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Free Illinois lease template
A residential lease drafted by an Illinois-licensed attorney for Landlord's Desk, written for the Illinois fee-disclosure rules that start January 1, 2027: every non-optional fee goes on page 1 of the lease, and application fees are capped at $50. Pick the kit for where your rental is. Fillable PDF, Word, or print.
Which kit do you need?
Go by the town the property is actually in, not the city on its mailing address.
- Inside Chicago city limitsChicago kit, including units the RLTO exempts.
- Cook County, outside ChicagoSuburban Cook County kit. Exceptions: Evanston, Mount Prospect and Oak Park have their own ordinances, and RTLO-exempt units (owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units, and qualifying single-family homes or condos) use the Illinois kit with the local ordinance attached.
- Everywhere else in IllinoisIllinois kit. Check whether the town has its own landlord-tenant ordinance (Urbana and DeKalb do) and attach it.
Chicago lease kit
Rentals inside Chicago city limits, including units the RLTO exempts (check the exemption box in Rider A).
What's inside
- Page 1 fee disclosure: parties, rent, deposit and every fee the tenant must pay, on one page.
- Lease sections 1 to 26: rent, deposit, fees, repairs, entry, pets, ending early, notices and signatures.
- Rider A: City of Chicago (RLTO): RLTO deposit rules, the late-fee limit, Fair Notice periods and the required disclosures.
- Attachments: deposit receipt, lead paint, radon, flood, shared utilities and the move-in/move-out condition report, plus the Chicago disclosure statement.
- Fillable PDF: drop-downs, a total monthly cost that adds itself up, a warning if the late fee is above the limit, and names and address you type once.
Suburban Cook County lease kit
Rentals in Cook County outside Chicago that the Cook County RTLO covers.
What's inside
- Page 1 fee disclosure: parties, rent, deposit and every fee the tenant must pay, on one page.
- Lease sections 1 to 26: rent, deposit, fees, repairs, entry, pets, ending early, notices and signatures.
- Rider B: Cook County (RTLO): The RTLO deposit cap and rules, the late-fee limit, 48-hour entry notice, 60-day notices and the required disclosures.
- Attachments: deposit receipt, lead paint, radon, flood, shared utilities and the move-in/move-out condition report, plus the Cook County disclosure statement.
- Fillable PDF: drop-downs, a total monthly cost that adds itself up, a warning if the late fee is above the limit, and names and address you type once.
Rest of Illinois lease kit
Rentals everywhere else in Illinois, plus Evanston, Mount Prospect, Oak Park and RTLO-exempt suburban Cook units.
What's inside
- Page 1 fee disclosure: parties, rent, deposit and every fee the tenant must pay, on one page.
- Lease sections 1 to 26: rent, deposit, fees, repairs, entry, pets, ending early, notices and signatures.
- Rider C: Illinois: State deposit deadlines, the late-fee rule, 30-day notices and a check for a local ordinance.
- Attachments: deposit receipt, lead paint, radon, flood, shared utilities and the move-in/move-out condition report.
- Fillable PDF: drop-downs, a total monthly cost that adds itself up, and names and address you type once.
Before you hand it to a tenant
- Put the Summary of Rights for Safer Homes in front. The official form from the Illinois Department of Human Rights goes before page 1 (dhr.illinois.gov). Don't retype or edit it.
- List every fee on page 1. A fee that isn't on page 1 isn't owed. The late fee, returned payment fee and early termination charge go in the second table, for charges that depend on something happening.
- Attach what applies to your unit. Check the boxes in section 25 for each attachment you include. The "How to use" guide lists the official documents that go with each kit.
- Give the tenant a complete signed copy. Same day is best.
The fillable PDF works best in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), Chrome or Edge. Mac Preview fills it in but won't do the math. The Word file opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs and Pages, and the printable PDF has blank lines to fill in by hand.
Not sure which fees to keep? Try the Illinois 2027 lease fee checkup. New tenant moving in? Use the move-in checklist kit.
Keep every lease in one place
Landlord's Desk keeps each tenant's lease, deposit, rent ledger and documents together, with e-signatures for leases and renewals. You approve every change before it goes out. Landlord's Desk is open. Create your account by December 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM Central and you’re a founding member: 60 days free from the day you choose a plan, then 30% off your first 12 monthly payments or your first yearly payment. Claim the offer by choosing a plan by March 1, 2027 at 11:59 PM Central. Plans start at $19/month. No credit card needed to start.
Not ready yet? Join the waitlist by December 1 to keep the founding offer.
Drafted by an Illinois-licensed attorney for Landlord's Desk. Not legal advice. These kits are general forms and don't cover every situation, and laws change. For your situation, talk to a local landlord attorney. Sources: Illinois Landlord and Tenant Act (765 ILCS 705/35, effective January 1, 2027); Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance; Cook County Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance.