Illinois uses a written demand for rent that gives the tenant at least 5 days after service to pay. If you want to be able to take partial payments without restarting the notice, the notice has to prominently include the statute's exact "FULL PAYMENT" sentence.
Step by step in Illinois
Any time after rent is due, write a demand for the rent owed.
Give a deadline that is not less than 5 days after the notice is served.
Prominently include this sentence word for word: "Only FULL PAYMENT of the rent demanded in this notice will waive the landlord's right to terminate the lease under this notice, unless the landlord agrees in writing to continue the lease in exchange for receiving partial payment."
If the tenant doesn't pay in full by the deadline, you can treat the lease as ended and file without any further notice or demand.
You can add the claim for rent to the eviction complaint.
Common Illinois mistakes to avoid
Leaving out the FULL PAYMENT sentence and then accepting a partial payment.
Giving fewer than 5 days after service.
Counting from the date written on the notice instead of the date it was served.
Agreeing to continue the lease after a partial payment without putting it in writing.
This is general information, not legal advice. The verified rule and official sources above control. Check the source or a local attorney for your situation.
Related Illinois rules
Eviction court process & timeline
An eviction is started by filing a complaint in the circuit court of the county where the property is. The clerk issues a summons.
Each county board sets the eviction filing fee within state caps. An eviction seeking possession plus rent or money (Schedule 2) is capped at $362 in Cook County and $266 elsewhere. A possession-only eviction (Schedule 3) is capped at $270 in Cook County and $94 elsewhere. These are state maximums; each county sets its own fee by ordinance (county ordinances not checked). Sheriff/service fees are extra.
A landlord may not cause or request utility service to an occupied building to be cut off, whether by not paying bills the landlord is responsible for or by tampering with equipment or lines (emergency and notified repair shutoffs excepted). The Illinois Attorney General's guide also says a landlord must go to court to evict and may not lock a tenant out; no state statute on lockouts was found in the acts searched.
A landlord may not retaliate against a tenant for protected activity such as complaining to a government agency or the landlord. If the protected activity happened within one year before the landlord's action, retaliation is presumed (rebuttable). Remedies include ending the lease with return of deposit and prepaid rent, recovering possession, and the greater of 2 months' rent or twice the damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees.
A tenant who wilfully holds over after the term ends and after a written demand for possession owes the landlord double the yearly value of the property for the time the landlord is kept out.
A search of the full text of the Illinois landlord-tenant acts (765 ILCS 705, 710, 715, 721, 742, 750) found no statewide rent-escrow or rent-withholding procedure. The eviction article (735 ILCS 5/Art. IX) was not searched.
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