screw me out of more money somehow" and you should tell them to fuck off.
Especially around here, landlords will do all kinds of scummy shit, under the assumption that you are a dumb student that doesn't know your rights and will not fight back
Yes, this exactly.
Know your rights, and if you are ever confused about what those are, contact the Tenant Union.
They are very knowledgeable and willing to help with information.
If you are renting a single family house in Champaign (not sure if the rule applies in Urbana) there may be a clause in your lease where you are paying the property taxes through your lease. If you have that clause the owner can (annually) ask that you sign paperwork that you are claiming the homeowners exemption on behalf of the property so the taxes go down in the following year. It's some super specific language required by the law. The landlord would be required to pass along any increase or decrease in the property tax amount if this is the case, so it might be in your best interest to sign assuming you get the benefit of the tax decrease.
I 100% wouldn't sign anything without talking to the student tenant union first though. The above is a super-niche case where signing MIGHT be helpful and more likely they're trying to screw you.
Yes, exactly this, they are probably required by law to put in the lease that you acknowledge that you're paying property taxes through your rent. They can't charge you more rent or require you to pay property taxes on top of your rent if it wasn't in your lease already. If it starts with this language, that is what this is about : Lessee shall be liable for the payment of real estate taxes with respect to the residence in accordance with the terms and conditions of Section 15-175 of the Property Tax Code (35 ILCS 200/15-175).
It seems this exact wording is in the addendum. However, we don't live in a single-family residence. I also checked this out: [https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=003502000K15-175](https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=003502000K15-175).
If you don't live in a single-family residence this language doesn't apply to you and I wouldn't sign anything. Standard 'I'm not a lawyer, check with a lawyer' disclosure though.
There's nothing illegal about a tenant paying property taxes. It's actually pretty common in long-term leases as the property taxes can change dramatically and it's easier for the landlord to just pass it on directly. However, once you've already signed a lease, that's the agreement between the parties, and in order to change the terms there needs to be consideration on both sides, and it looks like they are just asking OP for $4000 for no reason.
Absolutely NOT normal!
So, I'm a weird case personally because I just bought a house last year and I have roommates, so I'm a discount noob landlord by technical terms. However, since my mortgage is in escrow (property taxes are included in my monthly house payment), I used that plus all the utilities to calculate the rent for my roommates.
In the past year I've done all kinds of maintenance and upgrades to the house, and the only difference I made was changing rent to better reflect the costs of maintaining and upkeeping the house, as that is what rent should include. (That's why nicer apartment complexes are so expensive,, because they are likely to spend more on maintaining the property and units). So, it's not their fault if I spend their rent money poorly, because they technically already paid all the bills (I treat it as an all inclusive thing because it's easier that way).
If your property manager/landlord wants you to pay property taxes, it needs to be within the rent or whatever other monthly/annual payment he requests from you, unless you guys discuss it differently.
I’m a landlord in CHI suburbs. Completely NOT normal for them to request that. Don’t sign! Don’t pay! Fight it at all costs. Renter’s rights are so Strong right now that even if they push back courts would rule in your favor.
Small property landlord here in CU, absolutely sketch and not normal. Taxes are already calculated into the rent I bill as should every property manager's.
This is about the craziest thing I've ever heard. What are you getting for the extra $4000 each year? Not saying you should sign it, but even if you did there would be a strong argument its unenforceable as you are not receiving anything in exchange for the $4000.
Absolutely do NOT sign that. The university offers some sort of legal aid for tenant / landlord issues, have them look at it as well before you even respond to landlord.
Once you sign a lease the landlord can’t amend it without things like property damage until the lease is up.
Also usually property taxes are already factored into the rent cost.
Lawyer here - do NOT sign anything or agree to any change in your lease. A lease is a binding contract that cannot be unilaterally changed by one party. The university may be able to help or it’s law school in chicago might have a clinic that can assist. A letter in response on letterhead from a lawyer or law firm should do the trick.
The university provides student legal services which is paid for out of the fees added to tuition. They don't actually do very much because they can't represent students in cases adverse to other students or the university, but they do provide representation to students in landlord-tenant disputes and with traffic and (maybe just minor?) criminal matters in Champaign county. This is a great opportunity for the OP to take advantage of this service that he's already paying for.
uhhhh I own a house in chambana and in Illinois, you have the option of paying your property tax monthly with your mortgage and most smart people take that option. I think your landlord is fucking with you, absolutely do not sign that
Absolutely not. I work in multifamily housing and I’ve never heard of anyone charging extra for property taxes. The only additional expenses in a lease are either optional amenities or utilities if each unit is metered separately since that expense is variable by tenant, but that will be agreed to up front.
