ByIllinois Eviction Laws: What You Should Know
During times of personal or financial struggle, the nightmare of being evicted from your rental home can become very real. If you are facing eviction, you may feel hopeless or unsure where to turn. However, the process of involves many complex steps for the landlord to follow and if not followed properly, this can result in a failed eviction. As a tenant, it's important to understand these laws if you choose to fight your eviction.
Whether you believe the eviction is unlawful or are under the impression that your landlord is not following the correct procedure, this DoNotPay guide can help you understand Illinois eviction laws to better your chances of staying in your home.
Eviction Laws In Illinois
There are lawful . They include:
| Failure to comply with rent deadlines | If rent is not paid on time, a landlord must give a 5-Day Notice To Pay. If the rent is paid within that 5-day window, the landlord may not lawfully file for eviction. |
| Violations of the lease agreement | Lease violations may include damage to the property, keeping pets in a pet-free property, smoking inside the property, and any other violations of terms set forth in the lease. Landlords must give a 10-day Notice To Comply and cannot continue with the eviction process if the tenant complies. |
| Conducting illegal activity | Illegal activities may include violence, theft, assault, homicide, or any class X felonies committed on the property. Landlords must issue a 5-day Notice To Quit (ending the lease) if they have probable reason to believe illegal activities are happening on their property. |
| Foreclosure of rental property | In Illinois, tenants are not allowed to renew their lease if the property is being foreclosed on. However, landlords must provide tenants with a 90-Day Notice To Vacate |
| Non-renewal of lease | In Illinois, landlords cannot evict tenants without probable cause. However, a landlord also is not required to renew a lease after it ends. In this case, a landlord must provide tenants with a 30-Day or 60-Day Notice To Quit. |
Your Rights as a Tenant
If you believe you are facing unlawful eviction, you have the right to challenge the eviction in court. Reasons you may believe you are being unlawfully evicted can include:
- The landlord is evicting in retaliation for being reported for housing code or health code violations.
- The landlord is evicting for discriminatory reasons.
- The landlord has failed to make repairs to the unit and the tenant is withholding rent.
- The landlord did not follow the proper eviction procedures.
For these reasons and many others, an eviction notice does not have to be final. There are ways to investigate and fight an eviction on your own.
How to Fight an Eviction in Illinois
In order to stop or pause your eviction, you must have legal grounds for doing so. The steps to start the process are:
- Compiling as much evidence as you can that you are being unlawfully evicted
- Showing up to your court hearing and contesting the eviction before a judge
- Wait for a final judgment in the tenant or landlord's favor
If you cannot appear at the hearing, the judge may rule in favor of the landlord. However, Illinois law allows for a tenant to ask the judge to vacate the judgment if done within 30 days of the judgment to give the tenant time to appear at a new hearing and make a case for why they believe they should not be evicted.
The process for appealing an eviction can seem daunting and confronting your landlord over these issues may feel intimidating. Fortunately, you don't have to undertake this process alone. DoNotPay has a product that can help you fight your eviction. We can help you through the whole process to make sure you fully understand Illinois tenant laws and follow the proper steps to make your strongest case.
DoNotPay Can Help
DoNotPay is here to guide you if you need to fight an eviction in Illinois. Our Landlord Protection product can help you:
- Get back your security deposits
- Learn about your state's eviction laws and what protections apply in your case
- Resolve disputes regarding repairs with your landlord
- Resolve disputes with roommates by filing demand letters or going through small claims court
- Break your lease early
If you want to know how to fight an eviction in Illinois but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 4 easy steps:
- Search for and open the Landlord Protection product on DoNotPay.
- Select which issue applies to you.
- Answer a simple set of questions so our chatbot can collect the necessary information to create your demand letter.
- Choose whether you want DoNotPay to send the demand letter to your landlord or roommate on your behalf. If you already tried sending a demand letter and it didn't work, we can help you start the small claims court process.
And that's it! You should hear back from your landlord directly once your demands are sent.
Why Use DoNotPay to Know about Illinois Eviction Laws
You can either simply surrender to the pressures of your landlord and lose your deposit, or you can choose DoNotPay. Our services are:
- Fast. You don’t have to spend too much time looking for the particular provisions of the Illinois Eviction Laws that apply to your circumstances.
- Easy. You don’t have to fill up tedious forms or take note of the numerous steps to assert your rights as a renter.
- Successful. Your demand letter drafted by the DoNotPay Robot-Lawyer has a better chance of being given proper remedies by your landlord.
What Else Can DoNotPayDo?
DoNotPay can help you learn everything you need to know about your rights as a tenant in Illinois. In addition to our tenant and landlord products, we offer services for everything from small claims court to paying for parking tickets. Our products can even help you:
- Sue anyone in small claims court
- Write and submit standardized legal documents
- Legally notarize any documents
- Learn more about the Freedom of Information Act
- Find unclaimed money
Sign up for DoNotPay and discover which of our products can help you today!