Chicago Heights — Ch. 23 Human Relations § 23-73
Differential treatment
Operative Text
It shall be unlawful to engage in any differential treatment toward any prospective seller, purchaser, or tenant because of that person's race, color, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, familial status, marital status, national origin, or age or that of the persons in the area in which that property is located.
Chicago Heights Ch. 23 Human Relations § 23-73 prohibits treating prospective sellers, buyers, or tenants differently based on protected characteristics such as race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, marital status, national origin, or age. The rule also bars differential treatment based on the demographic makeup of the neighborhood where the property is located — a practice sometimes called steering or blockbusting. This provision applies at the point of any transaction or rental inquiry, covering the full range of interactions with prospective parties.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Chicago Heights Ch. 23 § 23-73, compliant property owners and managers apply consistent standards when screening, communicating with, and responding to all prospective tenants, regardless of their protected characteristics or the perceived demographics of the surrounding area. Operators generally document their rental criteria and apply them uniformly across all applicants to demonstrate that no differential treatment occurred. Training leasing staff to recognize and avoid conduct that could constitute differential treatment — including comments about neighborhood composition — is a common practice among operators seeking to comply with this provision.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Chicago Heights Ch. 23 § 23-73 gives prospective tenants the right to be evaluated without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, marital status, national origin, or age. If a prospective tenant believes they were treated differently during a rental inquiry because of one of these characteristics, they may consider filing a complaint with the Chicago Heights Human Relations Commission or a relevant fair housing agency. Tenant-rights organizations and fair housing advocacy groups can help individuals understand whether the conduct they experienced may fall within the scope of this provision.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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