Chicago Tries Again to Crack Down on Vacation Rental Industry

5/19/2025

Chicago has long been trying to regulate the vacation rental industry, and the City Council’s License Committee recently gave it another try. A “transparency ordinance” championed by Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) requires rental platforms to share much more information with neighbors who have to live with the sometimes rowdy consequences of vacation rentals. The newly required information would include everything from a map of vacation rentals searchable by address to the license or registration number and contact information for the host or local contact person. The information would also include the maximum occupancy. Lawson said the ordinance “is aimed at allowing council members and the residents they represent to better understand the universe when it comes to short-term rentals, the location and disciplinary history, and more.”

WBEZ.org (IL) (05/14/25) Fran Spielman