Illinois Landlord Compliance
Everything you're responsible for as a landlord in Illinois
Rent control, just-cause eviction, deposits, entry, repairs and recordkeeping, written for people who own or manage a few units, checked against the official sources, and kept current when the rules move.
Jurisdiction
key details
Rent cap · Detail
No statewide cap. The Rent Control Preemption Act bars units of local government from enacting, maintaining or enforcing ordinances controlling rent for private residential or commercial property.
Deposit cap · Detail
No statutory limit on security deposit amount; the Security Deposit Return Act and Security Deposit Interest Act regulate handling, not amount. Chicago RLTO likewise sets no cap.
Rent increase notice · Detail
No state statute sets notice for a rent increase; in practice a month-to-month increase is bounded by the 30-day termination notice in 735 ILCS 5/9-207. Chicago requires 60/120 days by ordinance (local, not state law).
City rules · Detail
Rent Control Preemption Act (1997) bars local rent control. Local landlord-tenant ordinances on deposits/notice exist (Chicago RLTO, Cook County RTLO, Evanston) but cannot set rents; no local just-cause ordinance known.
Just cause · Detail
No statewide just-cause requirement; a month-to-month tenancy may be ended by 30 days' written notice (7 days week-to-week) without stated grounds. Chicago's Fair Notice ordinance lengthens notice for non-renewal but does not require cause.
Return deadline · Detail
Itemized damage statement (with receipts) within 30 days after tenant vacates or right of possession ends, whichever later; without it, full deposit due within 45 days of vacating. Applies to all residential lessors (5-unit threshold removed 2024).
Nonpayment notice · Detail
Written demand that unless rent is paid within not less than 5 days after service the lease will be terminated; eviction filing follows expiry.
What are you trying to do?
Start from the task. Each route gathers the guides, checklists and forms that apply to it in Illinois.
Essential local guides
If you're new to owning here, these five cover most of what will come up in your first year.
View All GuidesEvanston Lease Non-Renewal Notice Law: Landlords Must Give 90 Days' Written Notice
A landlord who gave an Evanston tenant 30 days' notice that a lease wouldn't be renewed used to be fully compliant. Since January 1, 2025, that same 30-day notice misses the mark by two months. Evanston's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance now requires 90 days, and pairs it with a tightened cap on how much security deposit a landlord can collect in the first place.
Guide
Illinois Flood Disclosure Law 2025: What Landlords Must Disclose in Writing Before a Lease Is Signed
A basement unit that flooded twice in the past decade used to be something a landlord could simply not mention, unless a prospective tenant thought to ask. Since January 1, 2025, silence isn't an option. Illinois now requires landlords to put specific flood-related facts in writing before a lease is signed, and the requirement isn't one disclosure, it's three, each with its own trigger.
Guide
Illinois Screening Fee Law 2025: No Screening Fee When the Applicant Provides a Reusable Screening Report
A leasing office that charges every applicant a flat $45 screening fee, no exceptions, used to be standard practice across Illinois. Since January 1, 2025, that flat-fee policy runs into a specific statutory exception. If an applicant already has a qualifying screening report, current, paid for, and covering what the landlord actually checks, charging that same applicant a screening fee is no longer allowed.
Guide
Illinois Rent Payment Fee Law 2025: Landlords With Portal Fees Must Offer a Fee-Free Way to Pay
A tenant who logs into a property's payment portal and finds a 2.95% "convenience fee" tacked onto rent used to have no real alternative besides eating the cost. Since January 1, 2025, Illinois law gives that tenant an out. If a landlord's payment portal charges anything extra to process rent, the landlord now has to offer a way to pay that costs nothing at all.
Guide
Illinois Landlord Retaliation Act 2025: Broader Protections, Stronger Remedies, Bad-Faith Presumption
A property manager who raises rent, refuses to renew a lease, or files an eviction shortly after a tenant complains about a code violation used to worry mainly about optics. Since January 1, 2025, that timing carries a specific legal consequence in Illinois. If the tenant's protected activity happened within the past year, the law now presumes the landlord acted in retaliation, and it's the landlord who has to prove otherwise.
Guide
Recent changes
Only substantive changes, not copy edits.
1 Jan 2025
Statewide landlord-retaliation protections take effect
Illinois prohibits retaliation against tenants for specified good-faith complaints, repair requests and exercises of legal rights.
Full Illinois collection
Filter by what you're doing or by the kind of resource you need.
| Resource | Type | Task | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
Are Landlords Responsible for Pest Control in Illinois? Learn if landlords in Illinois are legally required to handle pest control, including habitability laws, Chicago’s RLTO, and tenant obligations. | Guides | Handle a repair request | Jul 31, 2026 |
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