Cook County RTLO Nonrenewal of Tenancy

If the Cook County Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance applies, then the landlord must give at least 60 days of notice to terminate the lease. The notice should be in writing and sent before the termination date stated in the lease. This applies to both tenants with month-to-month leases and written year-long leases. It does not matter how long the tenant has been living in the unit.   

If the landlord fails to give the required 60-day written notice, then the tenant may stay in the unit for up to 120 days after the landlord gives the required written notice. 

Example 1

A tenant has a year-long lease that ends on April 15, 2022. If the landlord does not plan to renew the lease, then the landlord must give a tenant a written 60-day notice on or before February 14, 2022. If the landlord gives a tenant a 30-day notice on March 15, 2022, then a tenant may stay for 120 days after the written notice is given. The 120-day period ends July 13. After July 13, the landlord may file a valid eviction.  

Example 2

A tenant has a month-to-month lease that renews. If the landlord does not plan to renew the lease, then the landlord must give a tenant a written 60-day notice. If the landlord gives a tenant a 30-day notice on March 15, 2022, then a tenant may stay for 120 days after the written notice is given. The 120-day period ends July 13. After July 13, the landlord may file a valid eviction. 

Example 3

A tenant has a year-long lease that ends on April 30, 2022. The landlord did not give a tenant a new lease to sign, but they did not give a tenant a notice of nonrenewal. If the landlord accepts rent for May, then the tenancy has converted from a written year-long lease to a verbal month-to-month lease. Although there is no specific end date to the lease, the landlord still needs to give a written 60-day notice to terminate the lease. 

• To decide whether the Cook County Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance (RTLO) applies, visit another article by using this link or the proper link at the bottom of the page. Read a summary of the Cook County RTLO in English or Spanish .
• Illinois (Not Cook County RTLO or Chicago) - Unfortunately, the general laws of the State of Illinois don't offer many protections for tenants. However, rights still exist. If the property a tenant rent is outside of Cook County and in the State of Illinois, visit our other article on the topic by using this link or the proper link at the bottom of the page.