RR
Rent Regulations

Waukegan — Ch. 12 Human Relations § 12-29

Owners not required to offer property to public at large or to persons not negotiating in good faith; nondiscriminatory preference

In Force
Verified 11/10/2026 · Next check 12/10/2026
WaukeganFair Housing & Anti-Discrimination

Operative Text

Waukegan — Ch. 12 Human Relations § 12-29
(a) Nothing in this article shall require an owner to offer property to the public at large before selling or renting it, nor shall this article be deemed to prohibit owners from giving preference to prospective tenants or buyers for any reason other than the factors set out in section 12-26 .
(b) Nothing in this article shall require an owner to offer property for sale or lease to any person if the owner has any reason to believe that such person is not negotiating for the purchase or lease of such property in good faith.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Waukegan Ch. 12 Human Relations § 12-29 clarifies that fair-housing rules do not obligate property owners to market or advertise to the general public before selling or renting. Owners may give preference to particular prospective tenants or buyers for any reason, as long as that reason is not one of the protected characteristics listed in § 12-26. Additionally, an owner is not required to deal with anyone they have a reasonable basis to believe is not genuinely interested in purchasing or leasing the property.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on November 9, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under § 12-29, compliant operators understand that they are not required to conduct broad public marketing before renting or selling a unit, and may apply preferences in selecting tenants or buyers — provided those preferences are never based on the protected classes enumerated in § 12-26. Operators who decline to negotiate with a prospective tenant or buyer generally document the objective, good-faith basis for believing that person was not sincerely interested in the property. Maintaining consistent, non-discriminatory screening criteria helps demonstrate that any preference or refusal to negotiate falls within the boundaries § 12-29 permits.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Section § 12-29 preserves an owner's right to set preferences and to decline negotiations with someone not acting in good faith, but it does not override the anti-discrimination protections established in § 12-26 of Waukegan's Human Relations ordinance. If a prospective tenant believes a preference or refusal to negotiate was actually based on a protected characteristic rather than a legitimate business reason, that concern may be raised as a potential violation of § 12-26. Tenant-rights organizations and local human-relations commissions can be resources for understanding what options exist when discrimination is suspected.

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.

Effective Timeline

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References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

IL Muni § 12-26

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

IL Muni § 12-26
IL Muni § 12-26
IL Muni § 12-28

Related Rules

§ 5.106
§ 5.106 Equal access in accordance with the individual's gender identity in community planning and development programs.
§ 5.109
§ 5.109 Equal participation of faith-based organizations in HUD programs and activities.
§ 2
Policies; recommendations

Source Information

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