What changed. What’s coming. In plain words.

Chicago is fighting over a landlord registry.

WURTHIT already grades whether paying them is worth it.

Summary of Rights for Safer Homes (765 ILCS 752)

Illinois landlords must attach the official state Summary as the first page of every written residential lease, new or renewal. The official Summary is four pages. Each tenant acknowledges receipt by signing at the bottom of each page.

Key numbers

A landlord proven not to comply is liable for the greater of the tenant’s actual damages (up to $2,000) or $100.

Effective

January 1, 2026.

Who it applies to

Illinois residential landlords and their agents, on new leases and renewals.

What the Summary covers

The Illinois Safe Homes Act for survivors of domestic or sexual violence: ending a lease early without owing future rent (written notice, before or within 3 days of leaving); a lock change within 48 hours of written notice, at the tenant’s reasonable expense; eviction defenses; confidentiality; and protection from discrimination based on certain protective orders. Landlords who disclose a tenant’s use of the Act to a prospective landlord can owe actual damages up to $2,000 plus attorney’s fees.

For landlords

Use the original state PDF, not a rewrite. Keep each tenant’s signed pages with the lease. As good practice, do not upload sensitive survivor documentation (court, medical or police records) into ordinary complaint, review or messaging tools.

For renters

Check that the four-page Summary is at the start of every new or renewed lease, and keep your own signed copy. This page is not a substitute for the official Summary.

Heads-up

A separate new law (see “Coming soon” below) also wants fees listed on the first page of the lease starting 2027. Page order is not settled — ask your attorney.

How sure we are

High — we read the official Dept. of Human Rights page and the state PDF (version 2025-09).

Security Deposit Return Act (765 ILCS 710)

After a tenant moves out, the landlord must send an itemized list of deductions and return the rest of the deposit within set deadlines.

Key numbers

• 30 days after move-out: itemized statement of deductions.
• 45 days after move-out: return the rest of the deposit.
• Delivery by hand, postmarked mail, or email to a verified address.
• Refusing or withholding in bad faith: 2x the deposit plus costs and attorney fees.

Effective

Changed by Public Act 103-0224. Secondary sources say January 1, 2024; confirm the date in the Act. The old “5 or more units” threshold was removed, so it now reaches all residential landlords.

Who it applies to

Illinois residential landlords.

Related law

Separate Security Deposit Interest Act (765 ILCS 715): landlords of 25 or more units in a complex pay interest on deposits held 6 months or more. Reported 2026 state rate: 0.005%. No statewide cap on the deposit amount.

How sure we are

High — official source or several consistent sources

Landlords cannot require electronic rent payment (HB 1628)

A landlord cannot require a tenant to pay rent by electronic funds transfer, including recurring automatic transfers. Cash must stay an allowed option.

Key numbers

A violation is a Consumer Fraud Act violation. The Attorney General can seek a civil penalty of up to $50,000.

Effective

Leases and renewals on or after January 1, 2024.

Who it applies to

Illinois landlords.

Not confirmed

One summary of the bill says that if a landlord uses a third-party payment portal that adds a transaction fee, the landlord must offer a no-fee way to pay (check or cash). We could not read the statute to confirm that sentence. Verify it.

How sure we are

Medium — summaries agree; official text not read by us. Verify.

Source-of-income protection

Illinois law treats source of income as a protected class. A landlord cannot refuse an applicant, advertise “no vouchers,” or use harsher criteria because the applicant pays with a housing subsidy.

Key numbers

Credit score or history cannot be used to disqualify an applicant when their income includes a subsidy. Income is measured against the tenant’s share of the rent.

Effective

January 1, 2023 (Human Rights Act amendment; HB 2775 / Public Act 102-896).

Who it applies to

Illinois landlords and property managers, in listings and screening.

How sure we are

Medium — summaries agree; official text not read by us. Verify.

Portable tenant screening report

An applicant can bring a reusable screening report instead of paying for a new one. If the landlord accepts it, the landlord cannot charge an application or screening fee.

Key numbers

The report must come from a consumer reporting agency, be dated within the previous 30 days, and be paid for by the applicant. It is free to the landlord.

Effective

January 1, 2025 (765 ILCS 705/30, Public Act 103-0840).

