Advance notice of the landlord’s entry into the apartment (as required by city code)
Recycling collection at all apartment buildings and houses
Systematic inspection of apartments by city inspectors to protect tenant safety through a rental registration program
You only get notice of the landlord’s entry if your landlord will agree to it in the lease. Click the "Leases" button at the top of this page to see a sample lease clause for PRIVACY.
You can take your recycling to a drop-off site at 1702 Hagan Street which is about 3 miles from campus.
The city inspects only common areas of apartment buildings and will only go inside an actual apartment if the resident of that apartment files a complaint with the city about repair problems and requests the inspection. Inspectors still will not go into any other apartments in that building unless the residents of each of those apartments also go to the city to file a complaint.
5% limit on amount of late fees a landlord can charge and the landlord cannot impose the late fee unless s/he notifies you within 30 days of the late rent payment that the fee has been imposed.
Sublet fees, lock-out charges, late check-out charges or any other fees or penalties cannot exceed the landlord’s actual costs.
Landlord must notify you, in writing, no later than 30 days before the lease is up if the landlord will not offer you a new lease or will raise the rent or otherwise change the terms under a new lease.
Security deposit refund policies that state laws (which govern in Champaign and Savoy) apply only to buildings with 5 or more units (25 or more units for interest on the deposit) apply in Urbana to every rental property regardless of size, including an individual house.
Protection from retaliation against you by the landlord for your complaining about a problem or filing a complaint at the Tenant Union, Student Legal Services or any other advocacy agency.
A larger amount of money than allowed by state law can be used for repair and deduct if you are correcting code violations the landlord failed to correct after the city's deadline.
Penalties of two months' rent plus court costs and attorney's fees if you have to sue your landlord for violating your privacy, illegal eviction or violation of certain provisions of the city code regarding leases.
Clear definition of abandonment that includes the landlord's duty to store items of value for up to 30 days after the landlord gives notice to the tenant of the abandonment.
The Tenant Union does not provide legal services of any kind. All information provided in this publication is intended to help the average person prevent problems and deal with common concerns of renting. When legal help is needed, always consult with an attorney at law.
The URL for these pages is http:// www.tenantunion.uiuc.edu
This page was last updated on 5/7/07
