About your illegal rent hike...

Tenant shoves rent under the door — in damp twenties.

Whole envelope smells like Marlboros and cat food.

Tucked inside is a note, written in a purple gel pen:

“btw you can’t raise my rent without a reason!!”

And the landlord almost believed it.

Because raising rent feels like it oughta come with a funeral song.

Or a slideshow explaining your trauma.

But here’s the truth:

You don’t need to give a reason to raise rent.

The only boxes to check:

Lease has to be over (or month-to-month), and

Written notice has to be given (30 days in Illinois for month-to-month).

That’s it.

Doesn’t matter if you’re covering taxes.

Fixing gutters.

Or just tired of being the cheapest unit in town.

The law doesn’t care why.

It only cares when and how much notice.

By Landlord Legal

Yee yee, That's issue #170 of The Brief.

There’s a lot of confusion about rent caps in Illinois, but there’s no statewide limit. You can raise rent as much as you want — just watch out for local ordinances, since some towns sneak in their own rules.

When in doubt, check your city or call us before you post the notice.

DISCLAIMER: Heads up - none of this is legal advice. We share stories and laughs about legal stuff for Landlords.  Do your own homework and stay safe out there!