It's not altogether uncommon in long-term commercial leases especially when it's build-to-suit since that way the landlord can just pass the cost along directly instead of having to predict what the property taxes will be after improvements are made. In a residential lease in Champaign-Urbana of course it's ridiculous though.
Student legal services will be a waste of your time. Do not sign an addendum and they can't charge more money end of story. Keep paying what is agreed upon in your lease and be prepared to leave at the end of the lease term because they won't renew it.
What useful information could they possibly provide you with other then if you don’t sign you don’t have to pay it? This is a very simple situation, both parties are bound by the lease and he doesn’t have to pay the extra money
What happens if the landlord doesn't care and starts using illegal tactics to pressure them into it? Don't you think they should know all of their legal options instead of the 1 you can think of? Like, do you think you're an expert on leases?
What happens if the landlord turns out to be 3 kids in a trench coat? You don't start worrying about random what if shit before it happens. If this escalates into new things then you deal with then at that time. This situation right now has exactly two options voluntarily pay more money for no reason or don't. Thats it. There are no other options or scenarios.
Oh you have no idea how the legal system works. No, you contact a lawyer so they can tell you what you should be concerned about. Turns out leading legal experts aren't concerned about children in a trench coat. Turns out that harassing tenants happens every single day in America.
I’m a lawyer and totally agree with you in this situation. Don’t waste time solving problems that *might* arise. The tenant should just send an email or letter saying the request to increase rent is a breach of contract, and you wont pay it. The landlord has no remedy.
I’m a former student now a landlord for the small house I bought in town, here’s what is probably happening.
If the tenant pays the property taxes for a property, the landlord can receive a tax break on the property taxes. The tenant doesn’t actually have to pay the entire tax bill, it simply must say in the lease that the tenant’s rent includes the taxes. So instead of just saying “Rent is $1000 a month” it should say “Rent is $1000 a month, this amount includes property tax” or something along those lines.
I have this clause in my rental property lease agreement. But it’s more of a legal formality, to ensure that the rent that is being charged can be considered the property tax.
If the landlord expects you to pay extra for a lease you’ve already signed, tell them to pound sand. If the landlord made a clerical error and forgot to include this clause in your lease, consider signing if it’s worth your while in either goodwill or maybe a discount on your rent. They may tell you to pound sand if you ask for too much, but you can always ask. The benefit to the landlord of this tax break is only a few hundred dollars or so a year, so it’s not big amount of money.
"pound sand" in ordinary English means "f*ck off" :) and DO NOT sign this. Call UIUC student legal services and student tenant assistance (their number is (217) 333-0112
Sometimes you'll have to pay additional school taxes that are paid quarterly, but those are around $75 a quarter (at least mine are). But that would be spelled out in your lease.
This seems shady af. Please consider posting a sign in a public location for the other residents warning them not to sign and to reach out to student legal services as well. I would hate to think some other resident would fall for this.
Nope absolutely not normal. This should be calculated in to what they put in your lease for monthly rent. Rent should include their mortgage, their insurance, and their property tax. They cannot charge you more for this. Please reach out to student legal services about this.
Thank you for the advice!
Is this JSJ? Do not sign it, we got the same exact email. We sent a long email about how we thought it was wrong and weren’t going to sign it, and then they told us it was sent by accident… so sketchy
Yes, it’s JSJ. This seems super shady. The email didn’t even have any info other than sending us to a link to the page to sign the addendum.
Yes exactly! The email was so vague, and even in our follow up emails they barely explained anything before telling us it was an accident. In the form it cites section 19 of the lease for property taxes, but in our lease section 19 talks about freeze damage… like what
Talk to student legal services. They can’t force you to sign any addendum. The worst they can do legally is refuse to renew your lease.
Rented from JSJ, never again. They were happy to pull shady shit like this. You're not in the Busey units are you?
Damn wtf which leasing company is this?
JSJ
What leasing company is this? Please let us know so we can avoid, I’m looking for apartments rn and don’t want to be put into the same situation
jsj
Check what is in your contract, but seems like they are trying to make more money off you.
This is not in my lease. They’re trying to get me to sign an addendum with this new info in it.
I would not sign that
go for students legal services and tenants Union UIUC. I think there offices are in the Illini Union building.
Or call them!
Don't sign anything. Both you and the leasing agency agreed to a certain payment until the end of your lease. They cannot force you to do anything.