Who it applies to

Illinois landlords. One source says a landlord does not have to accept a portable report; verify.

How sure we are

Medium — summaries agree; official text not read by us. Verify.

Chicago late-fee cap (RLTO)

In Chicago, a late fee may not be more than $10 per month on the first $500 of monthly rent, plus 5% per month of the rent above $500. The same cap applies to early-payment discounts.

Key numbers

• Example: $700 rent: $10 + 5% of $200 = $20.
• A lease term above the cap is unenforceable. Summaries say a tenant can recover actual damages and, if the landlord tries to enforce it, up to 2 months’ rent. Verify the penalty wording.

Effective

In force. We found no change in 2024–2026.

Who it applies to

Rentals covered by the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO). Not covered: owner-occupied buildings of 6 or fewer units, certain co-ops and condos, dorms, hospitals and short stays.

How sure we are

High — official source or several consistent sources (formula). Penalty wording: medium.

Chicago security deposits and 2026 interest rate

Chicago landlords must keep the deposit separate from their own money, give a written receipt, pay interest on deposits held more than 6 months, and return the deposit on a fixed clock.

Key numbers

• Held in a federally insured account at an Illinois bank, separate from landlord funds (exact account wording: verify).
• 2026 interest rate: 0.01% for deposits under rental agreements from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026. The City sets it each January.
• Interest due within 30 days after each 12-month rental period.
• Itemized damage statement within 30 days after move-out; deposit plus interest back within 45 days (7 days if the unit was destroyed by fire).
• Violation: 2x the deposit plus interest, and Illinois law can add double damages and fees for bad faith.

Effective

In force. The rate is reset every January.

Who it applies to

Rentals covered by the Chicago RLTO.

No cap today

Chicago has no deposit cap now. The pending PRO and FAIR proposals below would add one.

How sure we are

Medium — summaries agree; official text not read by us. Verify.

Chicago required summary and yearly rider

Chicago landlords must attach the City’s RLTO Summary to the lease. The City also publishes a yearly security-deposit interest rate rider.

Key numbers

The RLTO Summary goes with every covered lease. The deposit-interest rider changes each January with the new rate.

Effective

In force.

Who it applies to

Rentals covered by the Chicago RLTO (see exemptions above).

How sure we are

Medium — summaries agree; official text not read by us. Verify.

Suburban Cook County (RTLO)

Cook County’s own landlord and tenant ordinance covers suburban Cook County. It does not cover Chicago, Evanston or Mount Prospect.

Key numbers

• Late fee cap: $10 per month on the first $1,000 of rent, plus 5% of rent above $1,000. Example: $1,500 rent gives $35 (secondary sources).
• Deposit return: 30 days.
• Move-in fees must be reasonably related to the landlord’s cost and itemized.
• The County summary must be attached to leases.
• Whether a grace period applies before a late fee: sources differ. Verify.

Effective

June 1, 2021 (County Code 42-801 to 42-816). We found no 2024–2026 amendment.

Who it applies to

Rentals in suburban Cook County. Owner-occupied buildings of 6 or fewer units are exempt.

How sure we are

Medium for the late-fee cap. Lower for the grace period: sources differ. Verify.

Cook County Just Housing screening rules

Cook County landlords must check non-criminal factors first. They may look at criminal history only after a conditional approval, and only at convictions in the last 3 years.

Key numbers

• Give the applicant the background report within 5 days.
• Applicant has 5 business days to dispute it.
• Landlord decides within 3 business days and gives a written denial with reasons.

Effective

January 1, 2020 (County Code 42-38).

Who it applies to

Cook County landlords. Whether it also reaches Chicago is not clear in our sources. Verify.

How sure we are

Medium — summaries agree; official text not read by us. Verify.

Evanston highlights

Evanston rewrote its landlord and tenant ordinance, effective at the start of 2025.

Key numbers

• Late fee cap: $25 for rent up to $1,600. How the cap works above $1,600 is unclear in our sources, so we are not stating it.
• Deposit cap: 1.5x monthly rent, with the excess payable in installments over the first 6 months.
• Deposit return within 21 days.
• Renewal notice 90 days before the term ends, or the lease extends 90 days.
• 10-day notice before eviction, with a right to pay.

