Amendment of Municipal Code Section 5-12-130 to require sufficient written notice from landlord prior to rental agreement termination or filing of eviction actions

Votes › Housing and Real Estate › 35th Ward: Anthony J. Quezada

• Record number: SO2025-0019933
• Type: Ordinance; category: Municipal Code Amendments
• Status: Final
• Sponsor: Anthony J. Quezada (35th Ward)
• Co-sponsors (4): Jessica L. Fuentes (26th Ward), Maria E. Hadden (49th Ward), Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward), Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez (33rd Ward)
• Committee: Committee on Housing and Real Estate
• Introduction Date: Sep 25, 2025
• Final Action Date: Apr 15, 2026
• Official record: Office of the City Clerk

Roll call: Passed Apr 15, 2026

46 yea, 4 nay. This was a divided vote. On motion of Alderperson Sigcho-Lopez, and unsuccessful motion to reconsider by Alderperson Mitchell, the matter was Passed. Voted at the City Council meeting of Apr 15, 2026.

Nay (4): Marty Quinn (13), Raymond A. Lopez (15), Matthew J. O'Shea (19), James M. Gardiner (45)

Yea (46): Daniel La Spata (1), Brian Hopkins (2), Pat Dowell (3), Lamont J. Robinson (4), Desmon C. Yancy (5), William E. Hall (6), Gregory I. Mitchell (7), Michelle A. Harris (8), Anthony Beale (9), Peter Chico (10), Nicole T. Lee (11), Julia M. Ramirez (12), Jeylú B. Gutiérrez (14), Stephanie D. Coleman (16), David H. Moore (17), Derrick G. Curtis (18), Jeanette B. Taylor (20), Ronnie L. Mosley (21), Michael D. Rodriguez (22), Silvana Tabares (23), Monique L. Scott (24), Byron Sigcho-López (25), Jessica L. Fuentes (26), Walter R. Burnett (27), Jason C. Ervin (28), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ruth Cruz (30), Felix Cardona Jr. (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez (33), William Conway (34), Anthony J. Quezada (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Samantha Nugent (39), Andre Vasquez Jr. (40), Anthony V. Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), Timothy R. Knudsen (43), Bennett R. Lawson (44), Angela Clay (46), Matthew J. Martin (47), Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48), Maria E. Hadden (49), Debra L. Silverstein (50)

Plain-language summary

Written by AI (@cf/openai/gpt-oss-120b) from the ordinance text only: SO2025-0019933 Substitute Ordinance.pdf. AI can make mistakes; the official document always wins.

The ordinance changes Chicago's rental law so landlords must give written notice before ending a lease, not renewing, or raising rent. The required notice time depends on how long the tenant has lived in the unit, and if the notice is faulty, the tenant can stay for a set period. Landlords cannot start eviction proceedings until the notice period has passed.

• Tenants with leases under 6 months get at least 30 days written notice.
• Tenants with leases 6 months to 3 years get at least 60 days written notice.
• Tenants with leases over 3 years get at least 120 days written notice.
• If notice is insufficient, tenants may remain in the unit for up to 60 or 120 days, paying the last full rent amount.
• Landlords must wait the notice period before filing an eviction; faulty notice can be used as a defense.

Who: Tenants in residential rental units in Chicago are protected, and landlords must follow the new notice requirements.

Impact report

Written by AI from the official document. AI can make mistakes; the official document always wins.

Chicago renters who get late, flawed, or no written notice that their lease is ending or their rent is going up could stay in their homes longer, and landlords would have to wait out that time before filing an eviction.

Who it affects

• Renters with leases of less than six months: If they get late, flawed, or no written notice, they could stay up to 60 days after the notice was given or should have been given.
• Renters with leases of six months to three years: If they get late, flawed, or no written notice, they could stay up to 60 days after the notice was given or should have been given.
• Renters who have lived in a unit more than three years: If they get late, flawed, or no written notice, they could stay up to 120 days after the notice was given or should have been given.
• Landlords: They would have to wait until the tenant's allowed stay is over before filing an eviction, or the tenant could use the bad notice as a defense in court.
• Renters who had free or reduced rent as part of their lease: During the extra stay, their rent would be set at the rate on the last date they made a full rent payment.

What changes

• Landlords must give written notice at least 30, 60, or 120 days before a lease ends or rent goes up, depending on how long the tenant has rented.
• A tenant who gets late, flawed, or no notice can stay up to 60 days, or 120 days for tenancies over three years, no matter what end date is in the notice or lease.
• Lease terms and rent stay the same during this extra time.
• Landlords must wait until this extra time runs out before filing an eviction case.
• If a landlord files too early, the tenant can raise the bad or missing notice in court, and the landlord cannot take back the unit until the time has passed.

Money

• During the extra stay, tenants pay landlords the same rent and follow the same terms as in the month before the notice.
• If rent was waived or reduced in earlier months under the original lease, tenants pay the rent rate from the last date they made a full payment.

When: Upon passage and publication

Timeline

• Sep 25, 2025: Referred, City Council. The matter was Referred to Committee.
• Mar 12, 2026: Held in Committee, Committee on Housing and Real Estate. The matter was Held in Committee.
• Apr 8, 2026: Substituted, Committee on Housing and Real Estate. The matter was Substituted in Committee.
• Apr 8, 2026: Recommended to Pass, Committee on Housing and Real Estate. The matter was recommended to Pass by controlling legislative body.
• Apr 15, 2026: Substituted, City Council. The matter was Substituted on the floor by Alderperson Quezada.
• Apr 15, 2026: Recommended to Pass, City Council. The matter was recommended to Pass.
• Apr 15, 2026: Passed, City Council (46 yea, 4 nay), at the City Council meeting. On motion of Alderperson Sigcho-Lopez, and unsuccessful motion to reconsider by Alderperson Mitchell, the matter was Passed.

Documents

• w35 - o19933.pdf (Legislation)
• SO2025-0019933 Substitute Ordinance.pdf (Legislation)
• SO2025-0019933 Substitute Ordinance as Amended_FINAL.pdf (Legislation)
• SO2025-0019933 revised Committee Letter.pdf (Committee Letter)

Lobbying and money

Computed links; money near a vote is not evidence that it influenced the vote.

Who lobbied on it

• Chicagoland Apartment Association: REQUESTED INFORMATION ON GENESIS AND PURPOSE OF 02025-0019933 AND SHARED OUR CONCERNS (1 filing, Oct 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2025; Jon Kozlowski; matched by record number)

Money from these interests in the 365 days before the vote

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