3-Day Notice to Pay or Quit for Illinois landlords
Demand payment or vacate within 3 days for nonpayment Written to IL landlord-tenant law, with the notice period counted for you.
Illinois requirement: 5-Day Notice
Illinois requires a 5-day notice before filing for eviction due to nonpayment.
- Pay or quit
- 5 days
- Month-to-month
- 30 days
- Rent increase notice
- 30 days
- Max deposit
- No limit
- Deposit return
- 45 days
When you need a 3-day notice to pay or quit.
- Tenant hasn’t paid rent for days/weeks
- Need to start eviction process
- Tenant ignoring payment requests
- Legal documentation required before court
Illinois rules that apply here.
Rent control applies in parts of Illinois. Where a local ordinance is stricter than state law, the local rule governs.
- 5-day notice for nonpayment
- 10-day notice for lease violations
- Chicago has specific landlord-tenant ordinance (RLTO)
Rent control areas
Chicago (under RLTO)
What landlords ask about this in Illinois.
- When does the notice period start?
- In Illinois the 5-day period starts the day after the notice is properly served, not the day you wrote or posted it. Many states exclude weekends and legal holidays from the count, so confirm the rule before you file.
- What if the tenant pays on the last day?
- If the tenant pays the full amount demanded inside the 5-day window, the notice is satisfied and you cannot proceed to eviction on it. Payment of part of the amount does not satisfy it.
- Can I include late fees in the notice?
- Be careful here. Several states require the notice to demand rent and nothing else. Adding late fees, utilities or damage costs can invalidate the entire notice and force you to start over. Demand the rent, pursue other charges separately.
- What happens after the notice period expires?
- If the tenant has not paid or moved out after 5 days, you can file an eviction case with the court. You cannot change the locks, remove belongings or shut off utilities. Self-help eviction is illegal in every state and it is expensive.
This is general information about Illinois landlord-tenant law, not legal advice. Local ordinances can be stricter than the state rule, and if a dispute is already underway it is worth an hour of a lawyer’s time.
Related IL forms
This form in other states
The document is the same; the notice period is not. Pick the state the property is in, not the one you live in.
Generate your Illinois 3-day notice to pay or quit.
Free, no account, and dated against IL rules. Create an account only when you want the tenant details reused next month and the copies kept.