Effective

January 1, 2025.

Who it applies to

Rentals in Evanston.

How sure we are

Medium — summaries agree; official text not read by us. Verify. Late-fee wording especially.

21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (Public Law 119-101)

A large federal housing law, enacted July 11, 2026. It is mostly about housing supply and finance, with one rule on large institutional investors. It does not replace state or local landlord-tenant law.

What it covers

12 titles and 59 sections: housing supply (planning and permitting incentives, development grants, vacant-building conversion); financing and preservation (FHA multifamily loan limits, affordable-housing preservation, rental assistance); manufactured housing; and institutional ownership.

Large-investor rule (Section 1001)

• A “large institutional investor” is a for-profit entity with investment control of at least 350 single-family homes.
• It may not buy more one- or two-unit single-family homes (manufactured homes are excluded), with exceptions such as build-to-rent homes, homes built or renovated for sale, foreclosure purchases and qualifying senior communities.
• Starts January 7, 2027; ends 15 years later. Federal penalty up to the greater of $1 million or 3x the purchase price.
• HUD must set up a toll-free line and website for renters of institutionally owned homes.

What it does not do

It does not give tenants new claims against private landlords. Many provisions depend on agency rules or funding. Small landlords below the 350-home line are not covered by the investor rule.

Sources differ

The CRS report gives two different House vote counts (358-32 and 358-42) and notes it is a summary. Use the statute text for exact wording.

How sure we are

Medium — we read the Congressional Research Service summary. The statute text itself is not read. Verify details.

Autopay notice rules (Regulation E and Nacha)

If rent is pulled by recurring bank (ACH) debit and the amount can vary, the payer must be told ahead of time.

Key numbers

• Written notice of the amount and date at least 10 days before each debit when the amount varies, unless the payer agreed to a dollar range or opted out of notice (Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.10).
• Nacha rules: 10 calendar days for an amount change and 7 calendar days for a date change.
• The payer can stop a payment up to 3 business days before the debit.
• The business must keep proof of the authorization.

Effective

In force. We found no 2024–2026 change to the notice rule.

Who it applies to

Landlords, managers and platforms that collect rent by recurring ACH debit.

How sure we are

High — official source or several consistent sources

Screening notices (Fair Credit Reporting Act)

If you deny an applicant, ask for a co-signer, or charge a higher deposit or rent based even partly on a consumer report, you must send an adverse-action notice.

Key numbers

• Name, address and phone of the reporting agency.
• A statement that the agency did not make the decision and cannot explain it.
• The applicant’s right to a free copy within 60 days and to dispute the report.
• The credit score and key factors, if a score was used.

In the news

The FTC and DOJ proposed a $2.25M penalty against screening company RentGrow on July 9, 2026 over duplicate records, a hidden data source and closed disputes (court approval pending).

Who it applies to

Landlords and managers who use screening reports.

How sure we are

High for the statute. Medium for the RentGrow details (press summaries).

Algorithmic rent-setting: RealPage and state laws

Regulators and states are targeting software that sets or recommends rents using other landlords’ private data. This is general information about the trend.

RealPage outcome

• DOJ’s proposed settlement with RealPage would stop it from using nonpublic, competitor-sourced lease data in its rent recommendations and model training.
• Landlord settlements reported: Greystar, Cortland, LivCor, Willow Bridge and Pinnacle.
• A private class action reached $359.9 million across 37 settlements, with final approval on Oct. 15, 2026.

State laws

• New Jersey’s FAIR Act (a different law from Chicago’s FAIR proposal): signed July 20, 2026, effective July 1, 2027. It bars using or providing software that pools competitors’ nonpublic data to coordinate rents.
• New York (Dec. 15, 2025), California and Connecticut (Jan. 1, 2026) have similar laws.
• Illinois: none enacted. SB 343 and other bills are pending.

Who it applies to

Owners, managers and software companies that use or sell rent-recommendation tools.

How sure we are

Medium — summaries agree; official text not read by us. Verify. Several items are still proposed.

Written collection policy before suing for unpaid assessments (SB 3527, Public Act 104-0734)

Starting 2027, a condo or community association (or a holder or buyer of its debt) cannot take legal action to collect common expenses unless it has adopted, and follows, a written collection policy. This applies even if the governing documents say otherwise.

