Q: A roommate moved out and left behind some old shotgun shells and other ammunition.  I’ve asked him to come get it but he’s never gotten around to it.  Is it illegal for me to have it in my house if I don’t have a gun license?   If it’s not, how do I get rid of it legally?

A: You need a Firearm Owner’s Identification card to legally possess a firearm or ammunition.  Someone with a FOID could take the ammo off your hands, or you can dispose of it at many local police stations.  Some gendarmeries will helpfully send an officer to come get it.

Q: What papers must a bank have when they foreclose on a house?  I’ve heard about the sloppy paper work in foreclosure cases, and want to know what’s being done wrong.

Paul Arena, director of Legislative Affairs for the IL Rental Property Owners Association (IRPOA), reports that SB3406 has been signed by the Governor and is now the law.  The bill was an initiative of IRPOA and adds language to both the sanitation and building codes that requires the following also be included in a violation notice:

Q: After I moved into my apartment, the original landlord sold the property to a new owner. I paid my security deposit to the original landlord, and continued to pay rent to the new owner. My lease is up soon, and the new owner says he never got any deposits from the old landlord, so he can’t refund anything to me. Is there any way I can get my deposit back?

Q: My apartment flooded after some recent rains. Some clothing and other personal property was ruined. When I asked my landlord to pay for the damage, she said she’s not liable because the flood wasn’t her fault. She said there’s just no way to stop flooding in this particular area. Is there any way she could be liable?

A: Maybe. If the landlord knew there was a history of flooding, and either said there wasn’t or said nothing, they might be liable. But if you knew anyhow there was a flood risk, they may not be.

Q: My ex-husband and I owned a house together as joint tenants. I got the house in the divorce, and he moved out, but we never changed the title. It stayed in joint tenancy. My ex-husband recently died, and his daughter from a previous marriage says he had a will that gives her his share of the house. Is that true? The daughter says she wants to sell the house so she can get her half.

Q: What’s required to make a summons legal and official? How does it have to be served?

A: What makes a summons “official” is the same in all civil cases, but how it’s served can be different in small claims cases.

Most civil cases start with a complaint or petition of some kind, asking for some kind of legal relief or remedy against somebody. Often, there’s only one adverse party, and they’re a regular human being (e.g., a divorce). But a “tort” case for personal injuries could be against multiple real people and business entities.

Excerpt taken from The Ins and Outs of Tenant Screening: From Application to Eviction: By George N. Skidis, Jr.
Tenant Disputes Rent Claimed Due

A tenant who is served a five-day notice can and will dispute the amount of rent the landlord claims as due. If the amount claimed exceeds the amount the tenant believes is due the court may want to know the reason or reasons why. Should the tenant actually pay the actual amount of rent due as stated on the notice they can defeat the landlord’s claim to possession.