Mice droppings in kitchen cabinets, roaches stuck to traps, and ceilings stained from water leaks — that's daily life for residents at 7000 S. Parnell Ave. in Englewood, where the city has hauled the property owner to Cook County Circuit Court over 32 cited code violations. A 30-year-old mother of three who has lived in the building since 2019 showed what appeared to be fresh mouse droppings and said water leaks into her apartment whenever it rains.
The building has failed five annual city inspections in a row, in March 2025, January 2026, May 2026, August 2026 and September 2026, and racked up 35 complaints through Chicago's 311 system, according to FOX 32 Chicago. The Chicago Department of Buildings says the property owner's compliance has been inconsistent and minimal, and property ownership has failed to provide inspectors access to dwelling units needed to verify occupancy, detectors and the conditions residents have reported.
The 32 violations cited by the city include deteriorating structural and exterior conditions, problems with emergency lighting and exit signs, electrical hazards, leaking and deteriorated piping, water damage and penetration in hallway and corridor ceilings, and openings around pipes that require rat-proof sealing. The Chicago Department of Law has an active circuit court case against the owner that has already seen seven court dates, with the next hearing set for December 3, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
The Case in Circuit Court
The city is pursuing the cited violations against the owner in Cook County Circuit Court.
Alderman Bill Conway said the city has only around 20 residential housing inspectors tasked with covering hundreds of thousands of rental units across Chicago, a staffing gap residents and officials alike have pointed to as a structural challenge in catching problems like these sooner. The Chicago Department of Buildings, which employs roughly 280 people total, also fielded more than 6,300 Freedom of Information Act requests in just nine months as of October 2025, according to the City of Chicago Department of Buildings.
Alderman Will Hall said the building is a problem and that residents' living conditions are unacceptable, though he expressed confidence that the building commissioner and other city departments will find a resolution. Another resident, a woman in her 60s, has elevated her furniture because she fears mice, and FOX 32 observed mouse droppings, roaches on traps, and steel wool stuffed into openings throughout the building during its reporting. One resident asked that her face not be shown, saying she feared that speaking publicly could put her housing at risk.
A Building With a Long Paper Trail
Transformation Housing III is a 55-unit project-based Section 8 community with a reported occupancy of 98% in HUD's fiscal year 2025 data, meaning federal rental assistance is tied directly to designated units at the address.
Under HUD's physical inspection rules, properties scoring below 60 out of 100 are designated troubled and face corrective response requirements; HAP contract abatement risk applies to properties scoring below 30 or failing to respond adequately, per REAC Nspire Pros. Cook County property records identify TH III LLC as the taxpayer for the address, with a mailing address of 47 W. Polk St. in Chicago. Neither HUD nor VLV Development, the firm connected to the property's management, responded to the seed outlet's request for comment.
What Tenants Can — and Can't — Easily Do
Chicago tenants have some legal protections and repair remedies for unresolved housing problems. For renters in Englewood, pursuing repairs or moving can carry real risk if it means losing housing with no backup plan.
One 30-year-old resident, who is unemployed, said moving isn't an easy option and asked for action on the housing conditions instead of being left to navigate a legal remedy that could cost her a roof over her head.
A Possible Court Remedy
A Circuit Court judge may appoint a receiver who can take over a property and order repairs.
Whether a receiver is appointed at 7000 S. Parnell Ave. may depend on what changes before tenants and city attorneys return to court in December.
