Illinois Residential Lease Agreement Template

A fixed-term lease for a house, apartment or condo. It sets the rent, deposit, rules and responsibilities for both sides, with slots for the rules of the state where the home is located. This edition fills in the Illinois rules we could confirm and marks the rest as blanks to check.

Illinois rules for this form

Deposit limit. Illinois law does not cap the amount of a security deposit statewide. (Security Deposit Return Act (765 ILCS 710))

Deadline to return the deposit. To keep any part of the deposit for damage, the landlord must send an itemized statement within 30 days after move out; otherwise the full deposit is due within 45 days. (765 ILCS 710/1)

Notice before entry. There is no statewide statute on entry notice, so the lease controls, and some cities, including Chicago, set their own notice rules. (Illinois law (no statewide entry statute) and local ordinances)

Required disclosures. Homes built before 1978 need the federal lead-based paint disclosure and the EPA pamphlet. (Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (42 U.S.C. 4852d))

Required disclosures. A landlord who knows of a radon hazard in the unit generally must disclose it to current and prospective tenants. (Radon Industry Licensing Act)

Notice before a rent increase. Generally, Illinois has no separate rent increase notice statute, so rent stays fixed during a lease unless the lease allows a change, and a month-to-month increase in practice needs at least 30 days of notice. (Eviction Act (month-to-month notice))

Month-to-month notice. A month-to-month tenancy ends with 30 days of written notice. (735 ILCS 5/9-207)

Cities and counties in Illinois can add their own rules on top of these. Check local ordinances before you sign.

What is in the template

1. Parties
2. Property
3. Term
4. Rent
5. Late charges
6. Security deposit
7. Other charges and fees
8. Utilities and services
9. Occupants and guests
10. Use of the property
11. Pets
12. Smoking
13. Maintenance and repairs
14. Alterations
15. Landlord entry
16. Subletting and assignment
17. Insurance
18. Default
19. Moving out
20. Notices
21. Disclosures
22. General terms
23. Signatures

Before you use it

• A residential lease is the main contract between a landlord and a tenant for a fixed term, usually 6 or 12 months.
• State law sets the limits on deposits, late fees, entry notice and eviction notices, and it overrides any lease clause that conflicts with it.
• A clause that waives a tenant's legal rights is usually unenforceable and can weaken the rest of the lease.
• Have an attorney in your state review your final version, and attach every disclosure your state and city require.

For the full explanation of this form, read our guide to the residential lease agreement.