NOTE: If your landlord lives in your building, see the “Exceptions” note on the right side of this page.
What is my landlord responsible for?
Your landlord has a duty to keep your apartment in good shape and make all necessary repairs. If she fails to do this, you may be able to:
- Make the repairs yourself and deduct their cost from your rent;
- Withhold a portion of your rent;
- Sue your landlord; or
- Terminate your lease agreement. This pamphlet explains when and how you can do these things.
What must my landlord do to maintain the condition of my apartment?
Keep your toilet, bathtub, shower, and bathroom sink in good working order;
- Keep your furnace and boiler in good working order;
- Keep your windows weatherproof;
- Keep your floors, walls and ceilings in good repair;
- Keep your plumbing fixtures in good repair;
- Keep your electrical outlets safe and operable;
- Prevent the accumulation of stagnant water;
- Keep all of the appliances he supplies in good working order;
- Maintain the building is foundation, exterior walls, and roof in good and watertight condition;
- Provide adequate hall and stairway lighting; Keep all stairways and porches in a safe and sound condition;
- Provide trash containers;
- Protect you against rodents and insects by exterminating; and
- Comply with all other requirements of Chicago’s Municipal Code.
If my landlord doesn’t make necessary repairs, can I use my rent to pay for these repairs?
Yes, but only if the repair will not cost more than $500 or one-half of your rent (which ever is greater). Using your rent money to make necessary repairs is called “repairing and deducting.”
How do I “repair and deduct?”
First you must give your landlord a written notice stating that, unless she makes the necessary repairs within 14 days, you will make them yourself and deduct their cost from your rent. Keep a copy of the notice. If your landlord doesn’t make the necessary repairs within 14 days of receiving the notice, you can make the repairs or pay someone else to do it. After giving your landlord paid receipts to confirm the cost of repair, you can deduct this cost from your rent. See sample letter here.
What if I want to repair a problem in a common area, such as a stairway or hallway?
You must first give all of the other tenants written notice of your plan to make the repair.
If my landlord doesn’t make necessary repairs, can I withhold a portion of my rent?
Yes, but first give your landlord a written notice stating that, unless she makes the necessary repairs within 14 days, you will withhold a certain portion of your monthly rent payments. NOTE: You cannot withhold a portion of your rent and “repair and deduct” in the same month.
If I decide to withhold a portion of my rent, exactly how much should I withhold?
The amount you withhold must reasonably reflect the reduced value of your apartment. Be conservative. You cannot withhold all your rent unless your apartment is in such bad shape that you must move, and you can rarely withhold as much as 50%. If you withhold too much, your landlord may be able to evict you for nonpayment of rent. To be safe, consult with an attorney. See “rent reduction” sample letter here.
Can I terminate my lease because my landlord has failed to make necessary repairs?
Yes, but only in very serious cases. Consult with an attorney first.
How can I terminate my lease?
First, you must provide your landlord with written notice that you will terminate your lease in no less than 14 days unless he makes whatever repairs are necessary. If she does not correct the problem within 14 days of receiving this notice, you may terminate your lease agreement. If you terminate the lease, you must move within the next 30 days otherwise your lease will remain in effect. See sample letter here.
If my landlord doesn’t make necessary repairs, can I sue him/her?
Yes, but consult with an attorney first.
Can I make my landlord pay for the cost of repairing a problem I caused?
No.
What if my landlord fails to provide me with an essential service (such as heat, electricity, or running water)?
See the page entitled Heat & Other Essential Services.
Does my landlord have to repaint my apartment?
Not unless the paint is cracking or peeling.
Can I sue my landlord if my property is damaged in her apartment?
Only if the property was damaged as a result of your landlord’s negligence.
Please Note: This information, published by the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago and the Metropolitan Tenants Organization as a public service, gives you only a general idea of your rights and responsibilities under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance and other relevant chapters of Chicago’s Municipal Code. It is meant to inform, but not to advise. Before enforcing your rights, you may want to seek the advice of an attorney who can analyze the facts of your case and apply the law to these facts.
Still can’t find the answer? Send us your questions. Please allow several days for a response.
I am in a large older building in Chicago. My upstairs neighbor is constantly pacing or jumping on the floor..many hours a day and night. Ive been woken up and unable to work. My lease says (paraphrasing) that one cannot interfere with the quiet enjoyment of others. The landlord and tenant does not seem to take my concern seriously.
