What a Chicago residential lease agreement is for
Renting in Chicago means following the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, one of the most detailed and most litigated local landlord laws in the country. The RLTO controls the security deposit down to the receipt and the bank, sets annual interest at a City rate, gives a 45-day return deadline and a 30-day deadline for a damage statement with receipts, caps late fees with a formula, requires two days' notice of entry, lists lease terms that are unenforceable, and requires the City's summary to be attached. A mistake with the deposit can cost a landlord twice the deposit plus the tenant's attorney's fees, even if the tenant owed rent. On top of that, the Fair Notice Ordinance sets notice periods of up to 120 days for rent increases and non-renewals, and Illinois's new rental fee law bans move-in fees from January 1, 2027.
This template is a full Chicago lease built around those rules. It covers owner disclosure, term, rent and fee disclosure, the RLTO late fee, Fair Notice periods, the security deposit in full, the required disclosures, use and subletting, repairs, access, tenant remedies, default, prohibited terms and move-out. Schedules and attachments cover the deposit receipt and bank disclosure, lead disclosure, condition report and itemized damage statement, plus a list of City documents to attach.
When to use it
Use it for apartments, condos and houses in the City of Chicago covered by the RLTO: most rentals except owner-occupied buildings of six or fewer units, single owner-occupied co-op and condo units, and hotels and dorms. Suburban Cook County rentals follow the Cook County Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance instead, which has different rules.
Leases signed now for terms running into 2027 should already follow the fee rules, so this lease prohibits move-in fees and lists every fee in Section 3.
What's inside
The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.
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Parties and term
- Owner
- Agent
- Person for notices
- Tenants and occupants
- Premises
- Term
-
Rent and fees
- Monthly rent
- Payment and receipts
- RLTO late fee formula
- All fees disclosed
- No move-in fee
-
Fair Notice
- 30 60 or 120 days for rent increases and non-renewal
-
Security deposit
- Receipt
- Federally insured Illinois account
- Segregation
- Annual interest at the City rate
- 45-day return
- 30-day damage statement with receipts
- Sale
-
Disclosures
- Code violations
- Utilities and heat allocation
- Bed bug brochure
- Lead
- Heat standards
- Detectors
-
Use, repairs and access
- Occupancy
- Subletting and mitigation
- Pets
- No short-term rentals
- Owner and tenant duties
- Two days' notice of entry
- Tenant remedies
-
Default and prohibited terms
- 5-day notice
- 10-day notice
- No lockouts
- Retaliation
- RLTO prohibited lease terms
- Move-out
-
Attachments and schedules
- RLTO Summary
- Security Deposit Interest Rate Summary
- Bed bug brochure
- Deposit receipt and bank disclosure
- Lead disclosure
- Condition report
- Itemized damage statement
-
Owner's Checklist
- 9 checks before signing
Preview pages
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Page 1 -
Page 2 -
Page 3
How to fill in the lease
- Confirm the RLTO applies. Check the building's size and owner occupancy.
- Disclose the owner and manager. Give names and addresses for notices.
- Set rent and fees. List every recurring and one-time fee, with no move-in fee, and calculate the RLTO late fee.
- Take the deposit correctly. Give the receipt, place it in a federally insured Illinois account, disclose the bank, and keep it separate.
- Make the disclosures. Code violations in the last 12 months, utility allocation, bed bug brochure, lead.
- Attach the City documents. The RLTO Summary and the current interest rate summary.
- Do the condition report. Complete Schedule C with the tenant at move-in.
- Diarize. Annual interest, Fair Notice dates, and the 30-day and 45-day move-out deadlines.
Example: a Logan Square two-bedroom
A fictional owner, Kedzie Boulevard Flats LLC, rents Unit 3 in its 12-unit building in Logan Square to Priya Nair from June 1, 2026 at $1,800 a month, with a $1,800 deposit.
Late fee: $10 + 5% of $1,300 = $75, if rent is more than 5 days late. Deposit: receipt given May 20, 2026; held at a Chicago bank; interest at 0.01% ($0.18) credited by July 1, 2027. Renewal: for a lease ending May 31, 2027, Priya has lived there 12 months, so a rent increase notice is due 60 days before, by April 1, 2027. Move-out: if Priya leaves May 31, 2028, the itemized damage statement with receipts is due by June 30, 2028, and the deposit balance by July 15, 2028.
Chicago rules to know
- Security deposits (Municipal Code 5-12-080). Receipt, Illinois bank account, segregation, annual interest at the City rate (0.01% for 2026), 45-day return, 30-day damage statement with receipts, double damages.
- Late fees (5-12-140(h)). $10 for the first $500 plus 5% of the rest.
- Fair Notice (5-12-130(j)). 30, 60 or 120 days for rent increases and non-renewals.
- Entry (5-12-050). Two days' notice.
- Attachments (5-12-170). RLTO Summary with every lease; interest rate summary with every deposit.
- Prohibited terms (5-12-140). No waivers, confessions of judgment, or one-way attorney's fees.
- Illinois fee law (Public Act 104-0479). From January 1, 2027: no move-in fees, full fee transparency, for most leases.
- Heat (13-196-410). 68°F by day and 66°F at night, September 15 to June 1.
Where Chicago landlords lose RLTO cases
RLTO cases are usually decided on paperwork. The deposit was deposited in the owner's operating account. No receipt was given, or the bank was never disclosed. Interest was never paid, because the rate seemed too small to matter. The damage statement arrived on day 35, or without receipts. The RLTO Summary was not attached, so the tenant walked away mid-lease. A late fee of $100 on $1,500 rent exceeded the formula. Each one can mean double the deposit plus fees. The schedules, attachments list and checklist in this lease are designed so none of them is missed.
Frequently asked questions
What must be attached to a Chicago lease?
The City's RLTO Summary must be attached to every lease covered by the ordinance; without it, the tenant can end the lease at any time on written notice. If the landlord takes a security deposit, the City's Security Deposit Interest Rate Summary for the current year must be attached too, and landlords must give the City's bed bug brochure.
What is the Chicago security deposit interest rate for 2026?
0.01%, set by the City Comptroller. Landlords must pay the interest within 30 days after the end of each 12-month rental period, in cash or as a rent credit, at the rate for the year the deposit was received.
How much can a Chicago landlord charge as a late fee?
Under the RLTO, no more than $10 for the first $500 of monthly rent plus 5% of any rent above $500. On $1,800 rent, that is $75.
How much notice must a Chicago landlord give to raise rent or not renew?
Under the Fair Notice Ordinance, 30 days if the tenant has lived there less than 6 months, 60 days for 6 months to 3 years, and 120 days for more than 3 years.
Can Chicago landlords still charge a move-in fee?
Until January 1, 2027, yes, if disclosed. From that date, Illinois's rental fee law (Public Act 104-0479) prohibits move-in fees for most residential leases, with exceptions such as owner-occupied buildings of six or fewer units. Many guides still give the old July 1, 2026 date; the law's start was moved to January 1, 2027.
