Chicago Landlord Rights (2026): The RLTO Summary, Heading by Heading

The letter came from a lawyer you have never heard of. It says your former tenant is owed twice the security deposit, plus interest, plus attorney fees. The number at the bottom has five figures. The deposit was $1,800. You returned it. Then the letter adds one more line: the lease had no RLTO summary attached.

The Chicago RLTO Summary is a five-page form the City publishes. Section 5-12-170 of the Municipal Code makes you attach it to every written lease and every renewal, with a second one-page rider that states the year's security deposit interest rate. Most landlords have never read the form they hand out. This page walks through it heading by heading, the same way my Multi-Board 8.0 guide walks through the purchase contract. Every heading on the form points at a section of the ordinance. I quote both, and I tell you what each one costs when it goes wrong.

In landlord-tenant matters I represent property owners only. I do not represent tenants. Tenants who need help can call Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt at (855) 956-5763.

The Attachment Duty: 5-12-170

The form opens with its own instructions: "At initial offering, this Summary of the ordinance must be attached to every written rental agreement and upon initial offering for renewal. The Summary must also be given to a tenant at initial offering of an oral agreement, whether the agreement is new or a renewal."

The ordinance behind it, 5-12-170, requires two documents. The first is the Summary itself. The second is the separate summary the Commissioner prepares each year after the Comptroller announces the deposit interest rate. That is the one-page rider. The penalty, in the ordinance's words: "If the landlord acts in violation of this section, the tenant may terminate the rental agreement by written notice. The written notice shall specify the date of termination no later than 30 days from the date of the written notice. If a tenant in a civil legal proceeding against his landlord establishes that a violation of this section has occurred, he shall be entitled to recover $100.00 in damages."

The trap is the renewal. Most landlords attach the Summary once, on the first lease. The ordinance says "whether such agreement is for a new rental or a renewal thereof." A missing attachment is the easiest RLTO violation for a tenant's lawyer to prove, and the $100 arrives with a fee petition under 5-12-180. My Chicago lease guide covers the full attachment stack and the one-page acknowledgment I use so every attachment is signed for.

Fair Notice: 30, 60, or 120 Days

The form's first substantive heading carries a warning in capitals: these provisions "apply to all residential units, regardless of whether they are covered by the RLTO." It then tells the tenant that a landlord must give "30 days of notice to terminate a month-to-month tenancy, decline to renew your lease or raise your rent" after less than six months, "60 days of notice" from six months to three years, and "120 days of notice" after three years.

The ordinance section is 5-12-130(j). It applies to a landlord who has not already terminated for nonpayment, a lease violation, or a disturbance, and whose unit is not abandoned. If you give short notice, the tenant "may remain in the dwelling unit for up to 60 days after the date on which written notice is given" on the old terms, or 120 days for a tenancy past three years. The form is right that this reaches every unit: 5-12-020(a) says 5-12-130(j) applies "to every rented dwelling unit" even in exempt owner-occupied buildings.

The trap: the tiers count from the start of the tenancy, not the current lease. A tenant on a third one-year lease is past three years and gets 120 days. Inside the Jackson Park pilot area on the South Side, 5-12-135 replaces these tiers with 90, 120, and 180 days through January 2029.

Lockouts Are Illegal

The form lists the acts: "changing, removing, or plugging locks; removing doors or windows of a rental unit; removing tenant's personal property from a rental unit; cutting off heat, utility or water services." It tells the tenant that the Police Department enforces the ban under Police Special Order 93-12, and that "The landlord shall be fined $200-$500 for each day the lockout occurs or continues."

The ordinance section is 5-12-160. Beyond the City fine, the tenant "shall recover an amount equal to not more than two months' rent or twice the actual damages sustained by him, whichever is greater," plus possession of the unit or the property. The only exceptions are a Sheriff's eviction, lawful distress for rent, temporary interference for repairs, and a unit abandoned under 5-12-130(e). This section applies to exempt buildings too.

