Pet Addendum in Illinois

Adds pet terms to a lease. Assistance animals for people with disabilities are not pets: no pet fee or pet rent may be charged for them under federal fair housing rules.

What Illinois law says

Pet deposits and fees	No pet-specific statute. Illinois sets no cap on security deposits; any refundable pet deposit held as security is subject to the Security Deposit Return Act's return and itemization rules. Starting with leases entered into on or after January 1, 2027 (except owner-occupied buildings of 6 or fewer units), every non-optional fee must be stated on the first page of the lease or the tenant is not liable for it, and a fee may not be renamed to avoid the rule (765 ILCS 705/35). Source: https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Articles?ActID=2201&ChapterID=62 Source: 765 ILCS 710 (Security Deposit Return Act)
Service & support animals (state law)	Illinois' Assistance Animal Integrity Act (eff. 2020) covers emotional support and service animals that qualify as a reasonable accommodation. A housing provider may require reliable documentation only if the disability or need is not readily apparent or known; documentation must be in writing, from someone with whom the person has a therapeutic relationship, and describe the disability-related need. Online certificate sellers that do no meaningful assessment do not qualify. Providers may offer a standard form but may not deny a request for not using it, may ask for documentation for each animal when more than one is requested, and may deny or rescind for undue burden, direct threat, substantial property damage, or uncontrolled behavior after an individualized assessment. Providers are immune from liability for injuries caused by a permitted assistance animal. The Act does not itself set a misrepresentation penalty or address pet fees; fee limits follow federal and state fair-housing law. Source: 310 ILCS 120/5, 120/10, 120/15

Pet deposits and fees

No pet-specific statute. Illinois sets no cap on security deposits; any refundable pet deposit held as security is subject to the Security Deposit Return Act's return and itemization rules.

Starting with leases entered into on or after January 1, 2027 (except owner-occupied buildings of 6 or fewer units), every non-optional fee must be stated on the first page of the lease or the tenant is not liable for it, and a fee may not be renamed to avoid the rule (765 ILCS 705/35). Source: https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Articles?ActID=2201&ChapterID=62

Source: 765 ILCS 710 (Security Deposit Return Act)

Service & support animals (state law)

Illinois' Assistance Animal Integrity Act (eff. 2020) covers emotional support and service animals that qualify as a reasonable accommodation. A housing provider may require reliable documentation only if the disability or need is not readily apparent or known; documentation must be in writing, from someone with whom the person has a therapeutic relationship, and describe the disability-related need. Online certificate sellers that do no meaningful assessment do not qualify. Providers may offer a standard form but may not deny a request for not using it, may ask for documentation for each animal when more than one is requested, and may deny or rescind for undue burden, direct threat, substantial property damage, or uncontrolled behavior after an individualized assessment. Providers are immune from liability for injuries caused by a permitted assistance animal.

The Act does not itself set a misrepresentation penalty or address pet fees; fee limits follow federal and state fair-housing law.

Source: 310 ILCS 120/5, 120/10, 120/15

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PET ADDENDUM to the lease for [rental address] dated [lease date]

Tenant: [tenant name] Pet(s): [type, breed, name, weight]

Pet deposit: $[pet deposit] (counts toward any state deposit limit where the law says so). Monthly pet rent: $[pet rent]

The tenant keeps the pet under control, cleans up after it, and pays for damage it causes beyond normal wear and tear.

Signatures and dates: [signatures]

Pet Addendum for other states · Illinois tenant rights

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.