The lease ends. Your landlord says nothing. Now what?
Maybe it's February and you've been quietly dreading the renewal conversation. Maybe you assumed silence meant you'd have to be out by the last day of the month. Here's the thing: in Chicago, silence from your landlord isn't the same as a proper goodbye.
Under the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance — §5-12-130, specifically — landlords are required to give tenants at least 30 days' written notice before the end of a lease term if they don't intend to renew. That notice has to be in writing. A hallway comment doesn't count. A text probably doesn't either.
Why this matters more than it sounds. Thirty days is the difference between a panicked two-week apartment hunt and having a full month to find your next place, negotiate a new lease, and arrange movers before your weekends disappear. Anyone who's tried to rent in Logan Square or Lakeview on short notice knows that timeline is not a luxury — it's survival.
The rule also cuts both ways. If you're the one not renewing, you owe your landlord the same 30-day heads-up. The RLTO is designed to give both sides enough runway to make decisions, not just protect one party.
What to do if you don't get notice. If your landlord skips the written notice and expects you out by month's end anyway, document everything — keep any (and every) communication in writing. Chicago's RLTO has real teeth: tenants who aren't properly notified may have grounds to hold over lawfully, and landlords who ignore the ordinance can face financial liability. The city's RLTO enforcement framework exists precisely for situations like this.
A small rule with real stakes. In a city where rents have climbed and available units move fast, 30 days can mean the difference between a considered choice and a desperate one. Know the rule before you need it — because by the time you need it, you won't have time to look it up.