What the policy must cover

• When assessments are due and when they count as delinquent.
• Late fees and interest.
• Returned-check charges.
• When a payment plan is available, and its minimum terms.
• How much or how long a debt can run before it goes to an attorney.
• How payments are applied to a delinquent account.
• The legal remedies available under the governing documents and Illinois law.

Effective

January 1, 2027 (Illinois General Assembly). Law-firm sources say it was signed July 31, 2026. Whether it reaches a case already filed on that date is unresolved in the sources we read.

Who it applies to

Illinois condominium associations and common interest community (HOA) associations. Small community associations may already be exempt under existing law (reported as 10 or fewer units, or budgeted assessments of $100,000 or less). Verify. Condominiums have no size exemption.

Resale packet

The adopted policy must be included in the documents a prospective buyer can request (see the resale-packet card below).

How sure we are

High — we read the official Illinois General Assembly text. Signing date from law-firm sources.

Association websites and electronic financial reports (HB 5449, Public Act 104-0797)

Condo and HOA boards must provide a website for owners, and must send annual financial information by email to owners who agree to receive it that way.

Key numbers

• Website by January 1, 2028, with information about board and membership meetings and approved minutes (draft minutes are not required).
• Annual financial and budget information must be sent electronically to owners who gave their contact information and authorized electronic delivery. Everyone else still gets paper.
• Reported as not requiring budgets, reserve studies, contracts or governing documents on the website.
• Reported with no fines or penalties attached to the new duties.

Effective

The Act takes effect January 1, 2027 (Illinois General Assembly). It was signed August 7, 2026 (law-firm sources). The website deadline is a year later.

Who it applies to

Illinois condo and community associations. Small community associations may be exempt (reported as 10 or fewer units, or $100,000 or less in budgeted assessments). Verify.

How sure we are

High that the Act exists and its start date (Illinois General Assembly). Medium on the details: law-firm summaries; we did not read the full text. Verify.

Illinois Receivership Act (Public Act 104-0034)

A uniform process for a court to appoint a receiver when an association is in severe financial or operational trouble.

Key numbers

Reported triggers: financial mismanagement, chronic nonpayment of assessments, operational dysfunction, or serious property neglect. Once appointed, the receiver steps into the board’s role and can collect assessments, run operations and enforce the governing documents.

Effective

January 1, 2026.

Who it applies to

Associations in distress. It generally excludes owner-occupied properties with 1 to 6 dwelling units, with exceptions. Do not assume a small or mixed-use building is exempt.

How sure we are

High that the Act exists and its date (Illinois General Assembly). Medium on the details: law-firm summary.

Resale packets for condo and HOA buyers

When a unit is resold, the seller can request a packet of association documents and financial facts for the buyer. The board must supply it on a deadline.

Condominiums (765 ILCS 605, Section 22.1)

• Includes the governing documents, a statement of liens and the unit’s unpaid assessments, anticipated capital expenditures in the current or next 2 fiscal years, the status of the reserve fund, the last financial statement, pending suits, insurance coverage, and (from 2027) the collection policy.
• Board must furnish it within 10 business days of a written request.
• Fee: reasonable direct cost, not above $375 (adjusted yearly for inflation), plus up to $100 for rush service within 72 hours.

Common interest communities (765 ILCS 160, Section 1-35(d))

• Similar contents: governing documents, lien and assessment statement, anticipated capital expenditures, reserve status, financial statement, pending suits, insurance, and (from 2027) the collection policy.
• Board must furnish it within 30 days of a written request.
• Fee: reasonable direct out-of-pocket cost of copying and providing the information.

Who it applies to

Sellers and buyers of Illinois condo units and units in common interest communities.

How sure we are

High — we read the official Illinois General Assembly text.

Condo and HOA reserve-study bill (HB 2563 / SB 3401)

Proposed bills would have required condo and HOA associations to do a reserve study every 5 years, with associations of 15 or fewer units exempt. It did not become law.

Status as of Oct. 27, 2026

Not passed as of our last check. The Senate bill passed the Senate 55–0 but was held in the House. A trade-group end-of-session report says both bills died in committee, and the General Assembly site shows the House bill re-referred to the Rules Committee on May 15, 2026. A bill could still be revived.

