In a Battle With Your Landlord? Lawyers Designed This Chat Bot to Help Tenants Get Free Legal Aid

"CHICAGO — Renters, be aware — there’s a new resource out to help get tenants free legal aid across Chicago, particularly in areas facing high eviction rates.

Rentervention is a free service created by Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, Illinois Legal Aid Online and the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois. It shows tenants how to advocate for themselves when it comes to things like evictions and maintenance issues that get even more pressing as autumn sets in and it becomes vital for renters to settle their living situations.

Tenants having issues that need to be sorted out with landlords can access Rentervention by visiting the website or texting “hi” to (866) 773-6873 to chat with Renny, an artificial intelligence-powered bot that can walk people through the often murky legal terrain of local housing laws. The bot allows tenants to advocate for themselves on relatively clear-cut issues so that they can make sure that their rights are enforced without paying for an attorney or waiting in line for pro-bono legal aid to become available.

The bot asks tenants a series of questions to figure out what kind of situation they need help with, whether it is a leaky ceiling, no heating in the winter, or an eviction notice. It can then create 33 types of legal letters that a renter can use to make sure their landlord is complying with their obligations, and shows them exactly how and when to use those legal documents to remedy the situation as best as possible.

CHICAGO — Renters, be aware — there’s a new resource out to help get tenants free legal aid across Chicago, particularly in areas facing high eviction rates.

Rentervention is a free service created by Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, Illinois Legal Aid Online and the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois. It shows tenants how to advocate for themselves when it comes to things like evictions and maintenance issues that get even more pressing as autumn sets in and it becomes vital for renters to settle their living situations.

Tenants having issues that need to be sorted out with landlords can access Rentervention by visiting the website or texting “hi” to (866) 773-6873 to chat with Renny, an artificial intelligence-powered bot that can walk people through the often murky legal terrain of local housing laws. The bot allows tenants to advocate for themselves on relatively clear-cut issues so that they can make sure that their rights are enforced without paying for an attorney or waiting in line for pro-bono legal aid to become available.

The bot asks tenants a series of questions to figure out what kind of situation they need help with, whether it is a leaky ceiling, no heating in the winter, or an eviction notice. It can then create 33 types of legal letters that a renter can use to make sure their landlord is complying with their obligations, and shows them exactly how and when to use those legal documents to remedy the situation as best as possible.

Rentervention can also refer tenants under 200 percent of the federal poverty line to a virtual clinic that will connect them to a pro bono attorney that can offer legal advice on how best to self-resolve their situation.

The attorneys behind Rentervention are hoping it gets picked up by residents in areas like the West Side that are most affected by evictions. According to data collected by the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, the Austin neighborhood has the second-highest number of eviction filings in the city..."

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