• Rent Grace Period: 5 days to charge late fees (outside of Chicago).^[1]
• Non-Payment of Rent: 5 days.^[1]
• Non-Compliance: 10 days.^[2]
• Termination (Month-to-Month Lease): 30 days.^[3]
• Eviction Lawsuit: Eviction.^[4]

Utility Shutoff – A landlord may not terminate or interrupt a tenant’s utility services unless in case of emergencies such as a gas leak or a fire.^[5]

Changing the Locks – A landlord is legally prohibited from changing a tenant’s locks without providing the new key within 48 hours.^[6]

Eviction Summons – The Summons is used to relay to the tenant (the defendant) that they are being sued. It will also provide the individual with the necessary information regarding how to plead their case in court.

Eviction Complaint (Sample) – The Eviction Complaint begins the eviction process by providing the Court with the necessary information to start a case. It is also served on the tenant in conjunction with the Summons to inform them of the reasons for which they are being sued.

Answer to Complaint – The tenant must file an Answer to the complaint denying or admitting to the claims against them. This must be completed by the date indicated in the Summons.

Eviction Order – This document is used by the judge to grant an eviction order. It can be used by the plaintiff to get the Sheriff’s Department to remove the tenants from the property.

You must first provide one of the following types of written notice to your tenant about the potentiality of eviction depending on whether the tenant hasn’t paid rent or is in breach of the lease or you wish the tenant to move out at the end of the tenancy:

• 5-Day Notice to Quit (Non-Payment of Rent)
• 5-Day Notice to Quit (Unlawful Activity)
• 10-Day Notice to Quit (Non-Compliance)
• 30-Day Notice to Quit (Month-to-Month Tenancy)

If the tenant fails to respond to the notice by remaining at the premises and continuing to be in breach of the lease, the landlord may commence proceedings in the Local Circuit Court. The first step is to file a summons and complaint with the clerk of the court.  You will need to have three copies: one for the court, one for yourself, and one for the sheriff. The court will have the Summons and Complaint form for you to fill out. Here are samples of the Cook County forms: Complaint (Sample).

The filing fee may be up to $366, depending on the county.^[7]

After you have filed the documents with the clerk, you will have to get a copy and deliver them to the sheriff’s department to have them served on the tenant. The Sheriff also charges a fee of $60. The tenant will then be able to counter the landlord’s claims by filing the Answer Form with the Circuit Court.

The court will schedule a day in court. If the tenant doesn’t show up or the judge finds in your favor, he or she will issue an Eviction Order, which will require the tenant to move out by a certain date. If the tenant does not move out, you will have to have the sheriff effect eviction by providing a copy of the Order.