I called their hotline about an issue with my lease renewal. They gave me really useful advice.

I didn't have a good experience during my consultation with Charles. I booked an appointment on the website, and paid the consultation fee. He was an hour late for our call and only called me after I sent a text asking about my appointment. From the moment I explained my situation, he was incredibly condescending towards me. He talked to me like I was supposed to know exactly what to do and made me feel stupid. He ended up telling me not to pay my landlord and when I asked about going to collections, he pretty much said it didn't matter. I cannot believe I paid money to get that kind of advice! If I didn't care about ruining my credit, why would I consult a lawyer? I ended up hiring someone else who gave me actual legal advice and reviewed the document I needed. read more

We hired Melvin Sims at Tenants Rights Group to help us legally break a lease. He told us to move out and assured us there would be no penalties. Now we're each in collections for nearly $9,000, and our credit is damaged. When we asked for help, he told us to pay him more or hire someone else. Totally unprofessional and completely abandoned us. Avoid him--he doesn't stand by his work. read more

Charles called me back within 10 minutes of my leaving a voicemail - so first of all kudos to the rapid response rate, especially given my nervousness. He listened to my situation with an unreasonable landlord and provided sound, succinct advice which reassured me on my intended course of action. Since I had already done quite some research before reaching out, he did not charge me consultation fees for the short call - which I am very grateful for. Don't hesitate to reach out if you're a tenant needing help. read more

After owning for 23 years, I decided to rent a home and wait to buy for a bit. I am seasoned realtor and my standards are high with anyone I hire or any home I might buy. Sure enough, I run into trouble with my landlord. They rented it to me as dry finished basement, then I come to discover it floods in numerous places in every heavy rain. Huge disappointment since using basement factored into my plans as musician and dad. Since I am realtor, I then looked at old listings and photos on the MLS and found the landlord knew this happens and took steps to hide it. Landlord would not fix it nor would they accept any reduction in rent, so that is where Charles Drennan comes in. First his reputuation as best tenants right lawyer carries weight when dealing with landlord lawyers. He used his skills and reputation to help put together a deal that reflected a reduction in rent and gave me right to leave whenever I choose, so I can play the market and perhaps find something sooner than when lease expires. I had an idea that I was entitled to mitigate my rent, but having it in writing as legal agreement gave me peace of mind. Paying his $600 fee saved me $2,400m quite a bargain. Charles is the guy you want if your landlord won't repair stuff, is trying to evict you, or harass you in any way. Getting notices from landlords is stressful, don't wait until your problems mount, just hire Chicago Tenants Rights Law. Insider tip: If you want his attention, I would call, email, and text all at once and he'll get back with yo promptly. read more

Charles got me out of an impossible situation. I waited a few months for the dust to settle to post this review. Without going into too much detail, I just want to say that the outcome we achieved (under extremely tight deadline) had by far exceeded my wildest expectations. I am forever grateful to Charles and his team for getting me out of a very unhealthy situation, unscathed. Long story: some time ago, I found myself in desperate need of legal help, with only a few days left to act. I tried to speed-learn the intricacies of Chicago tenant law on my own, only to realize just how much deep sh!te I got myself into. I will never forget that feeling of hopelessness :'( I started calling every local law firm specializing in tenant rights. Some lawyers required in-person consultation, some were booked or unavailable, while others took several days to call back. When I finally found CTRL Law, Charles did a quick consultation over the phone that same evening. I sent him all the relevant paperwork, together with a (surprisingly modest) one-time retainer fee. I was advised not to communicate with the landlord directly (something I was actually planning on doing that very same evening). After that, Charles and his team took over the process 100%, occasionally emailing me with clarifying questions and keeping me in the loop on the progress every step of the way. I now live in a safe happy home, and keep Mr Drennen in my daily prayers. Best of luck to you and your law firm! read more

Very very messing had to get the ARDC & CBA involved, Company is trying to change now. If you have money and time to blow I highly recommend this place..Thank me later read more

Chicago Tenants Rights Law - Tenant and Eviction Law Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I just spoke with Charles and he is a breath of fresh air. Answered all my questions and gave me excellent counsel on where I stand and where I need to go. Thanks!!!!!! read more

