Illinois Rent Increase Laws (2026): Notice, Chicago Rules and Your Rights
Illinois has no rent control, and state law bans cities from adopting it, so your landlord can raise the rent by any amount. What's limited is timing: no increases during a fixed-term lease, 30 days' notice on a month-to-month lease, and longer notice in Chicago.
Reviewed 10/22/26 by Dan. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Illinois rent increase rules at a glance
Rule | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
Cap on the amount | None. Local governments, including home-rule cities like Chicago, can't adopt rent control. | |
Month-to-month notice | 30 days in writing (7 days for week-to-week) | |
Fixed-term lease | No increase until the lease ends, unless the lease allows one | |
How often | No statewide limit | No state statute |
Chicago | Generally 30, 60 or 120 days' notice by tenancy length; a Jackson Park pilot can require longer notice for covered periodic leases | |
Suburban Cook County | 60 days' notice to renew or end a lease | |
Retaliation | Illegal to raise rent because you complained, asked for repairs or joined a tenant union | |
Lease renewal fees | Banned for most new leases under a 2026 law | |
Mobile home lots | 90 days' notice before the lease expires | |
Security deposit | No statewide cap (1.5 months' rent in suburban Cook County) |
Can a landlord raise rent in Illinois?
Yes, by any amount, as long as they follow the timing rules. The state's Rent Control Preemption Act says no unit of local government can enact, maintain or enforce an ordinance that controls the amount of rent on private housing (50 ILCS 825/5). It expressly covers home-rule cities too (50 ILCS 825/10), so Chicago and every other Illinois town are bound by it.
There's also no statewide limit on how often rent can go up. A few states allow only one increase a year. Illinois isn't one of them.
The exceptions are subsidized units. If you rent with a Housing Choice Voucher, for example, an increase has to come at the end of a lease term, and your housing authority must approve it (Illinois Legal Aid Online).
How much notice does an Illinois landlord have to give?
Illinois has no statute written specifically about rent increase notice. The notice comes from the rules for ending a periodic tenancy, which is how a landlord changes its terms.
- Month-to-month: at least 30 days' written notice. A landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice (735 ILCS 5/9-207), and the Illinois Attorney General says a landlord can raise the rent by any amount with that much notice.
- Week-to-week: at least 7 days' written notice.
- Fixed-term lease: your landlord can't raise the rent until the lease ends, unless the lease itself allows an increase. Check your lease for a renewal notice clause, which can require more notice.
Local rules can add to this. Chicago and suburban Cook County both require longer notice, covered below.
Can my landlord raise the rent in the middle of a lease?
No, not unless your lease allows it. According to the Illinois Attorney General, if you have a one-year lease, your landlord can't raise your rent before it expires. A lease can include a clause that schedules an increase, so read yours before you assume an increase is improper.
When the lease ends, your landlord can offer a renewal at a higher rent. You can accept it, negotiate or move.
What are Chicago's rent increase rules?
Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) includes the Fair Notice rules, passed in 2020. Your landlord must give you written notice before raising the rent, based on how long you've lived there:
How long you've lived there | Notice for a rent increase |
|---|---|
Less than six months | 30 days |
Six months through three years | 60 days |
More than three years | 120 days |
These are the ordinary tiers in Chicago Code § 5-12-130(j). A separate Jackson Park Expanded Fair Notice Pilot Program, § 5-12-135 provides 90, 120 or 180 days for covered periodic leases, depending on tenancy length. It covers the area bounded by 60th Street, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, South Chicago Avenue, 71st Street and South DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and applies to specified leases beginning on or after its effective date. Check the pilot's exact coverage before using the ordinary table.
The city says the ordinary Fair Notice rules apply whether you have a written year lease or an informal month-to-month arrangement. If your landlord gives you less notice, you can stay for the required notice period at your old rent (City of Chicago).
The rest of the RLTO covers most Chicago rentals. The main exception is units in owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units (City of Chicago).
Changes may be coming. As of October 2026, the City Council was weighing Mayor Brandon Johnson's Protecting Renters Ordinance and a rival proposal. The mayor's version would rewrite parts of the RLTO, including longer notice periods. A committee advanced it in September 2026, and the full Council deferred the vote (Chicago Councilmatic). Neither could cap rents while the state ban stands.
