How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Illinois?

Illinois statute sets no cap on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the lease says. What 765 ILCS 710/1 does fix is how and when the deposit comes back.

How much notice does a Illinois landlord give before entering?

Illinois statute sets no notice period before the landlord enters, so this lease uses at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time, and no notice in an emergency.

What does a Illinois landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Illinois checklist has seven items: working smoke detectors in the Premises, working carbon monoxide detectors in the Premises and whether any utility is shared and how the bill is split. The other four are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which Illinois statutes does this lease cite?

765 ILCS 710/1, 765 ILCS 715/1, 735 ILCS 5/9-207 and 765 ILCS 705/25, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this Illinois lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Illinois statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Illinois landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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Illinois Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in Illinois. The deposit, notice and disclosure clauses follow Illinois statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Different state?

Page one of the Illinois Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

Illinois rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No cap in the statute
Deposit return: Within 30 days after the Tenant moves out the Landlord sends an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear, and returns the balance within 45 days.
Where the deposit is kept: A Landlord of 25 or more units pays interest on a deposit held more than six months, at the rate Illinois law sets each year.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice.
Landlord entry: No notice period in the statute; the lease uses 24 hours
Disclosures: 8 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Local rules: Chicago and Cook County have their own landlord-tenant ordinances, a 1.5-month deposit cap in Cook County, and a required ordinance summary and bed bug brochure. Check them before signing.
Statutes: 765 ILCS 710/1, 765 ILCS 715/1, 735 ILCS 5/9-207, 765 ILCS 705/25. Read the Illinois statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in Illinois

Pick Illinois and three parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the Illinois statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Illinois sets no ceiling on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the two parties write in. The statute cares more about custody, which the deposit clause below covers, and about the return: the rule says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept and leaves ordinary wear out of the deductions.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy works the same from both sides in Illinois. Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice.

On entry the Illinois statute is silent, so the lease fills the gap with at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time and no notice in an emergency, and the footer says the statute set no period.

The disclosures checklist carries seven Illinois items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them working smoke detectors in the Premises, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

City rules are the other thing to watch. Chicago and Cook County have their own landlord-tenant ordinances, a 1.5-month deposit cap in Cook County, and a required ordinance summary and bed bug brochure. Check them before signing. The state clauses follow four sections of Illinois law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the Illinois clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for Illinois, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 30 days after the Tenant moves out the Landlord sends an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear, and returns the balance within 45 days. A Landlord of 25 or more units pays interest on a deposit held more than six months, at the rate Illinois law sets each year.

Entry

The Landlord may enter at reasonable times to inspect, repair or show the Premises after at least 24 hours' notice, and without notice in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice Illinois law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
Working smoke detectors in the Premises (425 ILCS 60/3)
Working carbon monoxide detectors in the Premises (430 ILCS 135/10)
Whether any utility is shared and how the bill is split (765 ILCS 740/5)
Radon hazard notice, for a unit below the third story (420 ILCS 46/26)
Flood zone status and any flooding in the past ten years (765 ILCS 705/25)
Any rent concession, labeled as a concession in the lease (765 ILCS 730/3)
Every non-optional fee stated on the first page of the lease (765 ILCS 760/10)

Chicago and Cook County have their own landlord-tenant ordinances, a 1.5-month deposit cap in Cook County, and a required ordinance summary and bed bug brochure. Check them before signing.

Footer of the PDF: Illinois clauses follow 765 ILCS 710/1, 765 ILCS 715/1, 735 ILCS 5/9-207, 765 ILCS 705/25 as read on 2026-10-23.

Illinois lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Illinois?: Illinois statute sets no cap on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the lease says. What 765 ILCS 710/1 does fix is how and when the deposit comes back.
When does the security deposit come back in Illinois?: Within 30 days after the Tenant moves out the Landlord sends an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear, and returns the balance within 45 days.
Where does a Illinois landlord keep the deposit?: A Landlord of 25 or more units pays interest on a deposit held more than six months, at the rate Illinois law sets each year.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Illinois?: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice.
How much notice does a Illinois landlord give before entering?: Illinois statute sets no notice period before the landlord enters, so this lease uses at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time, and no notice in an emergency.
What does a Illinois landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Illinois checklist has seven items: working smoke detectors in the Premises, working carbon monoxide detectors in the Premises and whether any utility is shared and how the bill is split. The other four are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Do any Illinois cities or counties add rules of their own?: Chicago and Cook County have their own landlord-tenant ordinances, a 1.5-month deposit cap in Cook County, and a required ordinance summary and bed bug brochure. Check them before signing.
Which Illinois statutes does this lease cite?: 765 ILCS 710/1, 765 ILCS 715/1, 735 ILCS 5/9-207 and 765 ILCS 705/25, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this Illinois lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Illinois statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Illinois landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A Illinois lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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