Understanding Lockout: What is an Illegal Lockout?

An attempt to illegally evict a tenant is called a "lockout." A landlord cannot force a tenant out of their rental unit without going through the proper legal process. The landlord can NOT: 

• Change, remove, or add locks;
• Remove or block doors and windows;
• Remove appliances or fixtures;
• Cut off utility services like electricity, gas, heat, telephone service, internet, and water;
• Remove personal property;
• Cause injury to the tenant or tenant's property;
• Make a part or the whole property inaccessible or uninhabitable;
• Threaten to do any of the above.

Although the landlord owns the property, a tenant legally possesses the apartment. Illinois law prohibits a landlord from removing a tenant from the rental or from preventing the tenant's use of it. If the landlord wants to evict a tenant, s/he must terminate the tenancy by serving a proper notice, wait the notice period, start an eviction case, and obtain a judgment after trial. Only after the whole process can the landlord have the Sheriff remove a tenant from the premises.