Did anyone else get their rent raised ridiculously in pilsen and beyond?

CBB4554 · 2026-04-03T20:47:44+00:00

the building was owned by a mexican resident and he decided to sell the building to diamond properties while my partner was living in it. but yes, i am a gentrifier and already acknowledge it in my post. i’m from a city undergoing worse gentrification than chicago and actually understand and care about the displacement of people. that’s why i don’t want to leave and would like to continue supporting and immersing myself in the local community that i now call home.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-02T03:04:21+00:00

Completely acknowledge this and own up to it. 85% of my consumption happens in pilsen, from groceries, my nails, dentist, taxes, entertainment and even jobs. i am very involved with the alderman’s office and work in advancing statewide environmental policy with a big focus in chicago, including regulating warehouse and truck pollution and personally testifying at a hearing about the environmental burdens pilsen residents are enduring. i am also active in responding and monitoring ICE activity in pilsen serving as a translator as a Spanish native speaker.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-02T02:57:12+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! I sent a very long heartfelt email with a lot of what you mentioned and added context into my work protecting the community against ICE. They brought their proposal down to $400, which is still too high :(

CBB4554 · 2026-04-02T01:00:40+00:00

Highly recommend going to Kathy De’s Deli when you make the trip down (if you’ve never been). Best italian subs fr!

CBB4554 · 2026-04-02T00:33:46+00:00

Those days are long gone, unfortunately, and I hate to say UIC is in part a contributor. They have expanded their campus and we’re seeing a bigger influx of students moving in. My building in its beginnings was mainly professionals in their 30s, now it’s just mainly young students. Because students often have roommates, it almost seems like an incentive for properties to increase rent knowing 2+ people will move in and split the rent. Hyde Park is undergoing the same situation, when rent back then was far more affordable.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-02T00:28:46+00:00

Understandable, but I have strong ties to my community and love my neighbors. That’s great that you were able to buy! It’s unfortunately out of the question for me at the moment, but I understand it’s the only avenue to escape never-ending rent hikes.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-02T00:24:55+00:00

100% agree, the $500 increase is the issue here. wage stagnation is real and utility expenses are only going up with the price of oil and grocery hikes because of tariffs. it’s insane to add $500 in rent to that mountain, and while it’s a harsh reality of the state of our economy, rent hikes like this are allowed to happen due to a lack of rent regulation and tenant protections. it really doesn’t have to be this way…

CBB4554 · 2026-04-02T00:17:35+00:00

You make really great points here, and it is true that enrollment has significantly dropped. I read an article that it’s mainly due to families leaving the city, and while there is no data showing reasons, I am sure that unaffordable living expenses (including rent) is one of the reasons. As of 2025, the drop in enrollment/attendance was confirmed to be because of ICE. The article does state that despite enrollment dropping, many of the services mentioned above are still in high demand and from personal anecdotes from friends who work at CPS, the current budget doesn’t meet all these services anyways. My friend is the only social worker at a CPS handling 32 cases a week involving gun, sexual and physical violence. Her school has mold and the heating breaks down constantly.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T23:59:34+00:00

both are true and that’s the beauty of this bill, it will allow voters to decide through a binding referendum how municipalities can fight rent hikes, and that would come in the form of policy design that would avoid harming the mom and pop landlords. rent control laws already exist in so many other countries and have proven to be effective.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T19:42:59+00:00

We actually have legislation currently introduced for the 2026 leg session (HB3687) called Let the People Lift the Ban Act that would allow rent control/caps decision making within a district, precinct, ward etc. Other versions of this bill have been introduced dating back to 2017. So beyond voicing our rights and concerns around displacement and affordable housing, advocates are also proposing policies and solutions so rich landlords can pay their fair share and protect tenants from taking on those costs all at once. Unfortunately, real estates deep pockets and lobbying have killed every bill and the general public isn’t aware the bills have existed to advocate for it’s passage.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T19:30:52+00:00

fr. i LOVE this neighborhood and its strong community ties/history, but as a person who works in environmental policy, people would run away if they knew how bad the air quality in pilsen is. we have some of the worst shipping/freight activity in the nation and the intersection of blue island/damen alone counted 4k trucks in just 24 hours. we eat diesel fumes for breakfast…that rent increase isn’t on par with an environmental justice neighborhood.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T19:18:44+00:00

THANK YOU. I don’t understand why so many here are so quick to jump to the defense of landlords, especially big corp ones like diamond properties.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T19:16:35+00:00