Noisy neighbors is one of the hardest problems to resolve. Sometimes the problem is poor sound proofing between floors, sometimes it is people with mental health issues, sometimes it rude neighbors, or it could be something else. There are not laws that directly relate to this problem other than the City’s noise ordinance. It is unlikely your neighbor is violating that. When problems arise the first step is always to document the problem and inform your landlord. It would be good to create a journal of the disturbances. Possibly, tape record the sound. Some tenants have had success talking with the neighbor and finding out what the issue is. The landlord can take action by giving the tenant a 10 day notice to stop and if the tenant does not stop the landlord can evict. You may be called up to testify and provide documentation.
I notified my landlord in writing with pictures and videos of rats. They replied promptly, sent repairmen to fix holes (which I requested), and sent exterminators for the rats. However, it’s been weeks and there are still rats getting in! I have spoken to and worked with the building engineer, repairmen, and exterminators myself. I am a single mom with a 1 year old. It seems like I can do the greater of $500/half my rent to pay for an exterminator of my own. But can I terminate the lease? It’s a standard 12 month lease and I’m half way in.
I cannot say who bad the rats are. The law states that you can terminate the lease if the rats make the unit not reasonably fit and habitable.
In my bathroom I have a sinking floor that is right next to the toilet The wall is literally not connected to the floor I Went in the office and made a work order on November 4 it is currently November 16 they finally came out and maintenance man came and put cement on top of the sinkin hole it obviously has rotting wood he just put cement over it he did not check the floor to see what the problem was and that’s and With the toilet being right next to the whole the sinking home now five sit on the toilet the weight of the cement and the Weight of myself and kids as well I’m scared to fall through I was at work and my boyfriend was here he let them in The Maintenance man told him I did not want the cement he told them they have to he told them to leave and he said he can’t and if he does he have to call the cops because he has the right to be Here in my apartment which I find to be a bunch of BS He did not check out the floor he didn’t support the floor he just put cement on top of the sinking hole what are my rights against that
There are several issues in this question.
Regarding a landlord’s right to enter. The landlord has a right to enter to maintain the premises. The landlord by law is required to give a tenant a 2 day notice of their desire to enter. If it is an emergency, the landlord can enter without notice.
I am not an expert regarding building architecture. It seems that putting cement in the hole is not a good solution if the floor is rotting. I cannot say if there may or may not be a problem.
A building inspector would be better qualified to assess the situation. You can call 311 to request an inspection. If it is a dangerous situation the City inspector will cite the landlord.
Have you been documenting the situation. It is always best to take photo (before and after). You might want to send the landlord a letter stating that you have concerns with the manner in which the problem was resolved and that you are afraid to use the bathroom. You should request documentation that the bathroom is safe and the landlord will take full responsibility if something should go awry.
Maintenance entered my apartment while I was at work (due to a water leak within the walls) they made the ne essay repairs. However, in doing so, they neglected to move or cover my property resulting in tons of drywall dust dropping into my television. They also nicked the television (possibly with a construction belt?) resulting in the television being damaged and irreparable. They are refusing to replace the tv and told me I should claim it on my insurance (which I do not have) …. regardless, they were negligent and should be responsible. I have asked for their insurance and they have refused to give it to me. This is a large apartment building. What are my options?
Before doing anything make sure you have documented everything, photos of damage, any witnesses to the damage, did any witness the management entering your unit, do you know the names of the people who came into your unit. Did the landlord leave a note detailing that they entered your unit. The law says they have to give notice within 2 days after they entered.
I do not know how much damage was done you may want to consult with an attorney before contacting the landlord. If the landlord refuses to pay, you will have to go to court. It is generally better to have representation than not to. If you are going to try to do this on your own, a letter might be next that details what evidence you have and what you want and hoping that you can settle this out of court.
The house I am renting had a plumbing issue that was initially thought to be my fault. Upon further inspection the plumber found that it was dur to normal wear and tear of the home. The problem also cost less than was orginally quoted. This was after I’d already paid him $500. When I went to the landlord, a lawyer, she started that she would give me the money back when she got her money from the plumber. This was months ago and I am moving because she is going up on my rent (month to month lease at this point). I’d like to deduct the $500 from my last months rent, with notice to her. Will O be with in my legal rights since she owed the funds to me.