This mofo took my money, never represented me and is now unreachable/out of business. Another attorney told me he was coked to the max and couldn't maintain, yet he took my money. read more

I sought out CTRL's services in mid July 2019 to legally break my lease as a new apartment started causing serious health problems which persist to this day. At this point they have ghosted me and I have no idea where my case stands, adding insult to actual injury I have sustained from my landlord. When I met with CTRL to send my landlord a notice to vacate, they first quoted me at $300 for the service, but I ended up paying $400. The lawyer I met with also suggested I should ask for damages as my landlord has caused me a lot of health problems/medical bills due to not remediating a mold problem he was aware of, so I agreed that we should put that in the letter. My landlord is notoriously hard to get ahold of, but I eventually got his address and we mailed out the notice. By mid August, the landlord supposedly never got it and CTRL's only suggestion was to give my landlord their contact information ~so he could reach out to them~ lol. Inevitably, my trash landlord, shockingly, did not reach out to CTRL to discuss settlement or my notice to vacate because what landlord in his right mind would willingly walk into a lawsuit? At my urging & repeated emailing (oh yea, they don't answer phone calls and will not respond to emails asking to set up a time to call although that's a policy they had me sign) CTRL finally claimed that they left my landlord a voicemail. It's now the end of the month and I haven't received a response from CTRL since August 22 despite emailing almost every day, calling, and texting. I have no idea if my lease is broken and what is going on with my case, and CTRL has proven to be just as ineffective and unresponsive as my landlord I'm trying to break a legal agreement with. You're probably better off representing yourself. read more

Straight, simple, and to-the-point help. Charles Drennen helped alleviate a ton of anxiety about the wonky legal process. Big thanks!

Finally received a reply from attorney since they sent a demand letter draft for my review that was likely a template that didn't address most of my concerns or take into account any of the information provided during consultation in which I paid $300. After leaving a previous, less attractive version of this review, I was called within ten minutes and asked if I would update the review after he agreed to perform the duties for which I paid him. I am updating this review as a compromise. I wish his office was more proactive before an unfavorable yelp review was the incentive. I will update this review again in light of any new developments in my case. **Update** Charles did a great job. I wish Machelle would take it down a notch, however, as I do understand her livelihood is in these reviews, it doesn't warrant the tone she has taken in response to this and other reviews. I would have loved to give a better review, and I do understand that sometimes time and communication can slip away, but as a paying client, I gave the time frame that was asked of me to allow initially and once that came and went, I did what I could to make contact, only to be told I would receive replies that I never received. I wish them nothing but the best and appreciate their efforts. read more

I spoke to an extremely rude today. He said his name was Charles. He spent more time yelling at me...I thought they help tenants? Avoid like the plague. read more

I needed representation in a case with my landlord who is also a lawyer. I went in met with Charles in person, told him my case and what it was involving. Charles mentioned that it was case worthy, and he wasn't "worried" that my landlord is a lawyer himself. Well, after writing ONE letter to my landlord, he mentioned, he no longer thinks it's worthy and can't take my case, but to feel free to pay to sue him myself. I paid $300 to have Charles write a letter. Charles didn't keep his appointment for a phone appointment we had, and finally reached back out 3 weeks later nudges to get him to reply. My neighbor also try to use Charles for representation and he didn't call them when they had a phone appointment. Save your $300, do the research and write a letter yourself. read more

