CHICAGO — Last spring, a 45-year-old South Shore tenant began receiving brochures from lawyers in her mail. They tipped her off that something was wrong.
The woman, who has lived in her home for 12 years, said the building’s new owner had raised her rent by more than 60 percent in one month. She struggled to pay it.
“I wound up having my gas turned off for four months because I was sending all my money to the landlords,” she said. “I had to boil water if I wanted hot water.”…