Technically it is not within your rights to reduce the rent without following rules set out in the Chicago’s rental rules. I might start with a letter stating that what the two of you agreed. Then say that since you will be moving out at the end of the month, you believe it would be easiest to just reduce your final rent payment by $500. You are confirming that this will be okay.
If the landlord does not agree and you do not pay the full rent the landlord could give you a 5 day written notice to pay the full rent or face eviction. Once the 5 days pass, the landlord can begin court proceedings. The filing of an eviction will appear on your record and make it more difficult to find a place to rent in the future.
If you pay the full rent and the landlord does not pay, then you will have to take the landlord to court.
My apartment has been infested with ants. My landlord said this also happened in the past. I’ve been living here since February 2018 and have had an exterminator come spray a few times. It doesn’t seem to get better. These ants are all over my dishes and sink. I do not keep food out and keep things clean in the kitchen as I know they are attracted to food. My landlord is very responsive when I let them know I keep seeing ants but all their efforts aren’t working and It’s disgusting finding ants on my dishes. Can we deduct money from rent for this unresolved ant issue?
I am assuming that you live in Chicago and that the landlord does not reside on the premises. First getting rid of ants is difficult. If you are going to reduce your rent for any reason, the first step is to give the landlord a written notice giving the landlord 14 days to resolve the problem. Once the time has elapsed you can either call in a specialist and pay for it out of the rent. Under the law you cannot spend more than the greater of $500 or 1/2 months rents. Or the law also allows renters to reduce the rent. The amount should reflect the diminished value of the unit. You can use MTO’s http://www.squaredawaychicago.com app to help with writing letters and documenting the situation and communication.
It has been 8 days since my stove stopped working.Kale,Realty was notified 7 days ago.Now the furnace blower has been out since 6am and it is single digit temps.I contacted them 8 hours ago and no reply.It is 67 degrees inside and nightfall will be in a few hours I am a senior .
The law states if there are repair problems the tenant can give the landlord a written 14-day notice to fix the problem. If the landlord does not make the repairs then the tenant can hire someone to make repairs. If there is no heat the tenant only needs to give the landlord a 3 day notice before making repairs. Finally, you can purchase a space heater and deduct the cost from rent.
I accidentally broke the stove in my apartment. As my landlord fix i I accidentally broke the stove in my apartment. my landlord is a handyman and can fix it, can he charge me?
If you broke the stove you are required to fix it regardless of whether it was an accident. You do not have to hire your landlord if you do not want. You could fix it. You could get a friend to fix it, etc. It is needs to be done correctly.
I want to due for all the months I have lived under mice’s infestation. I am throwing mice away on glue traps everyday and massive mice dropping persist, even though my landlord and owner say the exterminator and workers have stopped the mice infestation.
There are three options. If you want to get what is due for all the months you have lived under mice infestation then you will have to sue the landlord which means have documentation that you contacted the landlord, nothing happened and how bad the infestation was.
Going forward you can send the landlord a letter which you can use http://www.squaredawaychicago.com to compose the letter then you can hire an exterminator and deduct the cost from the rent.
or
you can send a letter and reduce the rent to reflect the diminished value of the unit. This is a more difficult path to pursue because it is difficult to say what is the diminished value and if you reduce the rent too much a judge could end up evicting you.
As long as I have in writing that I wish to withhold rent after 14 days of no repair, I am fine right? Does it have to be a certified letter?
The law does not require a certified letter though you will have to prove that the landlord received the notice and that you waited 14 days before you withheld a portion of your rent. Remember the amount you withhold must reflect the diminished value of the unit which is difficult to do sometimes so you should be conservative in how much you withhold. If you had a 4 room house and each room was the same size and used an equal amount of time and the ceiling collapsed thus making the room unusable. A good argument could be made for withholding 25% of the rent.
