Evergreen Park ARTICLE VII. RENTAL HOUSING § 5-350

For the purposes of this Article, the following terms are hereby defined:


(a) Abandoned dwelling means a dwelling unit, building, structure, property, or part thereof that has not been actively used for its intended, designed, or permitted purpose for a period of 12 consecutive months, or for a cumulative period of 18 months during any three year period.


(b) Abandoned use means a non-conforming use within a dwelling unit, building, structure, property, or part thereof, that has been discontinued for a period of 12 consecutive months, or for a minimum of 18 months during any three year period.


(c) Apartment means a unit within an apartment building.


(d) Apartment building means a residential building containing three or more dwelling units. An apartment building may also be classified as a multi-family dwelling.


(e) Approved means having received approval of the Village of Evergreen Park Building Department.


(f) Bedroom means a room within a dwelling unit capable of being used for sleeping purposes, having a closet and an openable window, and meets the minimum square footage requirements as described in the Property Maintenance Code.


(g) Building Commissioner means the building commissioner of the village or any person employed by the building department and authorized to act by the building commissioner.


(h) Dangerous buildings, structure, or premises means any building, structure or premises that has become or remains in an unsafe or dilapidated condition so to pose a danger to public health, safety or welfare.


(i) Dwelling unit means any part of a building containing individualized cooking, sleeping and sanitary facilities which is designed to be occupied or intended for use by one household.


(j) Family means an individual, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption, living together as a single household unit; or a group of not more than four persons not related by blood, marriage or adoption, living together as a single household unit.


(k) Grandfathering means permitted use of a previously existing nonconformity.


(l) Habitable room means any room meeting the requirements of this Article for living, sleeping, cooking or dining purposes, but not including bathrooms, pantries, hallways, storage areas, utility rooms, or unfinished cellars/basements, or attics.


(m) Household. See Family.


(n) Immediate family means kinship members including:


(1) Mother: a female parent;


(2) Father: a male parent;


(3) Son: a male child of the parent(s);


(4) Daughter: a female child of the parent(s);


(5) Brother: a male child of the same parent(s);


(6) Sister: a female child of the same parent(s);


(7) Grandfather: a parent's father;


(8) Grandmother: a parent's mother;


(9) Grandson: a child's son; and


(10) Granddaughter: a child's daughter.


(o) Imminent danger means a condition which could cause serious or life-threatening injury or death at any time.


(p) Landlord means the landowner, lessor, or sublessor of rental residential property.


(q) Lease: See Rental agreement.


(r) Lessee: See Tenant.


(s) Multi-family residence means a single building that is set up to accommodate more than one family living separately. The units are attached along and sharing one or more common walls and one or more shared common corridors. This definition does not include townhouses.


(t) Occupant means a person who lives in a dwelling unit. An occupant who is not an individual owner is a tenant.


(u) Owner means the legal title holder or holders of the realty, except, (1) if legal title is held by an Illinois land trust, owner shall mean the beneficial owner or owners of the land trust; and (2) if there is a purchaser or purchasers under a real estate installment sales contract, owner shall mean the purchaser or purchasers. Owner shall also include any mortgagee in possession of the realty.


(v) Owner's agent means a person e18 years of age or older who maintains a primary residence (as defined herein) or an office for the purpose of transacting business in the village and is customarily present to perform the duties of managing agent on a full-time basis whether the rental unit is occupied or not.


(w) Primary residence means a dwelling unit maintained and occupied on a routine basis by at least one individual owner more than 50% of the year and can be proven to be that individual owner's legal residence through tax records or other official documents filed with the state or federal government. A residence occupied by its owner 50% or less of the year is classified as a Secondary residence.


(x) Property Maintenance Code means the code in effect pursuant to Sec. 5-8 of the Evergreen Park Municipal Code.


(y) Quadrant Northeast means the area bounded by Rockwell Avenue on the east, Kedzie Avenue on the West, 87th Street on the north and 95th Street on the south.


(z) Quadrant Northwest means the area bounded by Kedzie Avenue on the east, Pulaski Avenue on the west, 91st Street on the north and 95th Street on the south.


(aa) Quadrant Southeast means the area bounded by Western Avenue on the east, Kedzie Avenue on the west, 95th Street on the north and 99th Street on the south.


(bb) Quadrant Southwest means the area bounded by Kedzie Avenue on the east, Pulaski Avenue on the west, 95th Street on the north and 99th Street on the south, and Kedzie Avenue on the east, Central Park Avenue on the west, 95th Street on the north and 103rd Street on the south.


(cc) Registration means the process by which an owner submits an application for a license to operate one or more rental units in the village. All rental units must be licensed and registered to be occupied by tenants. A license and occupancy may be refused or revoked by the village on units not in compliance.


(dd) Rental residential property: See Residential rental housing.


(ee) Rental unit means an independent dwelling unit not occupied by the owner as a primary or secondary residence. See Residential rental housing definition.


(ff) Rental agreement means an oral or written lease or agreement containing the terms of occupancy of a dwelling unit by a tenant.


(gg) Renter means a tenant (see Tenant ).


(hh) Residential rental housing means a dwelling, townhouse, condominium, dwelling unit, rooming unit, building, premise or structure for residential use by a person or persons who is not the legal owner of record. Units occupied by immediate family as herein defined are not considered residential rental housing. This Article is not intended to, and does not, apply to hotels, motels, nursing homes or assisted living facilities.


(ii) Rental manager means a person who is not the owner of property, who receives compensation for managing any rental housing.


(jj) Secondary residence means a dwelling unit occupied by an owner less than 50% of the year and occupied by no one else at any time except for individuals related by blood or marriage when the owner is actually present.


(kk) Tenant means a person not the owner who occupies a dwelling unit with the consent of the owner for monetary or non-monetary consideration.


(Ord. No. 5-2007 § 1, 2-5-07; Am. Ord. No. 27-2025 § 1, 12-15-25)