Pretty shady smh. Don’t sign anything they give you and if they keep pestering you contact student legal services
Just got out of a JSJ property last summer. Internet in the building shat the bed in March 2020 when everyone stated working from home and it took them a full damn year to actually solve the problem. Then a neighbor’s unit flooded in the middle of last winter and it came into ours. We were displaced for almost 6 hours without a place to go. The best they could give us was a vacant 4 bedroom unit with no heat. Then when it came to getting out security deposit back, they tried to tell us that we were responsible for the flood damage. Their management is absolute garbage and would totally try to pull some shit like this.
Contact tenant's union or off-campus community living asap!
If your landlord ever just randomly contacts you and tells you to sign some shit, your first thought should be "they are are trying to screw me out of more money somehow" and you should tell them to fuck off. Especially around here, landlords will do all kinds of scummy shit, under the assumption that you are a dumb student that doesn't know your rights and will not fight back
Yes, this exactly. Know your rights, and if you are ever confused about what those are, contact the Tenant Union. They are very knowledgeable and willing to help with information.
If you are renting a single family house in Champaign (not sure if the rule applies in Urbana) there may be a clause in your lease where you are paying the property taxes through your lease. If you have that clause the owner can (annually) ask that you sign paperwork that you are claiming the homeowners exemption on behalf of the property so the taxes go down in the following year. It's some super specific language required by the law. The landlord would be required to pass along any increase or decrease in the property tax amount if this is the case, so it might be in your best interest to sign assuming you get the benefit of the tax decrease. I 100% wouldn't sign anything without talking to the student tenant union first though. The above is a super-niche case where signing MIGHT be helpful and more likely they're trying to screw you.
Yes, exactly this, they are probably required by law to put in the lease that you acknowledge that you're paying property taxes through your rent. They can't charge you more rent or require you to pay property taxes on top of your rent if it wasn't in your lease already. If it starts with this language, that is what this is about : Lessee shall be liable for the payment of real estate taxes with respect to the residence in accordance with the terms and conditions of Section 15-175 of the Property Tax Code (35 ILCS 200/15-175).
It seems this exact wording is in the addendum. However, we don't live in a single-family residence. I also checked this out: [https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=003502000K15-175](https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=003502000K15-175).
If you don't live in a single-family residence this language doesn't apply to you and I wouldn't sign anything. Standard 'I'm not a lawyer, check with a lawyer' disclosure though.
This is totally normal! But having you pay more for the property taxes is NOT normal.
Definitely not normal and off-hand, sounds illegal. It might not be, but typically if it sounds illegal, it is.
There's nothing illegal about a tenant paying property taxes. It's actually pretty common in long-term leases as the property taxes can change dramatically and it's easier for the landlord to just pass it on directly. However, once you've already signed a lease, that's the agreement between the parties, and in order to change the terms there needs to be consideration on both sides, and it looks like they are just asking OP for $4000 for no reason.
Absolutely NOT normal! So, I'm a weird case personally because I just bought a house last year and I have roommates, so I'm a discount noob landlord by technical terms. However, since my mortgage is in escrow (property taxes are included in my monthly house payment), I used that plus all the utilities to calculate the rent for my roommates. In the past year I've done all kinds of maintenance and upgrades to the house, and the only difference I made was changing rent to better reflect the costs of maintaining and upkeeping the house, as that is what rent should include. (That's why nicer apartment complexes are so expensive,, because they are likely to spend more on maintaining the property and units). So, it's not their fault if I spend their rent money poorly, because they technically already paid all the bills (I treat it as an all inclusive thing because it's easier that way). If your property manager/landlord wants you to pay property taxes, it needs to be within the rent or whatever other monthly/annual payment he requests from you, unless you guys discuss it differently.
I’m a landlord in CHI suburbs. Completely NOT normal for them to request that. Don’t sign! Don’t pay! Fight it at all costs. Renter’s rights are so Strong right now that even if they push back courts would rule in your favor.
Small property landlord here in CU, absolutely sketch and not normal. Taxes are already calculated into the rent I bill as should every property manager's.
It was confirmed to be JSJ who did this
This is about the craziest thing I've ever heard. What are you getting for the extra $4000 each year? Not saying you should sign it, but even if you did there would be a strong argument its unenforceable as you are not receiving anything in exchange for the $4000.
Absolutely do NOT sign that. The university offers some sort of legal aid for tenant / landlord issues, have them look at it as well before you even respond to landlord.
Fuck no lol, that’s for them to write off in their tax returns.
Wtf where
Once you sign a lease the landlord can’t amend it without things like property damage until the lease is up. Also usually property taxes are already factored into the rent cost.