Earlier this year, I found myself facing eviction from Mac Properties. I fell behind on rent and went to the property management office and said I needed two months to get caught up. The woman I spoke with said okay, asked if I was aware next month's rent would be posted soon, I said yes, thanked her and left, and two weeks later I got an email saying they contacted their attorney to start the eviction. July came around and with it, my first court date. To my luck, I've never faced eviction, nor have I ever been to court, so this was new to me. The one thing I wanted was to avoid the eviction filing, find somewhere else to move (after that situation and out of need to find something more affordable, I had no intention of renewing my lease), and making arrangements to satisfy the balance. I found CTRL from a simple web search on google and reached out and spoke to someone over the phone, who was extremely informative, and made an appointment. My court hearing was at 2 so I went to the office first and spoke to one of the paralegals named Courtney who was great to talk to and told me they can guarantee me 60 days to move, which was a really good timeframe to get out. They were running a special which I believe was $225 for same-day appointments, and compared to other attorneys, I was surprised at how affordable it was. I paid, left with instructions on how to proceed in court, followed them, and returned with a copy of the necessary paperwork. Charles took it up from there and went to my next court date the week after, continuing the case for August 9th and locking me in for at least 30 more days, all the while keeping me updated via email chain, which was wonderful. August 9th came, and he and I negotiated with one of Mac's attorneys and two employees from Mac, one of which was the one who filed the eviction, and were able to come to a just under 30 day move-out agreement and payment plan that was entered in that day. I was able to find another apartment and move out a day before the deadline. I unfortunately was not able to stick to the payment plan and they filed a motion to reinstate and took me back to court for 12/18. CTRL reached out to me a week before and asked what had happened and I explained my circumstances and am informed I'd need to pay $300 to hire Charles back on to try and negotiate a new agreement, as he had withdrawn on August 9th. I told them I would not have it until Wednesday when I got paid, where I was then told they could do $150 down as long as I promised to pay when I could, leaving me under the impression that Charles would be back on. This was sadly not the case, and I was simply told that they had tried to get me to come in and make the payment to reinstate him. I additionally sent an email beforehand double-checking if i needed to bring anything to my court date, which sadly went unanswered. I could have done a better job confirming what was set in place but I also feel like CTRL should have confirmed if I would have counsel as well. Despite the communication issue, I still had a wonderful experience! I would recommend CTRL to anyone facing any type of landlord issues and looking for affordable legal aid. It literally never hurts to reach out and ask for help, and without it, I quite simply would have been out on the street. read more

Professional and extremely knowledgeable on tenant rights. Thorough and very attentive. Charles is super knowledgeable and will guide you successfully through what might be tough times for you. He will hero your cause. He's the best of the best when it comes to your legal rights as a tenant. Very highly recommend!! read more

Machelle D. this review has been up for almost two years and you are just now responding?! I don't even think I worked with you, but it seems that you are Charles' wife so you must've come to defend your man, lol...ok!!!! You've clearly come along to do damage control and your attempt to discredit "consumers" is laughable. Based on the majority of the reviews, clearly, I am not the only one that feels this way. Your unprofessional company has gone so far to even have a worker create a review to offset the bad reviews, yet I'm just a reviewer that only gives 1 star?! LOL, no I only review when a company is horrible and that is my prerogative. Firstly I hope people see your unprofessionalism and choose to skip over your company when they are seeking representation. Secondly, As a customer, that felt your service was inadequate, your retaliation is disgusting. Thirdly, Yes, I wanted a refund, which by the way was never given, because my husband and I believed that your offices did not do your job. Your excuse for why you did not do your job is unacceptable. Even so, as I explained, during our consultation with Charles (whom by the way had his shoes off and my husband and I noticed his socks with holes in them... very unprofessional) we explained everything and sent him everything. All he cared about was swiping our card with his Square Card Reader. We gave you all, all the information you needed to go about our case in the correct way, to only discover that you all never read ANY of the paperwork sent to you! Not to mention, after everything was all said and done and we confronted Charles, he decided that he wanted to make everything right, but no longer wanted to communicate through email. He basically told us that he would move forward only if we called the offices. We did not do this because we needed to have a paper trail, so we decided not to deal with you guys anymore. So much for me barraging your phone lines. And just to be clear... we are not lawyers, nor do we claim to be, we are just speaking our truths and warning others about our experience with your office. If you think that means that we think we are lawyers, then I'd suggest you return to school. Stop it with your retaliation responses and DO BETTER as a business! Oh, and by the way, I will say and choose words however I like, I paid your bills you don't pay mine! Got it? *** ALSO BTW THEY HAVE 27 (1) STAR REVIEWS REMOVED!!! LOL!!!" read more

If you have a problem and need some help. Do not go this place because they didn't help you as well. For the first talk, you have to pay $500 and if you decide them to work on your case, you have to pay $500 more. But the problem is after that you won't get anything back from them. When you call, no one answer!!! Even you sent some email to them, no one answer you as well. The best way to contact them is go to his office and wait for them... in my opinion Find another lawyer is the best way to do read more

