Start with the eviction clock, because in Illinois everything else is negotiable and the clock is not. Serve the wrong notice, or stuff late fees into the right one, and a judge in Cook County will hand you back three wasted months.

Then remember you're operating under as many as three rulebooks at once: state law, the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO), and the Cook County Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance (RTLO). Our Illinois quick-reference page holds the short version; here's how the layers actually fit together.

From 5-day notice to sheriff: the Illinois eviction timeline

Illinois nonpayment evictions begin with the 5-day notice: a written demand stating the rent owed and telling the tenant the lease terminates unless it's paid within no less than five days (735 ILCS 5/9-209). Demand the rent itself, not late fees or utility charges. Padding the number is the classic way to get a case dismissed. If the tenant pays everything demanded inside the five days, the tenancy continues.

For a lease violation other than money, state law uses a 10-day notice (735 ILCS 5/9-210). By statute it doesn't have to offer a chance to cure, though your own lease might, and Chicago's RLTO grants tenants a 10-day cure right for most violations, so the same conduct gets more forgiveness inside city limits.

Ending a periodic tenancy takes 30 days' written notice before the end of the rental period for month-to-month, 60 days for year-to-year, and 7 days for week-to-week (735 ILCS 5/9-207). In Chicago, the Fair Notice ordinance overrides those floors: 30 days of notice for tenancies under six months, 60 days under three years, and 120 days beyond three years, for both nonrenewals and rent increases.

After the notice period runs, you file an eviction action (Illinois renamed the old forcible entry and detainer in 2018), win an order of possession, and wait for the sheriff. Only the sheriff executes evictions. Lockouts, utility shutoffs, and door removals are illegal statewide and expressly banned by the Chicago and Cook County ordinances.

Two 2026 additions: SB 1563 clarifies that eviction law doesn't stop police from enforcing criminal trespass against unauthorized occupants, and HB 3566 bars naming minors as eviction defendants, with a $1,000 penalty plus fees for willful violations (both effective January 1, 2026).

Which deposit rulebook are you under: state, Chicago, or Cook County?

Statewide, Illinois sets no deposit cap and no deadline for small landlords. The Security Deposit Return Act only reaches buildings with 5 or more units, and there it has teeth: itemize damages in writing within 30 days of move-out (with estimated or actual costs, then paid receipts within 30 days after the statement), and return what's owed within 45 days. Bad faith costs you twice the deposit plus court costs and attorney fees (765 ILCS 710/1). The Security Deposit Interest Act adds annual interest for buildings of 25 or more units (765 ILCS 715); the state rate for 2026 is 0.005%.

The Chicago RLTO is stricter and applies to most city rentals except owner-occupied buildings of six units or fewer. Deposits there require a written receipt, a separate federally insured Illinois account, annual interest at the city's posted rate (0.01% for 2026), a 30-day itemized damage statement, and return within 45 days (Chicago Mun. Code § 5-12-080). The penalty for getting it wrong is two times the deposit plus interest and attorney fees, which is why so many Chicago landlords switched to nonrefundable move-in fees instead of deposits.

Suburban Cook County has its own RTLO (effective June 2021, excluding Chicago and towns like Evanston and Mount Prospect that keep their own ordinances). It caps deposits at 1.5 months' rent, requires a receipt, and requires return within 30 days.

So the identical two-flat can face no deadline in Springfield, a 45-day deadline with interest in Chicago, and a 30-day deadline with a 1.5-month cap in Skokie. Know which map dot you're on before you write the lease. Neighboring states are simpler about this; see how Indiana handles deposits with one statewide 45-day rule.

Late fees and rent raises: no state caps, real local ones

Illinois has no statewide late-fee cap. Chicago caps late fees at $10 per month on the first $500 of monthly rent plus 5% of anything above $500 (RLTO § 5-12-140), and suburban Cook County allows $10 on the first $1,000 plus 5% of the excess. Charge more in either place and the whole late-fee clause becomes unenforceable, with two months' rent in damages available to the tenant in Chicago.

Rent control is banned statewide: the Rent Control Preemption Act stops home-rule cities from regulating rent amounts (50 ILCS 825). What Chicago regulates instead is timing, through the Fair Notice tiers above. There's no state statute on how much notice a rent increase needs outside a periodic tenancy's own rhythm, so downstate the lease and the 9-207 notice periods do the work.

One payment rule catches landlords off guard: for leases signed, renewed, or extended since January 1, 2024, you can't make electronic funds transfer the only way to pay rent. Offer a non-electronic option like check or money order (765 ILCS 705/4).