What about suburban Cook County and other towns?
Cook County's Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance covers almost all rentals in suburban Cook County. Under it, your landlord must give you 60 days' notice to renew or end your lease. The ordinance also caps security deposits at 1.5 times the monthly rent. It doesn't cover units in owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units, or a single-family home or condo when the owner rents out only that one property and the owner or a family member lived there within the past year (Cook County).
Some other towns have their own landlord-tenant ordinances. Check with your city or village.
When is a rent increase illegal in Illinois?
Even without a cap, an increase breaks the law if it:
- Lands mid-lease. Your fixed-term lease doesn't allow it.
- Skips the notice. You got less than the state minimum, or less than Chicago or Cook County requires.
- Is retaliation. Under the Landlord Retaliation Act, in effect since January 1, 2025, a landlord can't raise your rent because you, in good faith, complained about code violations to a government agency or official, asked for repairs the code or your lease requires, sought help from a community group, joined a tenant union, testified about conditions, or used any legal right (765 ILCS 721/5). If the increase comes within a year of your protected activity, the law presumes it's retaliation, and the landlord has to show a legitimate reason. You can recover up to two months' rent or twice your damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney's fees, and you can end the lease.
- Is discrimination. The Illinois Human Rights Act bans housing discrimination based on traits including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, familial status, source of income, immigration status, arrest record and military status. You can file a charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, but there's a deadline, generally one year, so act quickly (IDHR intake form).
If you rent a lot in a mobile home park, rent can go up only when your lease renews, and the park owner must notify you 90 days before the lease expires (765 ILCS 745/9).
What changed in 2025 and 2026?
- New retaliation law (2025). The Landlord Retaliation Act replaced the old Retaliatory Eviction Act and added the one-year presumption.
- Rental fee law (2026). Public Act 104-0479 bans fees for renewing or changing a lease. It requires all mandatory fees to appear on the first page of the lease, or you don't owe them. It also caps application and screening fees at $50, with limited exceptions. It covers leases signed after it takes effect, but not owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units. The law's text says it takes effect July 1, 2026, while the General Assembly's records list January 1, 2027.
- Rent caps didn't pass. A 2026 bill to cap increases at 3.5% a year (SB3530) stalled in the Senate. A bill to repeal the rent control ban (SB1260) never got a committee vote.
What to do if you get a rent increase
Check your lease end date and the notice you received against the rules above. Put any objection in writing and keep copies. If the increase came soon after a repair request or complaint, write down the dates and contact a legal-aid office.
Renewing or moving is also a good time to check your renters insurance. Your landlord's policy covers the building, not your belongings or your liability if a guest is hurt. If you split rent, Goodcover policies automatically cover roommates who are on the lease. See renters insurance in Illinois. If you're moving out, our guide to unfair security deposit deductions can help you get your deposit back.
Frequently asked questions
Is there rent control in Illinois?
No. State law bars every local government, including Chicago, from controlling rent on private housing. Bills to repeal that ban haven't passed.
How much notice does a landlord need to give to raise rent in Illinois?
At least 30 days' written notice on a month-to-month lease and 7 days on a week-to-week lease. Chicago's ordinary tiers are 30, 60 or 120 days depending on tenancy length; covered periodic leases in the Jackson Park pilot area can require 90, 120 or 180 days. In suburban Cook County, landlords must give 60 days' notice to renew or end a lease.
Can my landlord raise my rent during my lease in Illinois?
Not unless your lease allows it. Otherwise, the rent can change only when the lease ends.
How much can a landlord raise rent in Chicago?
There's no limit on the amount. Chicago controls the notice, not the size of the increase.
Is it illegal for a landlord to raise rent after I complain?
It can be. If the increase comes within a year of a good-faith complaint, repair request or other protected activity, the law presumes it's retaliation unless the landlord shows a legitimate reason.
Illinois lets landlords set the price but controls the timing and the reasons. Know which rules cover your home before you sign a renewal.
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This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and local rules may add protections. Check the current law or talk to a local legal-aid office or attorney about your situation.