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Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Landlord-Tenant Laws

Security deposit limits, eviction notices, rent control, and more for Chicago, Illinois.

How we research these summaries

Every rule on this page is drawn from state statutes and municipal codes and summarized with AI assistance. Each one cites the statute it's based on and links to a published text of that law so you can read it firsthand. Where a page says a city or county has no local rule on a topic, that means none was found for the topics covered here — not that none exists. Local governments also regulate rental housing in ways these pages don't track, including registration, licensing, inspections and habitability standards. These summaries may be incomplete or out of date, laws change often, and every property and tenancy has specifics a summary can't capture — so treat this as a starting point for your own research, not as legal advice, and check with the local jurisdiction and a qualified attorney before acting on your particular situation.

What to Know in Chicago

Sources last checked July 2026

Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance sets no cap on a deposit's size, but requires it held in an interest-bearing account with interest paid annually — the City Comptroller's rate is 0.01% for 2026 — and returned within 45 days of move-out, or 7 days after a fire or casualty; noncompliance costs the landlord double. Illinois bars Chicago from capping rent increases outright, so the city instead regulates only the notice before one takes effect, scaling it with termination notice to tenancy length — 30, 60, or 120 days — under § 5-12-130(j).

  • 5-day notice required before eviction for nonpayment of rent
  • A Chicago landlord ending a tenancy or declining to renew must give notice on the same scale used for rent increases: 30 days where the tenancy has lasted less than six months,...
  • No rent control — no statutory cap on rent increases
  • Chicago scales the notice required before a rent increase to how long the tenant has lived in the unit: 30 days where the tenancy has lasted less than six months, 60 days from...
  • No statutory cap on the security deposit amount
5 rules summarized · Each linked to the law it cites

Chicago Local Rules

Eviction Notice Requirements

What are the eviction notice requirements in Chicago?

Under Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance a landlord terminating for nonpayment must serve written notice giving the tenant five days after receipt to pay before the tenancy may be terminated (§ 5-12-130(a)). For a material breach other than nonpayment, written notice specifying the breach must allow at least ten days to cure before termination takes effect (§ 5-12-130(b)). Chicago does NOT require just cause to end a tenancy: a landlord may decline to renew or end a periodic tenancy without stating a reason, subject only to the notice periods and the ordinance's anti-retaliation rules. One narrow exception sits outside the RLTO — the Keep Chicago Renting Ordinance requires cause or relocation assistance for tenants of a property that has gone through foreclosure. A citywide just-cause ordinance was introduced in May 2026 but has not been enacted, so it is not law today.

Chicago Municipal Code § 5-12-130
Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice

What is the move-out notice requirement in Chicago?

A Chicago landlord ending a tenancy or declining to renew must give notice on the same scale used for rent increases: 30 days where the tenancy has lasted less than six months, 60 days from six months to three years, and 120 days after three years (§ 5-12-130(j), as amended by the Fair Notice Ordinance). The ordinance does not impose a separate notice obligation on the tenant beyond what the lease requires.

Chicago Municipal Code § 5-12-130(j)
Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps

Is there rent control in Chicago?

Chicago has no rent control or rent stabilization ordinance and cannot enact one. The Illinois Rent Control Preemption Act provides that a unit of local government shall not enact, maintain, or enforce an ordinance or resolution that would have the effect of controlling the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential or commercial property (50 ILCS 825/5). There is accordingly no ceiling on the size of a rent increase in Chicago. What the city does regulate is the NOTICE required before an increase takes effect, which scales from 30 to 120 days with the length of the tenancy.

50 ILCS 825/5 (Rent Control Preemption Act)
Rent Increase Notice Periods

How much notice is required for rent increases in Chicago?

Chicago scales the notice required before a rent increase to how long the tenant has lived in the unit: 30 days where the tenancy has lasted less than six months, 60 days from six months to three years, and 120 days after three years (Fair Notice Ordinance, amending § 5-12-130(j)). The same tiers govern terminating or declining to renew a tenancy, and they apply to tenants on written leases and month-to-month tenants alike. They do not apply once an eviction for nonpayment or a lease violation has already begun. Where a landlord gives less notice than required, the tenant may remain on the existing terms for the length of the shortfall.

Chicago Municipal Code § 5-12-130(j) (Fair Notice Ordinance, 2020)
Security Deposit Limits

What is the security deposit limit in Chicago?

Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance sets no limit on how large a security deposit may be, but it regulates closely how one must be held and returned. The deposit must be kept in a federally insured, interest-bearing account at an Illinois institution, separate from the landlord's own funds (§ 5-12-080(a)). Interest must be paid to the tenant within 30 days after the end of each 12-month rental period; the rate is set annually by the City Comptroller and is 0.01% for calendar year 2026, where it has stood since 2015. Where the landlord withholds anything for damage, an itemized statement is due within 30 days of the tenant vacating, and the deposit plus interest must be returned within 45 days of the date the tenant vacates — or within 7 days where the tenancy ended because of fire or casualty. A landlord who fails to comply owes twice the deposit plus interest, subject to a narrow cure window for interest-only shortfalls.

Chicago Municipal Code §§ 5-12-080, 5-12-081

Other Illinois Cities & Counties

Cook County All Illinois laws →

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