Entry notice: silence downstate, 48 hours in Chicago and Cook County

No Illinois statute sets an entry notice period. Chicago's RLTO requires two days' notice and reasonable times for non-emergency entry (§ 5-12-050), and the Cook County RTLO mirrors the 48-hour standard. Everywhere else, your lease is the rule, so write one: 24 or 48 hours' notice, defined hours, emergencies excepted. A lease that's silent on entry invites both friction and harassment claims.

The disclosure list keeps growing

Illinois has been adding a disclosure a year. Current state-level list for most residential leases:

  • Radon (2024): before leasing a unit below the third story, give the IEMA 'Radon Guide for Tenants' pamphlet, any radon records you hold, and the hazard disclosure form (420 ILCS 46/25). A tenant who finds a radon hazard in the first 90 days can terminate if you refuse to mitigate.
  • Flood (2025): disclose in writing before lease signing if the property sits in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area or if the unit or parking flooded in the past 10 years (Public Act 103-0754). Tenants get termination rights if you didn't.
  • Safer Homes summary (2026): every new or renewed lease must attach the Illinois Department of Human Rights summary of domestic and sexual violence housing rights at the front of the lease, each page initialed by the tenant. Skipping it costs the greater of actual damages up to $2,000 or $100, plus attorney fees (765 ILCS 752).
  • Utilities: master-metered buildings need the utility payment disclosure under 765 ILCS 740.
  • Lead paint: pre-1978 housing carries the federal disclosure and pamphlet.

Chicago stacks its own on top: the RLTO summary attachment, deposit receipt rules, and heating cost disclosure. Illinois-ready lease packets in our forms library bundle the current set, and Rentari flags new disclosure requirements per state as they take effect.

Habitability, repair-and-deduct, and the retaliation trap

Illinois courts implied a warranty of habitability into every residential lease back in 1972 (Jack Spring, Inc. v. Little), so 'the lease says nothing about repairs' is no defense. Statewide, tenants also hold a narrow repair-and-deduct right: for a repair required by law or the lease costing up to the lesser of $500 or half the monthly rent, they can notify you by certified or registered mail, wait 14 days, then hire it out and deduct the paid bill from rent (765 ILCS 742/5).

The bigger 2025 change is the Landlord Retaliation Act (765 ILCS 721, effective January 1, 2025). If you terminate, refuse to renew, raise rent, cut services, or threaten suit within one year after a tenant requests repairs, reports a code violation, joins a tenant union, or testifies about conditions, retaliation is presumed and you carry the burden of rebutting it. A tenant who wins collects the greater of two months' rent or double actual damages, plus attorney fees. Paper your legitimate business reasons before acting, not after.

What changed in 2024, 2025, and 2026

  • January 1, 2024: radon disclosure for units below the third story (420 ILCS 46/25); ban on EFT-only rent payment for new and renewed leases (765 ILCS 705/4).
  • January 1, 2025: flood zone and flood history disclosure (PA 103-0754); Landlord Retaliation Act replaces the old Retaliatory Eviction Act (765 ILCS 721).
  • October 16, 2025: Chicago ordinance protects tenant composting; landlords may impose reasonable container and odor rules.
  • January 1, 2026: Safer Homes lease attachment (765 ILCS 752); SB 1563 criminal trespass clarification; HB 3566 ban on minors as eviction defendants; new deposit interest rates post (state 0.005%, Chicago 0.01%).

If your portfolio crosses into Michigan or Ohio, note that neither layers city ordinances the way Chicago does; Illinois is the outlier in the region.

Illinois landlord FAQ

Can my 5-day notice include late fees?

Demand only rent. The 5-day notice under 735 ILCS 5/9-209 is a rent demand, and adding late fees or other charges is the most common self-inflicted defect in Illinois eviction filings. Chase the fees separately or in the damages claim.

Do I owe interest on security deposits?

Depends on the rulebook. Statewide, only buildings with 25 or more units pay interest (765 ILCS 715). In Chicago, virtually all covered rentals pay the city rate annually. In suburban Cook County, mind the 1.5-month cap and 30-day return instead.

Does the RLTO apply to my owner-occupied Chicago three-flat?

Mostly no: owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units are excluded (§ 5-12-020). But the Fair Notice nonrenewal rules and the lockout ban still reach you, and the state Security Deposit Return Act applies once a building has five or more units regardless of who lives there.

Is there rent control anywhere in Illinois?

No. The Rent Control Preemption Act (50 ILCS 825) bars local rent caps, and repeal bills have died in Springfield every session since. Chicago's Fair Notice ordinance controls timing, not amounts: raise rent as much as the market bears, but give 30, 60, or 120 days depending on tenancy length.

This article is general information for Illinois landlords, not legal advice. Illinois adds rental laws nearly every January and Chicago and Cook County amend their ordinances on their own schedules, so confirm current text (735 ILCS 5/9, 765 ILCS 710, the RLTO) or talk to an Illinois landlord-tenant attorney before relying on any deadline here.