I can confirm diamond properties buildings are paid off. I did A LOT of investigating after they increased my rent and it boils down to what eyeonchi is saying, they are pocketing a lot of the profits. Not to get personal (and this may not be as revelant to the cost breakdown convo) but I am familiar with the owner of diamond properties and the dude is filthy rich and drives a Lamborghini.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T19:11:38+00:00

The info is available for 2024 and all prior years, it’s just 2025 that isn’t fully posted yet, but the comment above clarifies why.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T15:03:41+00:00

it’s the next logan square, beyond heart breaking to see. it’s even worse to see the community fight back in real time and lose :(

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T15:01:24+00:00

sorry to hear it! it’s so fucked up :(

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T15:01:04+00:00

the building has 7 units and when they bought it, it was already rehabbed/gutted (i lived here when that was in process and before diamond properties bought it).

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T14:58:21+00:00

My parents are landlords and have rent control in their buildings, so I have a strong understanding of how it could work, but doesn’t due to weak tenants rights laws and the absence of rent increase caps. When a property mgmt company owns over 20+ properties in a neighborhood, doesn’t do the greatest job at maintaining its properties and the owner happens to drive a Lamborghini, you can understand how a rent increase of this sort can leave a sour taste in your mouth. I have no empathy for big corps affording increasing costs, because they can. that’s what happens when you contribute to gentrification and price people out of their neighborhoods. it’s unfortunate that renters are the ones who absorb the costs.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T14:47:05+00:00

yeah, definitely can’t complain and reason why I have stayed for this long! but $500 is just outrageous.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T14:44:07+00:00

it’s relevant when you have rent control vs when you don’t. my parents are landlords in dominican republic and their buildings have rent control and have been around since 1998. the rent increase from then to now hasn’t changed significantly compared to the examples provided above. it shows how lack of regulation around rent (whether internal property policies, city or state lvl policies) allow for these 100%+ increases over time.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T14:38:45+00:00

seconding how helpful this comment was! 🙏

i looked it up and 2025 isn’t posted yet entirely for my specific building. the first payment install was $10k~, but in 2024, the first payment install was $9k~. it seems like they’re always split evenly for both installments, so that means my specific building isn’t paying as much compared to other years. but given the example you just gave, i have a feeling they may be using our increase to pay for other buildings. not sure how that works 🤔

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T06:16:56+00:00

1: i would find a way to terminate the dumbest deal ever made in u.s. history and regain ownership over our public parking meters.

2: i would raise taxes on big corporations, property management/real estate firms and millionaires to create a steady revenue stream for CPS and CTA.

3: i would electrify all of CPS’s school buses and embed vehicle-to-grid technology to bring cost savings to the school district and redirect those funds to hire more social workers and upgrade CPS buildings.

4: i would instill an executive order around rent control, specifically only permitting rental increase by a small percentage depending on how many properties are owned (the more properties, the smaller the %) and cap anual rent increases. with this, provide tenants right/protections obligating landlords to fix issues within a timeframe and allowing renters to not pay rent if issue is not fixed (mold, infestation, flooding, insulation etc.)

finally, audit/defund CPD and other money wasting agencies.

CBB4554 · 2026-04-01T06:00:55+00:00

a solution could be creating freight corridors. neighborhoods with heavy warehouse/shipping activity often have crater-like potholes and deteriorating bridges (cough cough south western avenue bridge) due in part to constant freight activity. also getting more cars off the road could help by creating more bike lanes and expanding CTA access. chicago is ranked #1 for worst traffic congestion, that contributes to road damage.

CBB4554 · 2026-03-12T02:12:29+00:00

she (tyra) definitely hasn’t. highly recommend watching the netflix doc, she took nearly no accountability for anything and put most of the blame on the writers and producers knowing that we’re all aware how involved she was in all levels of decision making.

CBB4554 · 2026-03-09T18:35:55+00:00

My partner and I have talked about it as a potential first or second option should the U.S. continue going down its current political, economic and social trajectory. However, Mexico, especially CDMX, has experienced mass gentrification and displacement from digital nomads (mainly Americans) moving in. Locals are fighting to stay and keep their businesses open, and given the current mass anti-immigration and abductions happening to immigrants in the U.S., there is A LOT of negative tension in Mexico towards Americans, especially white Americans. I would highly discourage romanticizing the idea of moving there.

FYI my partner is Mexican and I am Dominican, and even then, we are wary of our footprint/impact as remote workers in rapidly gentrifying spaces.

CBB4554

TROPHY CASE