When a rental applicant completes and signs an Illinois Rental Application, they consent for the landlord to conduct a credit, criminal, employment, and rental history background check.
You should choose the rental application you use with care, as specific questions are not allowed in Illinois rental applications and could be considered discriminatory.
To simplify your screening forms, check out our rental application templates so you can attract the most qualified tenants for your Illinois Lease Agreement.
Illinois Rental Application Fees
Rental applications in Illinois usually come with a small nonrefundable fee, which covers basic administrative costs.
These fees offset a landlord’s costs for running background checks and other expenses. Illinois-specific rules regarding monies collected as part of the rental process include:
- There is no state-mandated limit on what you can charge for a rental application fee, but individual cities are permitted to set their own.
- Once a tenant’s application is approved, the typical amount collected as a security deposit equals one month’s rent. Illinois sets no legal limit on how much you can charge.
- Illinois allows property owners to collect a separate pet deposit, except for service animals.
- Landlords in Illinois who hold a security deposit for at least six months and where there are at least 25 units in the building must place the amount in an FDIC-insured account and pay the tenant interest or credit the interest toward a tenant’s rent every 12 months. 765 ILCS 715.
- You must also return the security deposit within 45 days from the date the tenant moves out or provide a written explanation within 30 days as to why you kept all or part of the deposit. 765 ILCS 710.
Consider issuing a rent receipt for any rent payments made by the tenant so that you and the tenant have a record in case a dispute arises.
Authorization for Background Check
Conducting credit and criminal background checks and looking into a prospective tenant’s past eviction history protects you from potential problems that may arise later if you offer a rental contract to someone with poor credit or prior criminal activity.
You will need an applicant’s permission to run some of the background checks typically part of the screening process.
Either include a consent statement on your rental application or use our background check authorization form to obtain consent.
How To Conduct an Eviction Record Search
- Create an account with Illinois’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records.
- Enter an applicant’s information.
- Pay a small fee to search for evidence of legal actions against prospective tenants.
Should you decide not to offer an applicant a lease agreement due to a history of eviction or another valid reason, consider sending them a rental application rejection letter explaining the reasons why.
Other Resources for Illinois Landlords
How to Write a Rental Application
Follow the steps below to write a rental application in Illinois.
Step 1 – Fill in Property Address Information
Write the date of the rental application and the address of the rental property.
Step 2 – Collect Basic Rental Applicant Information
This section provides the applicant(s) basic identifying information about themselves.
Step 3 – Collect Applicant’s Residence History
In this section, the applicant(s) provides their residence history including addresses, dates of residency, and reasons for moving.
Step 4 – Gather Applicant’s Employment History
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide current and previous employment information and other sources of income.
Step 5 – Gather Applicant’s Financial History
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide bank account and credit card information.
Step 6 – Collect References
The applicant(s) provides personal references’ names and contact information in this section.
Step 7 – Additional Questions and Verification
This section contains additional questions to determine more information about the applicant such as smoking or pets.
Sample Illinois Rental Application Form
Below is an example of a standard Illinois rental application form. You may download this free form or use our document builder to create a customized Illinois rental application that covers all the details unique to your real estate needs.