What Rental Units Are Not Covered

The form lists the exemptions in plain words: "Units in owner occupied buildings with six or fewer units," hotels and rooming houses "unless rent is paid monthly and the unit is occupied for more than 32 continuous days," dorms, hospitals, shelters, employee quarters, and owner-occupied co-ops and condominiums.

The ordinance text in 5-12-020 is narrower than the form in one respect and broader in another. The exemption for owner-occupied buildings of six units or fewer keeps 5-12-130(j) and 5-12-160 in force. And every exemption fails if the lease was "created to avoid the application of this chapter." The form's line about "owner occupied co-ops and condominiums" tracks 5-12-020(f), which covers "a cooperative occupied by a holder of a proprietary lease." A rented-out condo unit is covered.

The One-Time Right to Pay and Stay

The form tells a tenant with a nonpayment notice: "You now have the one-time right to remain in your apartment and end the eviction case against you if you: pay all your back rent owed and pay any court filing fees your landlord has paid in your eviction case. You are free to make these payments until a judge issues a formal eviction order against you."

The ordinance section is 5-12-130(a), amended in 2020. The tenant may cure "at any time prior to the issuance of any order of possession or an eviction order" by paying the rent due since the notice "together with all filing fees and costs paid by the landlord and all fees and costs expended by the landlord for service of process, but not including attorney's fees." Then "the case shall be dismissed upon motion by either the landlord or the tenant." One more line matters to owners: "If a landlord does not provide a total amount due, the tenant shall be obligated to provide only the amount of rent due from the notice to the date of judgment." State a total in every notice.

The form itself says this right applies only to units the ordinance covers, and only once. The form also says a tenant who uses it and later gets a second nonpayment notice "will have only five days to pay unpaid rent."

What Tenants Are Required to Do

The form lists three duties for the tenant: batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, regular testing with written notice of problems, and "Keeping the unit safe and clean." It cites 5-12-040 and the building code. Then it covers access: "The tenant must permit access to the rental unit to the landlord upon receiving two days' notice" for repairs, services, and inspections, and without notice "In cases of emergency." It adds a note that tenants who change their own locks must give the landlord a key.

The ordinance gives you more than the form says. Section 5-12-040 also requires the tenant to use plumbing and appliances reasonably, not damage the premises, and not "disturb his neighbors' peaceful enjoyment of the premises." Each duty supports a 10-day notice under 5-12-130(b). Section 5-12-050 lists eight entry grounds, including showing the unit to buyers, lenders, and prospective tenants in the last 60 days of the lease. Entry between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. "shall be presumed reasonable." Under 5-12-060, a tenant who refuses lawful access can be enjoined or terminated on a 10-day notice.

The trap runs the other way. Section 5-12-050 says "The landlord shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant." Under 5-12-060, an unlawful or harassing entry costs "not more than one month's rent or twice the damage sustained by him, whichever is greater." Give the two days' notice in writing every time, and keep a copy. My guide to tenants who refuse entry covers the sequence.

What Landlords Are Required to Do

The form lists four duties, each with a section number.

• 5-12-090, owner and agent disclosure. Written notice of "the owner's or manager's name, address, and telephone number" and of a person who accepts service and notices. Skip it and whoever signed the lease "becomes an agent of the landlord." After a written notice from the tenant, a continuing violation costs "one month's rent or actual damages, whichever is greater."
• 5-12-095, foreclosure disclosure. Seven days after you are served with a foreclosure complaint, tell every tenant in writing. Tell a new tenant before signing. The ordinance sets the wording. A violation costs $200 and lets the tenant terminate on 30 days' notice.
• 5-12-100, code citations. Before a new lease or a renewal, disclose City code citations from the past 12 months, any pending Housing Court or administrative case, and any utility shutoff notice. The utility duty runs through the whole tenancy. The remedy is the 5-12-090 remedy.
• 5-12-070, maintenance. "The landlord shall maintain the premises in compliance with all applicable provisions of the municipal code." Every code violation is an RLTO violation, and the tenant remedies section tells the tenant what to do about it.

