As Airbnb Suit Heads To Trial, Price Cut On Chief Keef's Old Home

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — As the legal wrangling over the Highland Park mansion formerly rented by rapper Chief Keef heads toward a trial in Lake County Circuit Court, the house's current owner cut its asking price this week by about $150,000.

Purchased for $1.9 million by Kentucky neurologist Bal Bansal after its completion in 2005, the home at the end of a cul-de-sac at 1887 Cooper Lane had its list price reduced to $1.35 million on Wednesday. The six-bedroom, 5,625-square-foot brick structure is located on a 0.9-acre lot in northwest Highland Park south of Half Day Road.

Last year, Bansal's neighbors filed two lawsuits against him accusing him of violating the homeowner's association's prohibition on short-term rentals and asking a judge to stop him from continuing to rent the property on Airbnb. A suit seeking an injunction on future such rentals was filed in November 2017 and eviction proceedings were initiated in August 2018.

The home remains listed on the vacation rental website with an asking price of $650 per night. According to online reviews and court records, the property is managed by Mr. Bansal's daughter, Rania.

A bench trial is currently scheduled for Aug. 16 in the courtroom of Associate Judge Daniel Jasica in the eviction case — Cooper Pond Homeowners Association v. Bal K. Bansal and all unknown occupants.

In the other case, Cooper Pond of Highland Park Homeowners v. Bal Bansal, an attorney for Bansal filed a counter-suit naming the HOA along with Ken and Beverly Cooper as defendants. That case is set for a preliminary hearing on July 8 after the complaint was amended, according to court records. Neither party's listed attorneys have responded to queries about the cases.

The local homeowner's association had fined Bansal more than $40,000 as of April 2018 for continuing to rent the home on a short-term basis, Pioneer Press reported. Neighbors complained of loud parties, crowds, drunkeness and that "when the wind comes from the west, one can smell the dope being smoked."

The Highland Park City Council decided against banning short-term rentals in 2017. At the time, the Cooper Lane home was the only such property that was generating complaints from neighbors, according to Pioneer Press. The City Council responded by allowing an amendment to the homeowners' association agreement to forbid leasing homes on the block for periods of less than 12 months.

Read more: Neighbors Sue To Stop Short-Term Rentals On Highland Park Cul-De-Sac

According to the property's listing, Bansal has spent more than $500,000 on upgrades to the property. It includes custom crown molding, stone and hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings. It has an "outdoor oasis" with private views of the woods behind the property, according to the listing. The home has a balcony above the back patio, a finished basement, three fireplaces and a four-car garage.

Before Bansal, whose license to practice medicine was restricted in 2013 after state regulators found he improperly prescribed controlled substances, began listing the property on Airbnb as a vacation rental, he rented the home to Chicago rapper Keith "Chief Keef" Cozart, who was evicted in 2014 after neglecting to pay about $30,000 in rent.

Earlier: Chief Keef's Former Highland Park McMansion Returns To Market

• Address: 1887 Cooper Lane, Highland Park
• Price: $1.35 million
• Built: 2004
• Lot Size: 0.9 acres
• Square Feet: 5,625
• Bedrooms: 6
• Bathrooms: 6 full, 2 half

Listing information originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.