How Long Does a Illinois Landlord Have to Send the Itemized Security Deposit Statement?
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A Illinois landlord has 45 days after termination of the tenancy to return the security deposit or deliver a written, itemized statement of the deductions, under 765 ILCS 710/1 (Security Deposit Return Act). For landlords with five or more units: an itemized statement within 30 days and the refund within 45 days. Chicago's RLTO has its own 45-day rule and double-deposit penalty.
The rule in one list
- Return deadline: 45 days after termination of the tenancy.
- Detail: For landlords with five or more units: an itemized statement within 30 days and the refund within 45 days. Chicago's RLTO has its own 45-day rule and double-deposit penalty.
- Itemized deductions: required in writing.
- Forwarding address: not a statutory condition of getting the deposit back.
- Penalty for wrongful withholding: Bad-faith failure to return or itemize exposes the landlord to twice the security deposit plus attorney's fees.
- Interest: Landlords with 25 or more units must pay interest on deposits held more than six months (765 ILCS 715).
- Small claims limit: $10,000.
- Statute: 765 ILCS 710/1 (Security Deposit Return Act).
What the statement has to do
- List each deduction separately with its amount; a single "cleaning and repairs" line is the kind of statement courts reject.
- Cover only damage beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid rent, and charges the lease allows.
- Keep the receipts, invoices, or estimates behind each line; the tenant can demand them and a court will.
- State the balance being returned and enclose it, or state that the deductions exceed the deposit.
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What missing the deadline costs
Bad-faith failure to return or itemize exposes the landlord to twice the security deposit plus attorney's fees. The statute does not ask whether the deductions were fair; it asks whether the tenant got the statement in time. Send the statement to the last address you have, by a method you can prove.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the 45-day clock start at move-out or at lease end?
A: At termination of the tenancy. When the two differ, the earlier date is the safer one to work from; a court will not credit you for days the tenant was already gone.
Q: Can I send the itemized statement by email in Illinois?
A: 765 ILCS 710/1 (Security Deposit Return Act) sets the deadline; use a delivery method you can prove, such as certified mail, and keep a copy. Email alone is hard to prove if the tenant denies receiving it.
Q: What if repairs are not finished within 45 days?
A: Send the statement anyway, with the estimate for the unfinished work marked as an estimate, and follow with the final figures. A late statement is the failure 765 ILCS 710/1 (Security Deposit Return Act) penalises; an estimated one is not.
Sources Checked
- 765 ILCS 710/1 (Security Deposit Return Act) (the Illinois statute cited above)
- LeaseLenses Illinois deposit and notice data set, last reviewed 2026-09-19; the same data powers the Illinois document tools
- Illinois landlord-tenant overview and the Illinois deposit rules page
This page is general legal information for Illinois, not legal advice. Statutes change; read the current text before relying on a deadline in court.
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Security deposit terms LeaseLenses should verify in your lease
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- Deposit amount, extra pet deposits, and prepaid charges
- Return deadline, itemized deduction language, and forwarding-address requirements
- Move-in condition, interest/account handling, and dispute wording
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