The form does not mention 5-12-101, which requires the City's bed bug brochure with every lease and renewal. Add it to the packet.

Security Deposits and Prepaid Rent

This heading on the form is the one that generates demand letters. The form gives the tenant eight rules from 5-12-080 and 5-12-081, and then the penalty: "if a landlord fails to comply with specified security deposit requirements the tenant shall be awarded damages in an amount equal to two times the security deposit plus interest."

Two rules the form leaves out. First, if the first month's rent and the deposit arrive in one check, 5-12-080(a)(2) gives you five business days to move the deposit into the compliant account. Second, when you sell the building, 5-12-080(e) makes the buyer liable for the deposit and keeps you liable until you transfer it and notify the tenant in writing within ten days.

The rider states the rate. For leases signed or renewed in 2026, the City Comptroller's rate is 0.01 percent, based on the average of three savings rates at Chase Bank, the commercial bank with the most Chicago branches. The rate has been 0.01 percent every year since 2015. The number is small. The penalty for not paying it is not: the ordinance treats a missed interest payment as a full violation, and the only safe harbor in 5-12-080(f)(2) covers a payment that was made on time but miscalculated.

The trap is that the ordinance does not care about intent or offsets. A tenant who owes you four months of rent can still recover twice the deposit. If you hold a deposit for a tenant you are about to evict, audit the file before you file. My security deposit guide has the compliance checklist and explains why many Chicago operators take a move-in fee instead of a deposit.

Subleases

The form: "If a tenant moves prior to the end of the rental agreement, the landlord must make a good faith effort to find a new tenant at a fair rent." The tenant stays liable for the shortfall and for advertising costs. And "The landlord must accept a reasonable subtenant offered by the tenant without charging additional fees." The ordinance section is 5-12-120. A sublease fee in your lease is unenforceable.

Attorney's Fees

The form states the rule in one line: "Except in eviction actions, the prevailing plaintiff in any action arising from the application of this Ordinance shall be entitled to recover all court costs and reasonable attorney's fees."

The ordinance section is 5-12-180. Two things follow from its wording. The award runs to the prevailing plaintiff, so a landlord who sues under the ordinance and wins can claim it. And it excepts "forcible entry and detainer actions," the old name for evictions. When a tenant fires RLTO counterclaims inside your eviction case, that carve-out is a real argument, and I raise it. It is not absolute: the same section says nothing in it precludes "the awarding of attorney's fees in forcible entry and detainer actions in accordance with applicable law or as expressly provided in this ordinance," so a lease fee clause or a specific ordinance remedy can still bring fees into the eviction. In a separate lawsuit the tenant files, the exposure is one-way. My RLTO defense page shows what a fee petition does to a $1,500 deposit dispute.

Tenant Remedies

The form splits 5-12-110 into four parts. Two of them start with a written request that gives you 14 days. The essential-services route gives you 24 hours. The fire route has no request step at all.

• Minor defects. After 14 days, the tenant may "withhold an amount of rent that reasonably reflects the reduced value of the unit," or repair and deduct "up to $500 or 1/2 of the month's rent without exceeding one month's rent," and may also sue for damages and an injunction.
• Major defects. If the unit is "not reasonably fit and habitable" and you do not fix it in 14 days, the tenant may terminate and you must return "all prepaid rent, security and interest." If the tenant does not move out in 30 days, the notice is withdrawn.
• Essential services. If heat, water, hot water, electricity, gas, or plumbing fail for a reason other than the utility's own failure, the tenant may restore the service and deduct it, sue for damages, take substitute housing and stop paying rent, or withhold after 24 hours. The ordinance adds a fifth option the form omits: terminate if the failure lasts more than 72 hours.
• Fire or casualty. The tenant may move out and terminate within 14 days, stay at reduced rent, or terminate if you do not repair diligently.

