Current through Public Act 103-1052
Section 765 ILCS 735/2 - Receivership; utility service termination(a) Tenants, upon receiving notice of utility service termination pursuant to Section 1, and utility companies may petition the circuit court, or any court having jurisdiction, for appointment of a receiver of rents due for use and occupancy of the building. No one building may be the subject of more than 2 such petitions in any consecutive 12 month period. The petition shall be served upon the landlord at his or her last known address and upon the utility company which has rendered notice of termination of utility service, except when the utility company is the petitioner. Upon a finding that the tenants' utility service is subject to termination or has been terminated as a result of an amount due and owing by the landlord to the utility company, the court shall appoint a receiver who shall be authorized to collect rents due from the tenants for use and occupancy of the building. The court shall also design a payment plan through which the receiver shall be required to remit to the utility company such portion of the funds as are necessary for payment of current utility bills incurred during the term of the receivership, including any security deposit requested by the utility in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Illinois Commerce Commission. The receiver shall remit the remainder of the collected rents as the court shall direct, taking into consideration the ordinary and necessary expenses of the property including, but not limited to, repair, maintenance, other utility bills, property taxes, arrearages which were the subject of the petition, and any capital expenditures deemed necessary by the court. The landlord or his or her agent shall be liable for arrearages due to the utility company which the court in its payment plan determines cannot feasibly be remitted by the receiver from the collected rents within 12 months.(b) Within 10 days of the appointment of the receiver, during which time the utility company shall not discontinue service to the building for reason of nonpayment, such receiver shall make a determination as to whether or not the rents due for the use and occupancy of the building can reasonably be expected to be sufficient to pay current bills and to pay any security deposit which may be requested by the utility. Upon a determination by the court that the rents due for the use and occupancy of the building cannot reasonably be expected to be sufficient to pay current bills and to pay any security deposit which may be requested by the utility, such receivership shall be terminated.(c) In the event that a petition for receivership is filed after utility service has been terminated, service shall be restored as soon as the utility company receives notice that a receiver has been appointed. The receiver shall make all reasonable efforts to provide to the utility access to the building at all times.(d) Any receivership established pursuant to this Section shall be terminated by the court upon its finding that the arrearage which was the subject of the petition has been satisfied or upon its finding that the income from the building has become insufficient to pay current utility bills and retire the arrearages as ordered by the court and shows no reasonable likelihood of becoming sufficient.