Eviction and Notice to Quit in Chicago
Getting an eviction notice is scary, but a notice is NOT an eviction. Only a judge can order you out, and only the sheriff can carry it out. This playbook explains Chicago and Illinois notice rules, your right to fix the problem, and what happens in court.
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Your landlord cannot force you out without a court case. In Chicago, a legal eviction happens only when the landlord follows Illinois court law and uses the Cook County sheriff.
✓ Sources checked August 24, 2026
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Lockouts are illegal. The landlord cannot change your locks, block your door, remove your things, or cut off heat, water, gas, or electricity. Call the police if this happens. Chicago police must investigate lockout complaints.
A landlord who locks you out owes fines of $200 to $500 for each day it continues. You can also sue to get back in. A court can award you up to 2 months' rent or twice your actual losses, whichever is greater.
✓ Sources checked August 27, 2026
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For unpaid rent, the landlord must first give you a written 5 day notice. You keep your home if you pay all the rent owed within those 5 days. In Chicago, you get 1 more chance even after the case is filed. Before the judge signs an eviction order, you can pay the unpaid rent plus the landlord's filing and service costs. Pay that, and the case gets dismissed.
✓ Sources checked August 27, 2026
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For a lease violation other than rent, the landlord must give you a written 10 day notice. The notice must say what you did wrong. You keep your home if you fix the problem within those 10 days.
✓ Sources checked August 27, 2026
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To end your tenancy without cause, or to raise rent, Chicago landlords must give advance written notice. You get 30 days notice if you have lived there under 6 months. You get 60 days after 6 months. You get 120 days after 3 years. If the landlord skips that notice, you do not have to leave on the lease end date. You can stay up to 60 more days after the notice finally arrives. Tenants of more than 3 years can stay up to 120 more days.
✓ Sources checked August 27, 2026
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Illinois state law sets its own minimum notice periods. A month to month tenancy needs 30 days written notice to end. A week to week tenancy needs 7 days.
✓ Sources checked August 24, 2026
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In court, the case starts when the landlord files a complaint and the clerk sends you a summons. A summons is the court paper telling you when to appear. Go to every court date, or the landlord can win automatically.
✓ Sources checked August 24, 2026
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You have the right to defend yourself in court. State law lets you raise any matter in defense of the eviction. Bad notice, payment, repairs problems, and retaliation are common defenses.
✓ Sources checked August 24, 2026
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Retaliation is illegal and is a defense. The landlord cannot evict you for complaining to the city, asking for repairs, or joining a tenant group. If you did a protected act in the past year, the court presumes the eviction was retaliation.
✓ Sources checked August 24, 2026
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Even if you lose or settle, you can ask the judge to seal the court file. Sealing hides the case from public record searches, which protects your future rental applications. Cases without a real legal basis can be sealed too.
✓ Sources checked August 24, 2026
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