Chicago landlord guide · Updated September 2026

What Chicago landlords must give tenants at move-in

By Al Kolovic, Chicago landlord and Illinois real estate broker

A new Chicago lease comes with a stack of required paperwork from the City, the State of Illinois and, for older buildings, the federal government. Here's what goes in the stack, who each rule covers, and what happens if something is missing.

Latest: Chicago landlord law updates.

First: does the RLTO cover your rental?

Most of Chicago's rules come from the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO). It covers most Chicago rentals, but not units in owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units. If you live in your two-flat and rent the other unit, the RLTO rows below mostly don't apply to you. Only the Fair Notice periods and the lockout ban do.

Chicago's heating cost rule, Illinois law and federal law apply either way. That's why this guide is split by who each rule covers.

Chicago rules for RLTO units

• RLTO summary. Attach the City's current summary of the ordinance to every written lease and every renewal when you offer it. If it's missing, the tenant can end the lease with written notice and recover $100 in damages. Many landlords also attach the City's yearly security deposit interest rate notice (0.01% for 2026).
• Owner and manager contacts. At or before move-in, give in writing the name, address and phone of the owner or manager, and of the person authorized to accept legal papers and notices. If you don't, and still don't after the tenant asks in writing, the tenant can recover one month's rent or actual damages, whichever is more.
• Code violations and utility shutoffs. Before a new lease or renewal, disclose City code violations cited in the past 12 months for the unit and common areas, any pending code-enforcement case, and any notice that the City or a utility intends to shut off service. The utility shutoff duty continues for the whole tenancy.
• Foreclosure. If the owner is named in a foreclosure case, the tenant must be told in writing, in wording the ordinance sets out, before signing. The penalty is the tenant's right to end the lease plus $200.
• Bed bug brochure. Give the City's bed bug brochure before a new lease or renewal.
• Security deposit. Give a signed receipt with the amount, date, unit and the name of whoever received it. Put the name and address of the bank holding the deposit in the lease (with no written lease, tell the tenant in writing within 14 days). Deposit rule violations can cost two times the deposit plus interest. See our Chicago security deposit guide.

Chicago rules for all rentals

• Heating cost disclosure. If heat is individually metered and the tenant pays the utility, disclose in writing that heat is the tenant's responsibility and what heating cost at the unit over the previous 12 months. Do it before the lease is signed or any application money is taken, and get the tenant's signed receipt. This rule sits outside the RLTO, so it covers owner-occupied two-flats too. Fines run up to $500 per offense.
• Smoke and CO alarms. Chicago requires owners to give occupants written information about testing and maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Illinois rules

• Radon (since 2024). For units below the third story, give the state's "Radon Guide for Tenants", any records showing a radon hazard, and the radon disclosure form, before the lease is signed.
• Flood (since 2025). Disclose in writing whether the property is in a FEMA flood hazard area and any flooding you know of. Garden, basement and first-floor units also get flooding history from the last 10 years. It must be in the lease, signed by both of you.
• Smoke and CO alarms. Alarms must work when the tenant takes possession, and one tenant per unit gets written testing and maintenance information.
• Locks. In Cook County, change or rekey the unit's lock by the day the new tenant moves in. Owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units are exempt.
• Paying rent. You can't require autopay or electronic payment, and if your payment portal charges a fee, you must offer a free way to pay.
• Shared utility meters. If a meter the tenant pays for also serves common areas or other units, give a written statement and the last 12 months of bills before offering the lease.

Federal rule for older buildings

For housing built before 1978, before the lease is signed: give the EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home", disclose any lead paint or hazards you know of, and include the Lead Warning Statement in the lease, signed and dated. Keep a copy for three years. Some units are exempt, such as leases of 100 days or less and most studios (unless a child under 6 lives there).

What about move-in fees?

Neither Chicago's RLTO nor current Illinois law caps a non-refundable move-in fee. That's changing: a new Illinois law (Public Act 104-0479), which the General Assembly lists as taking effect January 1, 2027, will require every mandatory fee to appear on the first page of the lease and ban some fees outright, including fees for move-in and move-out walk-throughs. Owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units are exempt from it.

Is a move-in checklist required?

No Chicago or Illinois law requires one. It's still the most useful page in your file: when the tenant moves out, it's your evidence of what was already there.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, and some have exceptions not covered here; check the current rules or talk to a local attorney. Sources: Chicago Municipal Code 5-12-020, 5-12-080, 5-12-090, 5-12-095, 5-12-100, 5-12-101, 5-12-170 and ch. 5-16; City of Chicago Department of Housing and Department of Buildings; 40 CFR 745 subpart F; 420 ILCS 46; 425 ILCS 60; 430 ILCS 135; 765 ILCS 705 and 735. Checked September 28, 2026.