I just began moving into an apartment (lease began 4/1/18) and I found multiple mouse droppings, holes mice would be able to fit through, and indications of mice biting through baseboards. I told my landlord this and her response was to come ‘check it out’ with her ‘repairman’ who was fixing the kitchen floor. I received a text from her later in the day saying that there was no indication of mice and that while it may have been a problem a couple of years ago none of her previous tenets for the past two years have complained. I find it odd that I would still be finding mouse droppings on the floors if an infestation happened ‘years ago’, and I feel that herself and her ‘repairman’ are not necessarily qualified to say whether or not the evidence is substantial enough to indicate a mouse infestation. I feel uncomfortable moving the rest of my things into an apartment that potentially has a mouse problem. Is she legally required to have a pest control company to come and look, or is her word after ‘looking around’ enough? If I personally hire a professional who proves her wrong do I get to deduct the cost from my rent? And what are my steps from there?
You can use http://www.squaredawaychicago.com app to document the mice infestation. You can take photos of the mice droppings and give the landlord 14 days to remedy the problem and that if it is not taken care of you will hire an exterminator to resolve the problem. This letter is also contained in http://www.squaredawaychicago.com. If the landlord does nothing then you can hire the exterminating company.
My landlord had to gut out my bathroom for repairs because my apartment flooded. They did not provide me with another place to live. I had to find somewhere to stay because I only had acces to the bedroom and living room. There was no acces to the kitchen. I was out of my apartment w( with no warning for 7 days) via a phone convo they agreed to pay my expenses now they’re saying I owe them $422. Please note I did pay them the remainder of the rent after expenses. What are my options? Your assistance is appreciated
My apartment hasn’t broken and moldy windows that I was promised would be fixed before I moved in. I moved in, and they weren’t fixed. They said it would be fixed within 30-90 days. It took them SEVEN MONTHS, and they finally fixed ONE window, with 3 more still broken. Now they are telling me that they cannot fix it at this time and they will discuss it with me upon my renewal.
Our http://www.squaredawaychicago.com app can help you with this problem. The first step is to document the problem and take photos and submit the documentation to the landlord. Under teh Chicago landlord and tenants Ordinance if the landlord does not live on the premises the the tenant can hire someone to fix the windows and deduct the cost from the next months rent. You have to give the landlord 14 days to fix the problem from the receipt of the letter before you can deduct any money. The www,squaredawaychicago.com app can help with all this.
I HAVE LIVED IN THIS APARTMENT 7 1/2 YEARS, IT NEEDS TO BE PAINTED, AND THERE IS A MICE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR MONTHS, THE LANDLORD HAS BEEN TOLD SEBERAL TIMES AND HE ONLY BRINGS POISIN AND GLUE BOARDS. WHAT IS HIS OBLIGATION AS THE OWNER AND MINE AS THE TENANT, IN GOOD STANDING
As for painting, there are no rules which require a landlord to paint every 7 years. The only reason that a landlord would be required to paint is if the paint is chipping, pealing or damaged in some other way. As for the mice, that is definitely a code violation. Under the Chicago law if the landlord does not live in the unit, a tenant can write a letter to the landlord, stating that if the mice are not abated in 14 days from the receipt of the letter then the tenant can hire an exterminator to fix the problem.
Hi,
I was going to move with my roommate into my new apartment and when we open the apartment we discovered a huge infestation of bedbugs. Of course, we did not bring any furniture. The thing is that the apartment was not move in ready and we do not want to continue with the lease having this problem. The rental agency has been unresponsive. we do not think they are going to hire a professional service to get rid of this problem.
We are incurring in a lot of extra expenses since we have not been able to move in. What should we do? Can we break the lease at this point?
If there are bedbugs then the unit is not ready for you to take possession.
Here is what the law states regarding the landlord’s failure to deliver the possession:
If the landlord fails to deliver possession of the dwelling unit to the tenant in compliance with the residential rental agreement or Section 5-12-070, rent for the dwelling unit shall abate until possession is delivered, and the tenant may:
upon written notice to the landlord, terminate the rental agreement and upon termination the landlord shall return all prepaid rent and security;
If you want to sue the landlord for the damages, you might want to contact an attorney.
Thanks! and yes, I would like to terminate the lease. Do you have a letter (template) we can use to communicate this to the landlord? Thanks.
We do not have a template for that letter. It is a good idea and we will develop one. In the meantime the letter should state that on September 1 we tried to move into the unit at ______________. The unit had bed bugs. It also had the following issues:____________________________________. the unit was not ready for us to take over. As a result we are terminating the agreement and expect all prepaid rent and deposits to be returned immediately.
John