Current law

One source says boards must consider “reasonable reserves” when setting a budget, but no statewide reserve study is required.

How sure we are

Medium — sources differ on the final bill status. Verify.

Limit on large investors buying single-family homes

The federal ROAD to Housing Act bars very large investors (350 or more single-family homes) from buying more one- or two-unit homes, starting January 7, 2027, with exceptions. Home buyers competing with large investors are the people this targets.

Details

See the full ROAD to Housing Act card above, including the exceptions and what the law does not do.

How sure we are

Medium — summary report. See the full card in the Federal section.

FinCEN residential real estate reporting rule (vacated, on appeal)

A FinCEN rule that took effect March 1, 2026 asked closing professionals to file reports on certain residential real-estate transfers. A federal court threw it out nationwide, and it is not being enforced while that order stands.

Key dates

• March 19, 2026: U.S. District Court (E.D. Tex.) vacated the rule in Flowers Title Companies v. Bessent.
• March 23, 2026: FinCEN said reporting persons are not currently required to file and are not liable for not filing while the order stands.
• May 11, 2026: the government appealed to the Fifth Circuit. DOJ filed its opening brief on August 17, 2026.
• We found no Fifth Circuit ruling and no confirmed stay as of the latest source we read (Sept. 28, 2026).

What could change

If the Fifth Circuit reverses, reporting could return. FinCEN’s FAQs say it would not require retroactive reports for the period the order was in force. A separate Florida ruling went the other way, which makes further appeals likely.

Who it applies to

Closing and settlement professionals, and indirectly buyers who use entities or trusts. Ask your title company.

How sure we are

Medium — law-firm and trade summaries, no official FinCEN page read. The case is moving. Verify before relying on it.

Written agreement before an agent tours you through a home

Since August 17, 2024, agents who are MLS participants and work with a buyer must have a written agreement with that buyer before touring a home.

Key numbers

Effective August 17, 2024. This is a rule of NAR and the MLSs that adopted it under the settlement, not a statute.

Who it applies to

Buyers working with an agent who participates in an MLS. NAR says it does not apply when the agent is acting only for the seller. Ask your agent for the agreement and read how and what you pay before you sign.

How sure we are

High — NAR’s own settlement FAQ (Aug. 2024 version).

Illinois seller disclosure report (765 ILCS 77)

An Illinois seller of residential property must fill out a disclosure report and give it to the buyer before the contract is signed.

Key numbers

• The seller discloses material defects the seller actually knows about; there is no duty to investigate.
• If the seller learns the report was wrong, a written supplement is due before closing.
• Selling “as is” does not remove the duty.

Who it applies to

Sellers of residential real property in Illinois. Some transfers are exempt, such as new construction never occupied.

How sure we are

Medium — we read summaries of the statute, not the full text. Verify against the official Act.

Illinois Radon Awareness Act (420 ILCS 46)

Sellers of residential property must give the buyer the state radon pamphlet and a radon hazards disclosure form.

Key numbers

• The IEMA pamphlet “Radon Testing Guidelines for Real Estate Transactions.”
• The “Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards” form.
• Statute summaries add that known elevated radon test results must also be shared, and that the disclosure comes before the buyer is bound by a contract. Verify.

Who it applies to

Sellers of residential property with 1 to 4 dwelling units in Illinois (per a statute summary). Verify exclusions.

How sure we are

Medium — the state radon page names the duty but not the timing. Verify.

Lead-based paint disclosure for homes built before 1978

Sellers and landlords of most pre-1978 housing must disclose known lead paint and lead hazards before a sale or lease.

Key numbers

• Disclose known lead-based paint or hazards, and give the buyer all available records and reports.
• Give the EPA pamphlet “Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home” and a Lead Warning Statement.
• Buyers get 10 days for a paint inspection or risk assessment (parties can agree to change it, and buyers can waive it).
• Keep signed disclosures for 3 years.

Not covered

Housing built after 1977, zero-bedroom units (unless a child under 6 lives there), leases of 100 days or less, certified lead-free housing, foreclosure sales, and some elderly or disabled housing.

Who it applies to

Sellers, landlords, agents and property managers.

How sure we are

High — official source or several consistent sources. EPA page read.