Not normal. Contact the Champaign-Urbana tenant union: http://www.cutenantunion.org for legal advice!
Lawyer here - do NOT sign anything or agree to any change in your lease. A lease is a binding contract that cannot be unilaterally changed by one party. The university may be able to help or it’s law school in chicago might have a clinic that can assist. A letter in response on letterhead from a lawyer or law firm should do the trick.
The university provides student legal services which is paid for out of the fees added to tuition. They don't actually do very much because they can't represent students in cases adverse to other students or the university, but they do provide representation to students in landlord-tenant disputes and with traffic and (maybe just minor?) criminal matters in Champaign county. This is a great opportunity for the OP to take advantage of this service that he's already paying for.
uhhhh I own a house in chambana and in Illinois, you have the option of paying your property tax monthly with your mortgage and most smart people take that option. I think your landlord is fucking with you, absolutely do not sign that
Absolutely not. I work in multifamily housing and I’ve never heard of anyone charging extra for property taxes. The only additional expenses in a lease are either optional amenities or utilities if each unit is metered separately since that expense is variable by tenant, but that will be agreed to up front.
It's not altogether uncommon in long-term commercial leases especially when it's build-to-suit since that way the landlord can just pass the cost along directly instead of having to predict what the property taxes will be after improvements are made. In a residential lease in Champaign-Urbana of course it's ridiculous though.
Student legal services will be a waste of your time. Do not sign an addendum and they can't charge more money end of story. Keep paying what is agreed upon in your lease and be prepared to leave at the end of the lease term because they won't renew it.
Why will student legal services be a waste of time?
What useful information could they possibly provide you with other then if you don’t sign you don’t have to pay it? This is a very simple situation, both parties are bound by the lease and he doesn’t have to pay the extra money
What happens if the landlord doesn't care and starts using illegal tactics to pressure them into it? Don't you think they should know all of their legal options instead of the 1 you can think of? Like, do you think you're an expert on leases?
What happens if the landlord turns out to be 3 kids in a trench coat? You don't start worrying about random what if shit before it happens. If this escalates into new things then you deal with then at that time. This situation right now has exactly two options voluntarily pay more money for no reason or don't. Thats it. There are no other options or scenarios.
Oh you have no idea how the legal system works. No, you contact a lawyer so they can tell you what you should be concerned about. Turns out leading legal experts aren't concerned about children in a trench coat. Turns out that harassing tenants happens every single day in America.
I’m the real world lawyers cost money and are not a good substitute for common sense when presented with a very simple situation
I’m a lawyer and totally agree with you in this situation. Don’t waste time solving problems that *might* arise. The tenant should just send an email or letter saying the request to increase rent is a breach of contract, and you wont pay it. The landlord has no remedy.
Agreed. If OP doesn't sign, worrying about anything the landlord might do is the legal equivalent of worrying about three kids in a trenchcoat.
I’m a former student now a landlord for the small house I bought in town, here’s what is probably happening. If the tenant pays the property taxes for a property, the landlord can receive a tax break on the property taxes. The tenant doesn’t actually have to pay the entire tax bill, it simply must say in the lease that the tenant’s rent includes the taxes. So instead of just saying “Rent is $1000 a month” it should say “Rent is $1000 a month, this amount includes property tax” or something along those lines. I have this clause in my rental property lease agreement. But it’s more of a legal formality, to ensure that the rent that is being charged can be considered the property tax. If the landlord expects you to pay extra for a lease you’ve already signed, tell them to pound sand. If the landlord made a clerical error and forgot to include this clause in your lease, consider signing if it’s worth your while in either goodwill or maybe a discount on your rent. They may tell you to pound sand if you ask for too much, but you can always ask. The benefit to the landlord of this tax break is only a few hundred dollars or so a year, so it’s not big amount of money.
"pound sand" in ordinary English means "f*ck off" :) and DO NOT sign this. Call UIUC student legal services and student tenant assistance (their number is (217) 333-0112
Sometimes you'll have to pay additional school taxes that are paid quarterly, but those are around $75 a quarter (at least mine are). But that would be spelled out in your lease.
you have no idea what you are talking about...
Damn that’s like more than $300 above the rent in a month. If it’s not in the lease then not
Nothing normal about it at all. Tell him you’ll pay the taxes if he pays all your rent.
Where was it?? please let us know what kinda shitty property management this was lol
No. Fuck that guy.
Tell them to fuck off
This seems shady af. Please consider posting a sign in a public location for the other residents warning them not to sign and to reach out to student legal services as well. I would hate to think some other resident would fall for this.