Illinois (IL) lease form
Illinois does not impose a single consolidated landlord-tenant code on every property statewide, which means the rules governing a residential lease are scattered across multiple statutes - from the Landlord and Tenant Act (765 ILCS 705) to the Radon Awareness Act, the Tenant Utility Payment Disclosure Act, and the brand-new Summary of Rights for Safer Homes Act (765 ILCS 752), effective January 1, 2026. A lease written for a Chicago property faces the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance on top of every state requirement, and Cook County adds its own layer as well. Drafting a compliant Illinois lease means accounting for each applicable statute by jurisdiction, not just copying a generic template.
Revun generates a Illinois-ready lease with the required disclosures and clauses built in, then handles e-signature, rent, and renewals on the same platform.
For all rental units built before 1978, federal law (42 U.S.C. 4852d) requires landlords to disclose any known lead-based paint hazards, provide the EPA pamphlet 'Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home,' and include a lead-paint disclosure addendum signed by both parties.
Effective January 1, 2024, for units below the third story, landlords must provide: the Illinois Emergency Management Agency pamphlet 'Radon Guide for Tenants,' a signed 'Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards to Tenants' form, and copies of any existing radon test records indicating a hazard. Tenants have 90 days from lease commencement to conduct their own radon test.
Landlords must disclose in writing before lease signing - and include the disclosure in the signed written lease - whether the property is located in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (100-year floodplain) and any known history of flooding on the property. For lower-level units (basement, garden-level, or first floor), landlords must disclose any flooding that occurred in the past 10 years and its frequency. Failure to disclose entitles the tenant to terminate the lease.
Every new or renewed residential lease must attach, as its first page, the summary document prepared by the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) informing tenants of their housing rights as survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking. Each tenant must sign an acknowledgment at the bottom of each page. Non-compliance carries liability of $100 or actual damages up to $2,000, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees.
When a landlord bills tenants separately for utilities that are master-metered in the landlord's name, the written lease or a separate written agreement must state the exact formula used to allocate each tenant's share of the utility bill. The total collected from all tenants may not exceed the actual utility bill. Landlords must provide a copy of the utility bill for any billing period upon tenant request.
Landlords must furnish tenants with written information about testing and maintaining smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors at the start of the tenancy. Detectors must be operable on the date the lease begins. Providing this information in or alongside the lease is the standard compliance practice.
Landlords must disclose in writing the name and address of the property owner (or authorized manager) and the person authorized to accept service of legal process and receive notices. This information must be kept current; successor landlords inherit the same obligation.
General information, not legal advice. Governing statute: Illinois Landlord and Tenant Act, 765 ILCS 705. Confirm current requirements or consult an attorney before finalizing a lease.
Illinois lease FAQ
Illinois requires several disclosures depending on the property. All landlords must disclose flood zone status and flooding history in the signed lease (765 ILCS 705/25); provide radon information for units below the third story (420 ILCS 46/25); attach the IDHR Summary of Rights for Safer Homes Act as the first lease page for all leases executed on or after January 1, 2026 (765 ILCS 752); and explain the utility billing formula in writing when utilities are master-metered (765 ILCS 740). Properties built before 1978 also require the federal lead-based paint disclosure.
Illinois law requires a written lease for any tenancy lasting more than one year; oral leases are legally valid for month-to-month or shorter fixed terms. That said, a written lease is strongly recommended even for short-term rentals because the flood disclosure (765 ILCS 705/25) must be signed and included in the written lease, and the 2026 Safer Homes Act summary must be the first page of every written residential lease.
Illinois courts will not enforce clauses that waive the landlord's liability for their own negligence, eliminate the implied warranty of habitability, require tenants to waive jury trial rights, mandate that tenants pay the landlord's attorney fees in disputes, authorize self-help eviction, or require rent to be paid exclusively by electronic funds transfer. Any of these terms in a lease are void, even if the tenant signed the agreement.
There is no statewide statutory cap on late fees in Illinois residential leases; however, fees must be commercially reasonable and courts may void unconscionably large charges. Local ordinances do cap fees: Chicago limits late charges using a tiered formula tied to monthly rent, and Cook County similarly limits fees based on rent thresholds. Always check local rules before setting a late fee.
Effective January 1, 2026, the Summary of Rights for Safer Homes Act (765 ILCS 752) requires every new or renewed residential lease to include, as its very first page, the Illinois Department of Human Rights written summary of tenant protections for survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence. Every tenant listed on the lease must sign an acknowledgment on each page of the summary. Landlords who fail to attach the document face statutory damages of at least $100 (or up to $2,000 in actual damages, whichever is greater) plus attorney fees.
