Landlord notice deadlines — Illinois
In Illinois, the checked deadlines on this page cover: pay or quit, ending a tenancy, raising the rent. Each figure carries its statute and the stamp Rules checked October 2026. Run your exact dates through the checker — the period is only half the answer; the counting rule is the other half.
| Pay or quit | 5 calendar days — the tenant may pay and cure (735 ILCS 5/9-209). 5-day written notice demanding the exact rent due. The notice must include the statutory sentence telling the tenant that only full payment waives the landlord's right to terminate, unless the landlord agrees in writing to continue the lease for partial payment. Full payment within the 5 days stops the termination. Chicago (RLTO) and suburban Cook County (RTLO) give most tenants a one-time right to pay and stay even after the notice by paying all rent owed plus filing costs. |
|---|---|
| End a tenancy | 30 days — month-to-month (735 ILCS 5/9-207). 30 days' written notice statewide. Chicago RLTO covered units use longer tenure tiers — see the just-cause routing for this state. 7 days — week-to-week (735 ILCS 5/9-207). 7 days' written notice. 60 days — year-to-year (735 ILCS 5/9-205). 60 days' written notice. |
| Raise the rent | 30 days (735 ILCS 5/9-207). The Rent Control Preemption Act bars local caps statewide. 30 days' notice for a change in a month-to-month tenancy — but Chicago's RLTO sets longer, tenure-based tiers; see the Chicago file. |
| How days are counted | The day of service is excluded; intermediate Saturdays and Sundays count as calendar days; if the last day falls on a weekend or legal holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day (5 ILCS 70/1.11). |
| Allowed service methods | personal delivery to the tenant leaving with a household member aged 13 or older certified mail with return receipt (735 ILCS 5/9-211) posting on the door is valid only if the unit is vacant |
| Just cause | Cause is required. Chicago RLTO (Mun. Code ch. 5-12) covered units — most Chicago rentals except owner-occupied buildings of 6 or fewer units and other listed exemptions; suburban Cook County RTLO has parallel rules. For a Chicago covered unit, do not use the bare statewide numbers alone: non-renewal notice runs 30 days under 6 months in the home, 60 days at 6 months to 3 years, and 90 days beyond 3 years, and most tenants hold a one-time right to cure a nonpayment case by paying all rent owed plus the landlord's filing costs. |
| Sources checked | https://law.justia.com/codes/illinois/chapter-735/act-735-ilcs-5/article-ix/ https://www.docdraft.ai/legal-document/eviction-notice/illinois |
Local rules sit on top of state law in many places — city just-cause lists, rent boards, and prescribed local forms. A state deadline is the floor of the analysis, never a promise that no local rule adds to it.
The paper that goes with the date
The checker gives you the date. The kit gives you the notices: pay or quit, non-renewal / termination, and rent increase letters generated from these same checked deadlines, a letter builder that fills in your dates and names, the move-in and move-out inspection checklists, and the proof-of-service checklist.
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