Chicago

Protect Chicago renters

Landlords would need a real reason to evict you or refuse to renew your lease.

The bill

Protecting Renters Ordinance (O2026-0026554)

Where it stands

Mayor Brandon Johnson brought it straight to the Committee on Housing and Real Estate in June 2026. The committee has not voted. A full City Council vote is expected in the fall.

No account. About a minute.

What it would do

A landlord needs a real reason to evict you or end your lease.
If you have to move because the owner is moving in, selling, or gutting the building, they owe you five months of rent or $5,000, whichever is more.
Security deposits capped at one month of rent.
Application fees capped at $20.
No more move-in fees charged on top of rent.
Landlords register their units with the city once a year.
A new office in the Department of Housing takes renter complaints.

Read the proposal yourself

Do not take our word for any of this.

What the ordinance does, from the Department of Housing chicago.gov The full ordinance record, O2026-0026554 Chicago Councilmatic

From Rooted Forward

Why this matters

Chicago has not rewritten its renter law since the mid-1980s.
Today a landlord can refuse to renew your lease and never say why.
In East Woodlawn, near the Obama Presidential Center, the median single-family home went from about $220,000 in 2019 to about $440,000 in 2025.
The renters being pushed out are the ones who stayed when no bank would lend on those blocks.

Add your name

We hand the signatures to the committee sitting on this bill, along with a public comment from Rooted Forward.

No account. About a minute.

Where our facts come from

Mayor Wants To Create A Tenant Bill Of Rights, Other Protections For Renters Block Club Chicago, June 29, 2026
Mayor Brandon Johnson, Department of Housing Introduce The Protecting Renters Ordinance City of Chicago
Chicago's Efforts to Keep Housing Affordable in Woodlawn Falls Short as Obama Center Nears Opening Illinois Answers Project, May 7, 2026
Chicago landlords spooked by expanded tenants' rights ordinance The Real Deal, July 2, 2026