Representing tenants. Lease Breaks, Security Deposit Recovery, Penalty Awards.

Mark A. Silverman has broken dozens of Chicago and Oak Park leases, and recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars for tenants under the Illinois Security Deposit Interest & Return Acts, and the Chicago and Evanston Residential Landlord & Tenant Ordinances. Examples of these cases appear at depositlaw.com on the "Cases" page.

Mark represents tenants in individual and class action cases. Many cases settle, but a fair amount go to trial, and even the court of appeals. Mark has won cases where landlord underpaid interest by just $2.66, returned the security deposit just one day late, or claimed the owner-occupancy exclusion to the Chicago RLTO. Mark has successfully applied new ways for tenants to recover damages against their landlords under the Chicago RLTO in court.

Mark represents landlords only in counseling and planning, in order to protect their real estate rental investment by compliance with the RLTO and state security deposit acts. Mark does not represent landlords in litigation, with very very few exceptions.