House & Apartment

Over 100 municipalities in Illinois have crime-free or nuisance ordinances. These ordinances affect landlords and tenants. 

Ask the city and county where a property is located to learn about local ordinances. Read the Shriver Center on Poverty Law Report for more information.

What the ordinances require

Crime-free or nuisance ordinances may require landlords to:

• Get a business license to rent,
• Perform background checks on tenants,
• Include a “crime-free lease agreement,"
• Evict the entire household if criminal activity occurs, and
• Evict tenants after a certain number of police calls.

A crime-free lease agreement may make one incident enough to evict all tenants. 

State law prevents municipalities and counties from penalizing tenants and landlords who contact police for:

• A domestic violence Harm by one household or family member against another household or family member. Harm may be an emotional, mental, or physical injury or disability A substantial impairment that functionally limits a person in carrying out major life activities, such as walking, lifting, seeing, or learning. issue, or
• An incident related to sexual or domestic violence.

Note: Police calls that fit these exceptions may be counted by mistake. If a violation involves calling the police, seek legal help.

How ordinances are enforced

Landlords who don't comply may be fined or forced to stop renting their property. 

Often, only the landlord An owner of property who rents it out to a tenant is notified of a violation. The landlord then asks the tenant A person who rents a space to "abate" the violation by moving out. The landlord may serve Giving court documents to someone the tenant with an eviction A court case brought by a landlord to get a tenant to move out notice. If the tenant doesn't leave, the landlord may file for eviction.

Tenants asked to leave over an ordinance A law or rule made by a local government like a town or city issue should seek legal guidance before moving out. To find a lawyer Someone who represents clients in courts or who gives legal advice , use Get Legal Help.