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Legal Information: Illinois

Illinois Housing Laws

Updated: 
January 23, 2024

Who is protected by these housing laws?

Illinois housing laws protect adult or child victims of domestic violence by a family or household member and victims of sexual violence, which includes stalking.1

For the purposes of these laws, “domestic violence” includes:

For the purposes of these laws, “sexual violence” means any act of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or stalking of an adult or minor child. This includes but is not limited to these crimes:

1 765 ILCS 750/5
2 765 ILCS 750/10; 750 ILCS 60/103(1)
3 765 ILCS 750/10

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My landlord included a section in my lease saying that I could not terminate my lease. Does this mean that I cannot leave my lease early?

The law says that tenants can’t give up their rights under this law. So even if your landlord included a clause in your lease that you cannot terminate your lease early, you are not bound by this if you leave your lease with notice because of a qualifying circumstance. You can still request to get out of your lease early based on this law.1

1 765 ILCS 750/30

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