Downers Grove — Art. 13A.II Fair Housing § 13A.10
Negotiations With Persons Not Negotiating For Own Account Not Required
Operative Text
Nothing in this Article shall require an owner to negotiate respecting a real estate transaction with any person who does not reasonably appear to be negotiating the same in good faith for his/her own account. (Ord. No. 1349, § 7.4.)(Ord. 4852, Amended, 02/20/2007, his to his/her(s))
Downers Grove Fair Housing § 13A.10 carves out a specific limitation within the Article's broader fair-housing requirements: property owners are not obligated to negotiate a real estate transaction with someone who does not reasonably appear to be acting in good faith on their own behalf. The provision does not override any other fair-housing protections; it simply clarifies that the Article's negotiation duties extend only to bona fide, good-faith participants. This means the rule addresses the sincerity and standing of the negotiating party, not the characteristics protected elsewhere in Article 13A.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 13A.10, operators in Downers Grove are generally not required to engage in negotiations with individuals who do not reasonably appear to be acting in good faith for their own account — for example, someone who appears to be a tester with no genuine intent to transact. Compliant operators typically document their business reasons for declining to negotiate and ensure those reasons are grounded in observable conduct rather than any protected characteristic covered elsewhere in Article 13A. Because the line between a legitimate good-faith assessment and a discriminatory refusal can be narrow, operators commonly maintain consistent, written policies governing how negotiation decisions are made and recorded.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 13A.10 of Downers Grove's Fair Housing Article preserves the broader protections of Article 13A while allowing owners to decline negotiations with parties who do not appear to be acting in good faith for their own account. If a tenant or prospective buyer believes a refusal to negotiate was based on a protected characteristic rather than a genuine good-faith concern, that person may have grounds to raise the issue as a fair-housing matter under the Article. General enforcement paths can include filing a complaint with a local or state fair-housing agency or consulting a tenant-rights or fair-housing organization familiar with Downers Grove's ordinance.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 8, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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