Well i needed to update this review. Well i thought they had rectified the situation but they didnt. I was hospitalized on the last court date in which i had evidence and they could have informed the judge of this. The other party missed the 1st date and was granted a continuance. They basically enter a judgement still against me because i couldnt make it to court due to be in the hospital. This office basically takes ppl money and dont help at all. I will be contacting the bar Association because they are terrible read more

I called them twice over the years... always replying with great knowledge. Its really awesome to have an organization that helps tenants! Thanks! read more

Charles and Christina were so great to work with I have nothing but positive things to say. After a horrible experience as a tenant, things could not have gone better with CTRL. Christina worked especially on our case and really advocated for us and the results exceeded our expectations. Efficient, affordable, friendly, professional, and competent; what more could you ask for?! Could not recommend Christina and Charle more highly. read more

Enjoyed working Chicago Tenants Rights. Attorney Charles Drennen and his staff are very experienced, professional and quick providing excellent service. Any issues with landlords or property management - it's worth reaching out! read more

CHARLES DRENNEN is a real life super hero. He knows his stuff and has a way with words and will help you express your rights/needs to your landlord "assertively vs aggressively." Highly recommend! What an awesome service! read more

I'm reading some of the reviews about Charles Drennen and I'm just surprised on the negative reviews. I had nothing but a good experience dealing with Charles directly for almost 2 years. I first met Charles back in August of 2016. When I first had my consultation which was for free. I explained to him that my previous landlord did not return my deposit after sending her a certified Security deposit letter and waiting 45 days. I pretty much sent all communication to my landlord certified mail. Now every case is different so the result can be different. When I met Charles I presented all the documents necessary to move forward with a lawsuit. He was actually surprised on how much work I have done at that point. After that a $500 deposit was given for expenses in order for the case to moved forward with a demand letter and civil process server. From what I can remember the civil process server had to go out 2 or 3 more times. I think on the 3rd try the special process server finally delivered the papers. After that came the court dates, in between the court dates which the landlord never showed up to any of them came the Prove-up process which again she never showed. Finally, upon discovery of assets court date in April 2018 I showed up in court and we discovered the landlord passed away. Charles tried to make the citation stick with the judge but the judge felt sorry for the defendant representative. After all this the landlords representative finally settled. I eventually recovered 3x over my deposit along with my initial deposit of $500 and final payment was made a few days ago. Like I said every case is different so as to the account of negative reviews not sure if it was the impatience of the client or the case was just weak. You need to be patient and let the lawyers do their job. You don't need to keep communicating over every little thing. The process is very long and to be honest there were times I didn't know what was going on. Overall I'm happy with the results I do feel for the landlords family and no matter how I handled the situation with the landlord while I was renting from her. All of this could have been avoided if the landlord returned my deposit. Or if the landlord could have contracted a third party to handle repairs and deposit returns. read more

I had a bad experience here. After about week or so I finally got a call to come into the office.While getting off the elevator you could smell some kind of food so when I finally made it to the office I saw the receptionist chowing away,I didn't know lunch was at 10:30 anyways she just looked at me and continued eating,i finally spoke and told her i was there for an 11a.m appointment ,she didn't ask me my name,she just said sign in..at about 11:15 I'm guessing it was the attorney walked in, he gave a quick smirk ,spoke to the receptionist and went into his office.At 12 I asked the receptionist was that the attorney and if so when will I be seen,she rudely told me to have a seat and be patient , a "couple"came in at about 12:30 (different race) heard them say they had a 12 o'clock appointment and was running late,they were seen about 5 minutes later, at 1o'clock I just left,No one gave me a call or anything, this place has bad vibes and karma read more

I wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy they took my money and never did anything AT ALL they were supposed to send information to my landlord and he never received anything nor did I when I called to address the issue a month later after I personally took care of it whoever answered the phone was rude and never let me get a word in don't trust them with your money or landlord issues read more

