We have good news for Chicago renters: Starting Jan. 1, 2027, Illinois landlords can’t charge more than $50 for a rental application, including a background check. They also can’t charge a fee to renew your lease.
House Bill 3564, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed, amends the Illinois Landlord and Tenant Act (765 ILCS 705/35) and is enacted as Public Act 104-479.
The rules apply to residential leases entered into on or after the effective date, including new and renewed leases. They do not cover units in an owner-occupied building with six or fewer units.
The $50 cap and the first-page rule
Every non-optional fee, one-time or recurring, must appear on the first page of the lease. If it doesn’t, you don’t have to pay it.
A landlord can charge more than $50 for screening only if the actual third-party background-check cost is higher. The landlord must pay the provider first, then bill you with the provider’s receipts within 14 days. If the landlord misses that window, you don’t owe the fee. A landlord also can’t use an unpaid background-check fee as grounds for eviction during the first year of a lease.
In Cook County, the charge must also stay within the reasonable cost of the check, according to the Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance. If the actual cost is less than $50, the permissible fee can be less than $50. A landlord also can’t add a separate application-related fee that duplicates screening costs or covers anything unrelated to screening.
Renaming a fee won’t get around the law. A judge will look at what the charge actually covers, not what the lease calls it, so a “processing” or “administrative” fee gets the same scrutiny.
Fees that are banned
- Lease modifications or renewals
- After-hours maintenance requests
- Pest control, when you didn’t cause the infestation
- Contacting the landlord or property manager about maintenance, a service request or a lease question
- Calling a maintenance hotline
- Travel needed to complete maintenance or safety repairs
- Routine maintenance and general upkeep
- An in-person unit walkthrough at move-in or move-out
- Filing an eviction notice or case before a court grants an eviction order (the landlord can still recover court costs and filing fees)
What the law doesn’t change
The law doesn’t set statewide limits on late fees or give renters a five-day grace period to pay rent.
Existing Chicago and Cook County rules still apply to properties covered by those ordinances. Local governments can set their own tenant-fee rules, but those rules must offer at least as much protection as the state law. They can’t allow fees the state bans.
The new rules don’t automatically apply to leases signed before January 1, 2027. Renewals or replacement leases signed after that date must comply if the property is covered by the law.
If you’re charged a banned fee
Tenants can file a civil lawsuit in any court of competent jurisdiction. A court can order the landlord to stop the violation, pay you money, and cover your court costs and attorney’s fees.
For a plain-language breakdown, see the Illinois Legal Aid guide to the rental junk fee ban. The statute itself is on the Illinois General Assembly website.
