Illinois · Rent Increases

Rent Increases in Illinois: What Are My Rights?

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 Illinois.

This page explains what Illinois law says when your landlord wants to raise your rent. It covers how much notice you must get and what happens during a written lease. It also covers what you can do if the raise is punishment for a complaint. Some cities add stricter rules.

How much notice you get

  1. If you have a written lease for a set term, such as 1 year, your rent stays the same until that term ends. Your landlord cannot raise it in the middle of the lease unless the lease itself allows a raise during the term.

    Sources:
    1. Rent Increases, Illinois Attorney General. A government guide.
    2. When can landlords increase rent?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.

  2. If you rent month to month, your landlord raises the rent by ending the old rental and offering a new one at the new price. State law requires 30 days' written notice, or one full rent period, to end a month-to-month rental. The clock starts when you receive the written notice. A spoken warning or a text is not enough.

    Sources:
    1. Rent Increases, Illinois Attorney General. A government guide.
    2. 735 ILCS 5/9-207(b), Illinois General Assembly. Law.

  3. A year-to-year rental renews for another full year each time. To end it, your landlord must give 60 days' written notice before the end of the lease year. The landlord must give that notice within the 4 months before the last 60 days. A notice given later than that does not end the rental on time.

    Source:
    1. 735 ILCS 5/9-205, Illinois General Assembly. Law.

  4. Outside Cook County, no statewide law makes a private landlord warn you before a fixed-date lease ends. No statewide law gives you set time to decide on a renewal offer. If your written lease ends on a fixed date and does not renew on its own, check the lease for any notice rule. If the lease is silent, the landlord can offer the new rent at any time before the end date.

    Source:
    1. Do Illinois housing providers have to serve tenants with written notice that a lease is ending and will not be renewed?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.

  5. Some places in Illinois require more notice for rent increases than the state minimum. Chicago, for example, requires 30, 60, or 120 days' notice depending on how long you have lived in the home. Suburban Cook County, Evanston, Oak Park, and Mt. Prospect also have their own rules. Check your city's guide if you live in one of these places.

    Sources:
    1. When can landlords increase rent in Chicago?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.
    2. How much notice must a housing provider give to end a month-to-month or week-to-week tenancy?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.

Check the new rent

  1. No Illinois law limits how much your landlord can raise your rent. There is no statewide cap and no statewide percentage limit. Your landlord can ask for any new amount, as long as the notice rules outlined in the lease are followed. Read your lease for any clause about rent changes.

    Source:
    1. Rent Increases, Illinois Attorney General. A government guide.

  2. Cities and counties in Illinois cannot pass rent control either. A state law from 1997, the Rent Control Preemption Act, bans any local law that controls the amount of rent. This is why no Illinois city has a rent cap.

    Source:
    1. 50 ILCS 825/10, Illinois General Assembly. Law.

  3. When you get a rent increase notice, you have 3 choices. First, you can accept it and pay the new amount when it starts. Second, you can offer a lower number and ask your landlord to put any deal in writing. Third, you can move out by the date in the notice. Keep a copy or photo of every notice and every reply.

    Source:
    1. How much notice does a tenant usually need to provide to end a month-to-month or week-to-week tenancy?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.

  4. If you have a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8), different rules apply. The landlord can raise the total rent only when the lease term ends and must tell you in writing. The landlord must also give the housing authority notice. The housing authority must approve the new rent as reasonable for the area. Your own share is based on your income, so report income changes to the housing authority right away.

    Sources:
    1. When can landlords increase rent for a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) holder?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.
    2. Rent (What's covered by the voucher), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A government guide.

  5. Starting January 1, 2027, a new state law bans a fee to renew or change a lease. From that date, your landlord cannot charge that fee on top of the new rent. This ban does not cover a home in a building of 6 units or fewer where the owner lives. It applies only to leases signed after the law takes effect.

    Source:
    1. 765 ILCS 705/35(e), Illinois General Assembly. Law.

If the increase is not allowed

  1. If you stay past the notice date and do not pay the new rent, your landlord cannot lock you out or change the locks. The landlord must file an eviction case in court, and only the sheriff can remove you after a judge orders it. Until then, keep paying the old rent on time so the landlord cannot also claim unpaid rent.

    Sources:
    1. The Eviction Process, Illinois Attorney General. A government guide.
    2. Do tenants still have to pay rent after receiving a notice the lease is ending and will not be renewed?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.
    3. Does receiving an eviction notice mean a person has been evicted?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.

  2. Since January 1, 2025, Illinois law bans a rent increase used as punishment. Your landlord may not raise your rent because you complained to a housing inspector or official. The same ban covers asking for repairs, joining a tenant group, testifying about the home's condition, or using any legal right. This is the Landlord Retaliation Act.

    Sources:
    1. Can Illinois landlords raise rent to retaliate against a tenant?, Illinois Legal Aid Online. A nonprofit group.
    2. 765 ILCS 721/5, Illinois General Assembly. Law.

  3. If the rent increase comes within 1 year after your complaint or repair request, the court starts by treating it as retaliation. The landlord can defeat this by proving a real business reason. The landlord can also show the increase was already in motion before you complained. Save the dates of your complaint and of the notice.

    Source:
    1. 765 ILCS 721/15, Illinois General Assembly. Law.

  4. If a court finds retaliation, you can use it as a defense in any eviction case and sue the landlord. The court can let you end the lease and get your deposit and prepaid rent back. It can also order the landlord to pay you up to 2 months' rent or 2 times your actual losses, whichever is more. The landlord must also pay your lawyer's fees. For $1,000 rent, 2 months is $2,000. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.

    Sources:
    1. Our editorial rules.
    2. 765 ILCS 721/10(3), Illinois General Assembly. Law.

Published by Nazanin, September 15, 2026. Sources checked October 26, 2026. Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us.