See all

I'd recommend Charles and his team to any and everyone! I had the landlord and leasing agent from hell! Because the landlord was out of the country he had an agent act on his behalf and she felt she could violate my rights because there would be no consequence. The landlord felt he could duck and dodge issues because he doesn't live in America and me as a piddly little tenant couldn't come after him. Well both their asses learned today! Charles was a champion for my rights as a tenant and he put up with me trying to be a passenger seat attorney too, bless his heart lol! I came into his office to complain about the leasing agent scheduling showings to my unit with 0 notice and then she'd tell the landlord I didn't allow her in and they'd threatened me with their attorney. I complied with a few random showings before I realized that what she was doing was against the law. I also asked for originally agreed upon repairs between me and the landlord to be completed and the leasing agent would intervene and the repairs would get shoddily done requiring re-repair or the repairs wouldn't get done at all. After my all-over-the-place vent session, Charles asked to see my lease. He saw red flags right away and got straight to the business of my security deposit which was not properly handled and we went from there. Given the complexity of my situation and all the variables of my unit being sold to a new landlord, me signing a new lease with that landlord, the old landlord needing to give me back my security deposit plus damages but making it difficult for us...it was frustrating as all hell but the outcome was in our favor in the end. With the help of Charles and his extreme patience with this sketchy landlord we were able to recoup my losses and help me have a clean slate with my new landlord. I appreciate his communication and responsiveness given that he's a family-run business with a lot of clients. I also appreciate him doing everything from constantly communicating to my landlord's attorney, the new landlord's attorney, and the financial title company who owed us money etc etc. I chose him because of his positive Yelp reviews and I'm happy to say that what I read was right and I'm glad to contribute to the growing list of happy clients. Thanks Charles and CTRL team! read more

Thank you tenants rights. You guys got me the time i needed to move and i was always treated so professional

Charles is great! I was stuck in a nightmarish living situation and he helped me get out of my lease. He even managed to get my last months rent back. At the end of the day, I couldn't be happier to be out that apartment and he made the process simple and worry free. Couldn't recommend him more highly! read more

I imagine I am like most people when it comes to lawyers; I never thought I would have to hire one, I thought it was (maybe) an unnecessary thing to do, and I assumed they were for rich people. However, after a pretty horrendous situation with my apartment, a friend recommended I contact Chicago Tenants Rights Law. This fall, because of my landlord's extreme negligence toward her building and tenants, I found myself in a situation that would result in the loss of all of my furniture and a great deal of my personal belongings. Not to mention the all of the money I lost and, of course, the time that I would end up taking off from work and life as I tried to salvage the rest of my things. When I learned about the severity of the problem I was scared and feeling powerless to change the circumstances of the situation I was in. Charles at Chicago Tenants Rights Law was easy to get in touch with, easy to talk to, and took action quickly. When my landlord received a letter from him she actually showed up to the building for the first time since I'd moved in and talked about taking care of the problem. Ultimately she did nothing, but in that moment I finally felt like I had some control. At a time when I was losing everything, the feeling of having some power or control was very important to me. Charles helped me get out of the apartment, making sure that I had good legal recourse and protection and advised me on the best courses of action to take each step of the way. When I called to tell him my landlord had threatened me over the phone he responded immediately. He also tried to make the whole process as affordable as possible and took my limited finances into consideration. He was able to get me my deposit back and now he is helping me sue to recover some of the property I lost. I highly recommend Chicago Tenants Rights Law. No one should face an awful landlord and feel helpless, so many of us renters don't understand our rights (there are many of them) and the experience of working with these lawyers has been well worth it. read more

Charles at the Chicago Tenants Rights provided me with 100% the most excellent legal support and counsel that I could have ever hoped for. He is prompt in responses, follows through, and was able to advise me through a very difficult situation with an irresponsible landlord. I would (and do) absolutely recommend Chicago Tenants Rights Law to any one in Chicago who needs responsible, honest, and excellent legal support and/or advisement in tangles with landlords. Such a relief and comfort to have Charles and CTRL on my side! read more

Charles Drennan is great. Very responsive and was able to meet with him quickly. Honest and straightforward. Gave me the options on how to approach my landlord. He followed up with me at an appropriate time. Affordable cost. I'd definitely use him again if any issues come up and would definitely recommend him to anyone having issues with their landlord. He is very knowledgeable read more

Be aware from this lawyer Charles never showed up in my court day withch I had a eviction then I went to city hall to file a motion when I called him never answer he put me in a bad situation to fight in court by myself read more