Illinois renters who sign leases next year will face a shorter list of charges. Under House Bill 3564, a rental application fee, background check included, is capped at $50, and landlords can no longer charge a fee for modifying or renewing a lease. Both changes start Jan. 1, 2027.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the measure on June 26, 2026, according to the Illinois Realtors, and it is recorded as Public Act 104-0479, which adds a new section on rental fee transparency to the state’s Landlord and Tenant Act. CBS Chicago listed it among more than 60 bills the governor signed over a single stretch. The KSN Law Firm notes that the law is often called Illinois’ rental “junk fee” law, and Illinois Legal Aid Online has published a question-and-answer guide on how it works.
The $50 Cap on Application and Background Check Fees
According to Illinois Legal Aid Online, starting Jan. 1, 2027, an application fee for a covered rental, including a background check fee, cannot be more than $50. A landlord also cannot add a separate charge that duplicates screening costs or covers expenses unrelated to screening. The change lands alongside other Illinois rules set for the new year, including the shared-care threshold in Illinois child support, and renters planning a move can look at studio apartment living ideas while the new rules take hold.
The law spells out one narrow route to a higher charge. If the actual cost of a third-party background check is more than $50, the landlord pays the screening company first and then bills the applicant within 14 days, including a receipt from the company. CBS Chicago described the same sequence, with the receipt showing the vendor’s cost. Illinois Legal Aid Online adds that an applicant who is not billed within the 14 days, with a receipt, does not owe the fee, and the landlord cannot cite it as grounds to evict during the first year of the lease.
Fees That Are Banned Entirely
For leases that start on or after Jan. 1, 2027, Illinois Legal Aid Online says a covered landlord cannot charge a tenant a fee or fine for any of these:
- Modifying or renewing a lease
- Filing an eviction notice or eviction case before a court grants an eviction order
- An after-hours maintenance request
- Contacting the landlord or property manager about maintenance, a service request or a lease question
- Travel needed to complete maintenance or safety repairs
- Calling a maintenance hotline
- Routine maintenance and general upkeep of the unit
- Pest control, when the tenant did not cause the infestation
- An in-person walkthrough of the unit at move-in or move-out
The eviction item has a limit. A landlord can still recover court costs and filing fees, according to the legal aid guide; the ban covers a fee for the notice or case itself before a judge orders an eviction…