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Landlord Retaliation Laws in Illinois

Illinois' Landlord Retaliation Act, in effect since January 1, 2025, bars retaliation against tenants who act in good faith and presumes retaliation if the landlord acts within one year after protected conduct.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Illinois at a glance

Retaliation banned by statute
Yes
Presumption period
12 months
The presumption is rebuttable, and an action is not retaliatory if the landlord proves a legitimate non-retaliatory basis.
Protected tenant actions
Code complaints, repair requests, tenant unions, testimony
Covers code complaints to officials or community groups, repair requests, joining a tenant union, testifying about the premises, and exercising any legal right or remedy.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Illinois

Does Illinois law prohibit landlord retaliation against tenants?

Yes. Retaliation banned by statute in Illinois: yes.

How long after a tenant complaint is retaliation presumed in Illinois?

Presumption period in Illinois: 12 months. The presumption is rebuttable, and an action is not retaliatory if the landlord proves a legitimate non-retaliatory basis.

Which tenant actions are protected from retaliation in Illinois?

Protected tenant actions in Illinois: Code complaints, repair requests, tenant unions, testimony. Covers code complaints to officials or community groups, repair requests, joining a tenant union, testifying about the premises, and exercising any legal right or remedy.

Where do the Illinois landlord retaliation laws come from?

The rules above come from 765 ILCS 721/5 and 765 ILCS 721/20. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The Act replaced the Retaliatory Eviction Act on January 1, 2025. Remedies include ending the lease and recovering up to 2 months' rent or twice actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees. Section 20 was amended by Public Act 104-417, effective August 15, 2025, and still sets a one-year presumption.

What this means in practice

Keep a written record of every complaint, repair request and report to a government agency, with dates. A presumption period usually runs from the date of the protected action, so proof of that date can matter.

Retaliation protection does not usually excuse unpaid rent or lease violations. Statutes commonly allow a landlord to raise rent, end a tenancy or evict for a good-faith reason, such as nonpayment, damage to the unit or a rent increase applied to all tenants.

If a rent increase, service cut or eviction notice follows a complaint, read the statute for your state and any local ordinance. Cities and counties may add protections, and a local legal aid office or tenant union can explain how they apply.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.