House & Apartment

Starting January 1, 2027, all Illinois leases must contain disclosures about rental fees and utility payment arrangements unless:

• The property has 6 or fewer units, and
• The owner lives in one of the units.

Unless a lease is for an owner-occupied property with 6 or fewer units, starting January 1, 2027, the landlord must disclose:

• All non-optional one-time fees,
• All non-optional recurring fees, and
• Whether utilities are included in the rent.

All Illinois landlords covered by the law must list non-optional fees and state whether utilities are included in the rent:

• In the property listing or a document linked to the listing, and
• On the first page of a written lease.

While these rules do not apply to owner-occupied properties with 6 or fewer units, all tenants have the right to:

• Ask for information about fees and utility payment arrangements, and
• Request a written lease.

Renters covered by the law are not responsible for paying a fee that does not appear on the first page of a lease that starts on or after January 1, 2027. This rule does not apply to owner-occupied properties with 6 or fewer units.

When a property is owner-occupied, has 6 or fewer units, and uses a written lease, all fees must also be stated in the lease or another written agreement. However, the disclosure need not appear on the front page of the lease.

Starting January 1, 2027, unless a property is owner-occupied and has 6 or fewer units, an application fee, including a background check fee, cannot exceed $50 unless:

• The actual cost of the background check is more than $50,
• The landlord pays the background check company first, and
• The landlord bills the applicant within 14 days and includes a receipt from the background check company.

If the landlord fails to bill the applicant and provide a receipt within 14 days, the applicant does not owe the fee, and the landlord cannot use it as grounds to evict the tenant during the first year of the lease. 

A landlord also cannot charge a separate fee alongside the application fee that duplicates screening costs or covers costs unrelated to screening.

For leases starting on or after January 1, 2027, a landlord covered by the new law cannot charge a tenant a fee or fine for:

• Modifying or renewing a lease,
• Filing an eviction notice or eviction case before a court grants an eviction order (though the landlord can still recover court costs and filing fees),
• An after-hours maintenance request,
• Contacting the landlord or property manager about maintenance, a service request, or a lease question,
• Travel needed to complete maintenance or safety repairs,
• Calling a maintenance hotline,
• Routine maintenance and general upkeep of the unit,
• Pest control, when the tenant did not cause the infestation, and
• An in-person walkthrough of the unit at move-in or move-out.

No, a landlord cannot rename a fee or charge to avoid the junk fee ban. If a tenant challenges the fee in court, the judge will look at what the fee actually covers, not what it is called.

No, a city, county, or other local government can still regulate fees charged to tenants. Any local rule must now protect tenants at least as much as this state law does. A local rule cannot allow something that this law bans.

For covered leases, a tenant can file a civil lawsuit against a landlord who violates the junk fee ban. A judge can order the landlord to stop the violation, pay the tenant money, and pay the tenant's court costs and legal fees.

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