The 151-page complaint alleges Pangea Real Estate made millions by neglecting low-income renters’ units on Chicago’s South and West Sides.
CHICAGO (CN) — Chicagoland renters filed a novella-length class-action suit against large property management company Pangea Real Estate, which operates more than 400 buildings in Chicago alone, in Cook County Circuit Court on Monday.
“Pangea’s core business model is premised on maximizing landlord profits by neglecting to maintain its rental properties in compliance with the health and safety laws of the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago,” the 151-page complaint reads. “Pangea’s deceptive and illegal business practices have caused Plaintiffs and other tenants to pay Pangea millions of dollars of rent and fees for unsafe and improperly maintained housing.”
Among other things, the suit alleges that Pangea knowingly allowed its tenants to endure “rodents and insect infestations, lack of heat during cold months, lack of running water and hot water, mold issues, leaking water, sewage issues, defective windows and doors, lead paint violations, large holes and cracks in interior walls and ceilings, and maintenance performed without permits.”
Pangea’s properties in Chicago are clustered around the city’s South and West Sides, areas of the city with many low-income, majority-Black and brown neighborhoods. The suit compared…