The practice point: read every letter your tenant sends, fix what it names inside the deadline it states, and keep the receipts. A habitability claim arrives "by claim or defense," which means as a counterclaim in your eviction.

Landlord Remedies

The form's landlord section is short, and it is written for the tenant. Here is what each line means for you.

Late fees, 5-12-140(h). The form tells the tenant a landlord "may charge a late fee of $10.00 per month on rents under $500 plus 5% per month on that part of the rent that exceeds $500.00." The ordinance caps the fee at "$10.00 per month for the first $500.00 in monthly rent plus five percent per month for any amount in excess of $500.00." On $2,000 rent that is $85. A larger fee is unenforceable, and 5-12-140 says a landlord who tries to enforce a prohibited clause owes "two months' rent." The flat $150 late fee in downloaded lease forms is illegal in Chicago.

The 5-day notice, 5-12-130(a). After "five days written notice," you may terminate for nonpayment. The form repeats the pay-and-stay right and adds that a tenant who has used it once "will have only five days to pay" on the next notice. State the total due in the notice. Serve it in person. My 5-day notice guide has the form and the service rules.

Waiver, 5-12-130(g). The form's version is blunt: "If the landlord accepts the late rent, the landlord may not evict the tenant." The ordinance says a landlord who "accepts the rent due knowing that there is a default" waives "the right to terminate the rental agreement for that breach," unless the tenant is exercising the one-time cure. After the 5-day notice expires, a partial payment you accept ends your case. Turn off autopay and the portal before you serve. My guide to accepting partial rent explains the rule.

The 10-day notice, 5-12-130(b). For a code or lease violation, the notice must state "the specific acts or omissions" and "the tenant's right to remedy the breach within 10 days." That cure right fits a dog or a pile of trash. It fits a felony badly, which is why I use the state criminal-activity notice for drug activity in the unit.

The 14-day repair notice, 5-12-130(c). If the tenant does not fix a maintenance breach within 14 days of your written request, you may enter, do the work, and bill the tenant for the cost.

Retaliation

The form tells the tenant they may "complain or testify in good faith about their tenancy to governmental agencies or officials, police, media, community groups, tenant unions or the landlord," and that a landlord may not respond by "terminating or threatening to terminate a tenancy, increasing rent, decreasing services, bringing, or threatening to bring an eviction action, or refusing to renew a lease agreement."

The ordinance section is 5-12-150, and its proof rule is the part that hurts. Protected activity "within one year prior to the alleged act of retaliation" creates "a rebuttable presumption that the landlord's conduct was retaliatory." You then prove your reason. A tenant who wins recovers possession or terminates, plus up to "two months' rent or twice the damages sustained by him, whichever is greater, and reasonable attorneys' fees." This section carries its own fee clause. My guide to tenants who claim retaliation covers the file that rebuts the presumption.

The Porch Safety Notice

The form ends with a paragraph that 5-12-170 requires the Summary to carry. The form prints it as: "The porch or deck of this building should be designed for a live load of up to 100 lbs. per square foot and is safe only for its intended use." The ordinance spells out "pounds"; the form abbreviates it. You do not need to add it to your lease. You need to attach the form that contains it.

The Penalty Table

Every row is taken from the ordinance text (American Legal capture of 2026-07-16 for 020, 050, 080, and 130 through 200; LOCUS capture of 2026-07-01 for 040, 060, 070, 081, and 090 through 120). Amounts are the ordinance's own figures. Actual awards depend on the rent, the deposit, and the fee petition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to attach the RLTO summary to a lease renewal?

Yes. Section 5-12-170 requires the City's current Summary attached to every written lease when it is first offered, "whether such agreement is for a new rental or a renewal thereof." The separate security deposit interest-rate rider must be attached too. On an oral lease, hand both documents to the tenant. Get the current versions from the City every January, because the interest-rate rider changes each year.

What happens if I forgot to attach the RLTO summary?

