The 60-Second Answer

If you’re a Chicagoland landlord with a lease signed before July 1, 2026, you have four documents to update before the next renewal cycle:

1. Fee schedule. HB 3564 bans undisclosed rental fees as of July 1, 2026. Every fee charged to the tenant must be itemized in the lease by name and amount. Surprise “administrative fees” or “convenience charges” mid-tenancy are prohibited.
2. Safer Homes Act disclosure. Required attachment since January 1, 2026. Informs tenants of their rights to change locks and terminate early in domestic violence situations.
3. Tenant screening criteria. Illinois Human Rights Act amendments now cover AI-based tenant screening and require written criteria applied uniformly.
4. Chicago-specific disclosures. RLTO summary, bed-bug disclosure, radon disclosure, heat ordinance, and for Chicago units, the Fair Notice Ordinance.

If any of these are missing, you’re exposed to statutory damages, denied Section 8 renewals, and in Chicago, tenant attorney fee-shifting under the RLTO.

HB 3564: The Illinois Junk Fee Ban Explained

HB 3564 amends the Illinois Rental Property Owner Act and takes effect July 1, 2026. The law prohibits landlords from charging, or requiring a tenant to pay, any “rental fee” that is not clearly and conspicuously disclosed in the written lease at the time of signing. The statute defines rental fee broadly to include:

• Application fees
• Move-in and move-out fees
• Credit check fees
• Background check fees
• Convenience fees for online rent payment
• Administrative or management fees passed to the tenant
• Pet fees (distinguish from pet rent, which is recurring)
• Amenity fees (parking, storage, gym access if charged separately)
• Technology or portal fees
• Any recurring or one-time charge that is not rent

Every fee must be itemized in the lease by name and amount. Bundled fees described as “one-time move-in package” or “monthly services fee” fail the statute. Tenants who were charged undisclosed fees can recover the fee plus statutory damages of up to twice the fee amount, plus court costs.

There is a narrow carve-out: late fees already capped under RLTO or the Illinois Rental Payments Act don’t need to be reiterated under HB 3564 if the cap is referenced and the calculation method is in the lease. That doesn’t help a landlord who hasn’t updated their lease to match RLTO’s $10/$10/5% late fee cap either.

The Safer Homes Act Disclosure (Required Since January 2026)

The Illinois Safer Homes Act took effect January 1, 2026, and requires every residential lease signed on or after that date to include a written disclosure informing the tenant of their rights under the Illinois Safe Homes Act (765 ILCS 750/). Those rights include:

• The right to request a change of locks after the tenant becomes a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.
• The right to terminate the lease early without penalty in qualifying circumstances, with proper notice and documentation.
• Protection against eviction solely based on being a victim of domestic violence.

The disclosure must be a separate page attached to the lease. Using the statutory language word-for-word is the safest posture. A non-compliant lease doesn’t void the lease but can create a separate statutory violation if litigated.

Illinois Human Rights Act and AI Tenant Screening

Illinois amended the Human Rights Act to address AI-based decision-making in 2025, with enforcement ramping through 2026. For landlords who use tenant screening services, this matters in three ways:

• Written, uniform screening criteria. You must have written criteria (minimum credit score, income multiple, rental history, criminal background scope). Apply them uniformly to every applicant. Adverse action requires a written explanation.
• AI disclosure. If your screening vendor uses an AI-based risk score, the applicant must be told that AI was used and given the right to request a human review.
• Source of income and arrest record limits. Illinois landlords can no longer deny based on source of income (including Section 8 vouchers) and cannot consider arrest records that did not result in conviction. Many off-the-shelf tenant screening reports still include these data points and will generate a Human Rights violation if used mechanically.

I see landlords trip on the third point most often. A tenant-screening vendor shows a 2016 arrest with no disposition, the landlord denies, the applicant files a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, and the landlord pays statutory damages plus the applicant’s attorney fees.

Chicago-Specific Lease Requirements for 2026

If the rental is in the City of Chicago and isn’t exempt from the RLTO (most aren’t), the lease needs the following attachments and clauses:

• The current-year RLTO summary (prepared by the City of Chicago, updated annually).
• The current-year security-deposit interest rate notice.
• The Chicago bed-bug disclosure.
• A radon disclosure if the property is at or below grade.
• A clause reflecting Chicago’s heat ordinance (68°F minimum during daytime, 66°F minimum at night, September 15 through June 1).
• Fair Notice Ordinance compliance language (30/60/90-day notice requirements for non-renewal or rent increase over the threshold).
• The late fee must be at or below $10 per month on the first $500 of rent, plus 5 percent per month on any amount above $500.
• Security deposit rules, including the separate-account requirement and annual interest obligation.

The RLTO summary attachment alone is worth $100 per lease to a tenant’s attorney. Multiply that by every lease in the building if a representative claim is filed.

Three Service Tiers for Illinois Landlords

The Cost of Running an Outdated Lease

Why Hire Me for This

• Licensed Illinois attorney since 2014, ARDC #6308444. Verify on ARDC.
• In Cook County housing court four or more days a week. I know the judges, I know which RLTO defenses work, and I know what a clean lease looks like under the 2026 rules.
• Flat-fee pricing on every landlord service.
• Template deliverables you can actually use (Word + PDF, with instructions for where to put the disclosures).
• I represent landlords from single-property owners up through 200-unit portfolios.

Frequently Asked Questions