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Realtor/management company asking for a move in fee instead of security deposit due to "escrow accounting is an invitation to a lawsuit," is this normal? [Evanston, Illinois]
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Obvious-Pangolin is in Evanston, Illinois
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I asked whether the move-in fee for an application for an apartment in Evanston, Illinois was non-refundable, and the realtor responded "It is a non-refundable fee.  It is the standard in this area as deposits require escrow accounting and in Illinois, escrow accounting is an invitation to a lawsuit. Therefore, the security deposit which was typically equal to one month's rent has been replaced by a smaller but non-refundable move-in fee."

I'm not savvy in housing laws at all, and this felt sketchy. I was also told to apply for a lease through the portal starting October 9th instead of my intended lease start (September 1st) as "the current tenant is being let out of her lease a month early. However, the system is still tracking her original lease date."

Is this weird? Should I look elsewhere?

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Posted
3 years ago