The tenant may terminate the lease on written notice of up to 30 days and may recover $100 in damages. If the tenant sues and wins, 5-12-180 adds the tenant's attorney fees. Attach the current Summary and rider now, with a dated acknowledgment, and keep proof. The missing attachment is usually one line in a demand letter that is really about the security deposit, so audit the deposit file at the same time.

Does the RLTO summary apply to my owner-occupied building?

If you live in the building and it has six units or fewer, 5-12-020 exempts you from most of the ordinance, including the attachment rule and the deposit rules. Two parts still apply to every rental unit in Chicago: the Fair Notice periods in 5-12-130(j) and the lockout ban in 5-12-160. The exemption fails if the lease was written to avoid the ordinance.

What is the Chicago security deposit interest rate for 2026?

The City Comptroller set the rate at 0.01 percent for January 1 through December 31, 2026. The rate has been 0.01 percent every year since 2015. Under 5-12-080(c) you must pay it on any deposit or prepaid rent held more than six months, within 30 days after each 12-month rental period, in cash or as a rent credit. The rider stating the rate must be attached to the lease under 5-12-170.

How much notice do I need to give to not renew a lease in Chicago?

Under 5-12-130(j), give 30 days' written notice if the tenancy is under six months, 60 days if it is six months to three years, and 120 days if it is over three years. The same periods apply to rent increases and to ending a month-to-month tenancy. These periods apply even in exempt owner-occupied buildings. If you give less, the tenant may stay on the old terms for 60 or 120 days after your notice.

What rights do landlords have in Chicago?

You may collect rent on time and charge the late fee the ordinance allows: $10 on the first $500 of monthly rent and 5 percent of the rest. You may serve a 5-day notice when rent is late and a 10-day notice when the tenant breaks the lease. You may enter on two days' notice to repair, inspect, or show the unit, and without notice in an emergency. You may deduct unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear from the deposit if you itemize within 30 days. You may decline to renew with the Fair Notice period that matches the tenancy's length. Every one of these rights runs through the ordinance's procedure, and the procedure is where landlords lose.

What can a landlord not do in Chicago?

You cannot lock a tenant out, shut off a utility, remove a door, or take the tenant's property to force a move. Each day carries a $200 to $500 fine. You cannot keep a deposit without an itemized statement inside 30 days and a return inside 45 days, or the penalty is two times the deposit plus interest. You cannot accept late rent and then evict for that same missed payment. You cannot retaliate against a tenant who complains to the City or exercises a right under the ordinance. You cannot skip the RLTO Summary or the interest-rate rider on a new lease or a renewal.

Related Reading

• RLTO defense, what happens after the demand letter arrives
• Illinois security deposit law for landlords
• The Chicago lease checklist, the full attachment stack
• Illinois landlord rights, the statewide floor under the ordinance
• Evicting a tenant for drugs, the notice the RLTO does not control
• The Safe Homes Act, the state overlay on top of the ordinance
• Chicago evictions at a $1,600 flat fee, RLTO audit included

Sources

• City of Chicago Department of Housing, Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance Summary, approved July 2020, revised December 2023 (English and Spanish editions), and the 2026 Security Deposit Interest Rate lease rider. Copies hosted on this site as of 2026-09-14; the City's page is chicago.gov/rlto.
• Chicago Municipal Code, Chapter 5-12. Sections 5-12-020, 5-12-050, 5-12-080, and 5-12-130 through 5-12-200 quoted from the American Legal codelibrary text captured 2026-07-16. Sections 5-12-040, 5-12-060, 5-12-070, 5-12-081, and 5-12-090 through 5-12-120 quoted from the LOCUS v1 ordinance corpus capture of the same code (2026-07-01); their amendment histories end in 2019 or earlier.
• Coun. J. 7-22-20, p. 18933 and Coun. J. 11-24-20, p. 23985 (the 2020 Fair Notice and right-to-cure amendments); Coun. J. 9-25-25, p. 31868, sec. 8 (5-12-135)
• Chicago Police Department Special Order 93-12, as cited on the Summary