City of Aurora and Aurora police officials have announced the next round of mandatory crime-free housing classes — in which owners, landlords, and agents of rental and non-owner occupied residential buildings in Aurora must enroll.

Classes in English will be held Feb. 6, March 5, April 2 and May 7. Classes will be conducted in Spanish on Feb. 13 and April 9.  All of the sessions will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the community room of the Aurora Police Department, 1200 E. Indian Trail.

Attendance in one of the classes is mandatory in order to obtain an operating license, which is required for all non-owner occupied residential dwelling units and buildings, whether or not rent is paid; and all two-unit and multiple unit buildings whether or not they are owner-occupied.

Those who have already gone through the city’s landlord training classes that have been taught by Aurora police since 1992 are exempt from having to attend.  Property owners may also have agents who are authorized and registered with the city attend the class on the owner’s behalf, provided the agents will assume all duties, obligations and responsibilities of the owner.

The required class provides landlords and property owners with important tools to combat crime and improve the quality of life on their properties. Topics cover city requirements concerning licensing and inspections, mandatory criminal background checks and lease addendums; as well as Section 8, trespass agreements, crime and fire prevention, gang and drug awareness, and other beneficial information.  Comprehensive forms and written materials are included with the class.

Owners of non-owner occupied residential property including condominiums, town homes, or single unit residential buildings as well as two unit, and multiple unit buildings are required to be registered and licensed with the City of Aurora.

For more information on licensing and inspection requirements, and to register for the class, call the city’s Department of Neighborhood Standards at (630) 256-3770.  An email application is also available on the city’s website at www.aurora-il.org under the Police Department tab.  To receive more information on the Crime-Free Housing classes, call the Aurora Police Department at (630) 256-5288. In order to register, applicants must supply their names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and the addresses of all rental properties they control.  Registration will close five days prior to the beginning of each class.

SOURCE: City of Aurora news release

Aurora Neighborhood Standards

Neighborhood identity is shaped largely by the character, maintenance and standards within a community. Learn more here about what you can do to maintain and enhance your home or rental property.

Aurora’s Neighborhood Standards Department is empowered with the authority to address many significant code violations. However, at the same time, issues that seem small to some can have a great impact on the daily lives of many residents.

Examples of the array of enforcement addressed by the Neighborhood Standards Department include vacant lots overgrown with weeds, littered vacant lots, graffiti, inoperable vehicles on private property, parking meter violations, no or insufficient heat at residential rental properties, dangerous living conditions, curbside recycling, property maintenance, dead animals in the right-of-way, animal control ordinances, rental licensing registration and inspection, proper storage and disposal of junk and trash and the proper placement of smoke detectors at residential rental properties.

SOURCE: City of Aurora Neighborhood Standards webpage

About the City of Aurora, IL

Located 35 miles west of Chicago, Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois with a population of 200,456. Aurora is known as the “City of Lights” because it was one of the first in the nation to illuminate its streets with electric lights.  Situated along the Fox River and the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88), the city extends 46 square miles encompassing Kane, DuPage, Kendall and Will counties.  Aurora also is home to six public school districts and seven townships. For the latest news, access to an archive of past news releases or to follow the city on Facebook or Twitter, visit the city’s website at www.aurora-il.org.