Chicago, Illinois · Repairs and Unsafe Conditions
Landlord Won't Make Repairs in Chicago: What Can I Do?
This is not legal advice. We explain what the law says. We cannot tell you what to do in your situation. For that, talk to a lawyer. Find free legal and rent help in Chicago.
Your landlord must keep your apartment safe and livable. Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) and Illinois state law give you real tools when repairs stall: deduct repair costs, reduce rent, or end the lease. This playbook walks through each tool, step by step.
What your landlord has to fix
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Chicago law makes your landlord keep the building up to city code. The landlord must make all needed repairs promptly. This duty is automatic and applies even if your lease says nothing about repairs.
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The law lists what counts as a serious problem. Examples include no heat or hot water, broken plumbing, pests, leaks, and broken locks. A unit that is not fit to live in breaks the law.
Ask in writing
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Start every repair fight the same way. Write the landlord a dated letter or email that describes each problem. Keep a copy and take photos.
If it is still not fixed
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For smaller problems, you can use repair and deduct (fixing the problem yourself and taking the cost off your rent). The repair cost must stay within $500 or half your monthly rent, whichever is greater. If rent is $1,200, half is $600, so your limit is $600.
Here is how it works. Give written notice, then wait 14 days, or less in an emergency. If nothing is fixed, hire a repair worker. Send the landlord the paid bill, then take that amount off your rent.
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You can also pay less rent while a serious problem continues. Send written notice stating the amount that reflects the unit's reduced value and keep proof of the notice. If 14 days pass without a fix, hold back that stated amount each month until repairs happen. If you hold back rent before the 14 days pass, your landlord can file an eviction case. Holding back more than half the rent adds risk.
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Losing heat, running water, hot water, electricity, gas, or plumbing gets special treatment. After written notice, you can buy the service yourself and take the cost off your rent using paid receipts. You can instead ask for money the landlord must pay you, or stay somewhere else and skip rent while the outage lasts. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.
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Essential service outages also move fast. If the landlord does not act within 24 hours of your notice, you can hold back rent matching the unit's reduced value. If the outage passes 72 hours, you can end the lease with a written notice. To lower the risk of a court case, hold back no more than half the rent and follow every notice step.
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Illinois state law gives every renter in the state a repair and deduct (fixing it yourself and taking the cost off your rent) tool. Its limit is $500 or half the monthly rent, whichever is less. Send that notice by registered or certified mail, and give the landlord 14 days. One warning: these tools do not apply if you or your guests caused the damage. Deliberate or careless damage by your household is on you.
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The landlord cannot punish you for asking for repairs or reporting code violations. Ending your lease, raising rent, or cutting services because you complained is illegal retaliation under both Chicago and Illinois law.
Moving out
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For major problems you can end the lease. Send a written notice giving the landlord at least 14 days to fix the problem. If it is not fixed by your deadline, the lease ends. You then move out within 30 days and get your deposit, interest, and prepaid rent back. Courts set a high bar for this. Your landlord may refuse to accept it and sue you. If you stay past 30 days, the lease continues and you owe rent.
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