Rent Regulations

Illinois Human Rights Act — Real Estate Transactions (Article 3)

775 ILCS 5, Article 3 — Real Estate Transactions. Illinois fair housing law: prohibits discrimination in sale, rental, or financing of housing on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, age, sexual orientation, or source of income. Narrow-scoped to Art. 3 (Real Estate) only; the broader Human Rights Act is out of scope. Confirmed live 2026-09-08.

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Provisions (11)

Definitions. The following definitions are applicable strictly in the context of this Article: (A) Real Property. "Real property" includes buildings, structures, real estate, lands, tenements, leaseholds, interests in real estate cooperatives, condominiums, and hereditaments, corporeal and incorporeal, or any interest therein. (B) Real Estate Transaction. "Real estate transaction" includes the sale, exchange, rental or lease of real property, or any act that otherwise makes available such a transaction or alters a person's rights to real property. "Real estate transaction" also includes the brokering or appraising of residential real property and the making or purchasing of loans or providing other financial assistance: (1) for purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a dwelling; or(2) secured by residential real estate. (C) Housing Accommodations. "Housing accommodation" includes any improved or unimproved real property, or part thereof, which is used or occupied, or is intended, arranged or designed to be used or occupied, as the home or residence of one or more individuals. (D) Real Estate Broker or Salesman. "Real estate broker or salesman" means a person, whether licensed or not, who, for or with the expectation of receiving a consideration, lists, sells, purchases, exchanges, rents, or leases real property, or who negotiates or attempts to negotiate any of these activities, or who holds oneself out as engaged in these. (E) Familial Status. "Familial status" means one or more individuals (who have not attained the age of 18 years) being domiciled with: (1) a parent or person having legal custody of such individual or individuals; or(2) the designee of such parent or other person having such custody, with the written permission of such parent or other person.The protections afforded by this Article against discrimination on the basis of familial status apply to any person who is pregnant or is in the process of securing legal custody of any individual who has not attained the age of 18 years. (F) Conciliation. "Conciliation" means the attempted resolution of issues raised by a charge, or by the investigation of such charge, through informal negotiations involving the aggrieved party, the respondent and the Department. (G) Conciliation Agreement. "Conciliation agreement" means a written agreement setting forth the resolution of the issues in conciliation. (H) Covered Multifamily Dwellings. As used in Section 3-102.1, "covered multifamily dwellings" means: (1) buildings consisting of 4 or more units if such buildings have one or more elevators; and(2) ground floor units in other buildings consisting of 4 or more units.(I) Immigration Status. "Immigration status" means a person's actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status

Civil rights violations; real estate transactions and other prohibited acts. It is a civil rights violation for an owner or any other person, or for a real estate broker or salesman, because of unlawful discrimination, familial status, immigration status, source of income, or an arrest record, as defined under subsection (B-5) of Section 1-103, to: (A) Transactions. Refuse to engage in a real estate transaction or deny real property, or to discriminate in making available such a transaction;(B) Terms. Alter the terms, conditions or privileges of a real estate transaction or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith;(C) Offers. Refuse to receive or to fail to transmit a bona fide offer in a real estate transaction from a person;(D) Negotiation. Refuse to negotiate a real estate transaction with a person;(E) Representations. Represent to a person that real property is not available for inspection, sale, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to fail to bring a property listing to the person's attention, or to refuse to permit the person to inspect real property;(F) Publication of Intent. Make, print, circulate, post, mail, publish or cause to be made, printed, circulated, posted, mailed, or published any notice, statement, advertisement or sign, or use a form of application for a real estate transaction, or make a record or inquiry in connection with a prospective real estate transaction, that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on unlawful discrimination or unlawful discrimination based on familial status, immigration status, source of income, or an arrest record, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination;(G) Listings. Offer, solicit, accept, use or retain a listing of real property with knowledge that unlawful discrimination or discrimination on the basis of familial status, immigration status, source of income, or an arrest record in a real estate transaction is intended.(H) Criteria. Use criteria or methods that have the effect of subjecting individuals to unlawful discrimination or discrimination based on familial status, immigration status, source of income, or an arrest record in a real estate transaction. Such criteria or methods are unlawful under this subsection if they are not necessary to achieve a substantial, legitimate, non-discriminatory interest; or if the substantial, legitimate, non-discriminatory interest could be served by another practice that has a less discriminatory effect

Disability. (A) It is a civil rights violation to refuse to sell or rent or to otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to any buyer or renter because of a disability of that buyer or renter, a disability of a person residing or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is sold, rented or made available or a disability of any person associated with the buyer or renter. (B) It is a civil rights violation to alter the terms, conditions or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling or the provision of services or facilities in connection with such dwelling because of a disability of a person with a disability or a disability of any person residing or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is sold, rented or made available, or a disability of any person associated with that person. (C) It is a civil rights violation: (1) to refuse to permit, at the expense of the person with a disability, reasonable modifications of existing premises occupied or to be occupied by such person if such modifications may be necessary to afford such person full enjoyment of the premises; except that, in the case of a rental, the landlord may, where it is reasonable to do so, condition permission for a modification on the renter agreeing to restore the interior of the premises to the condition that existed before modifications, reasonable wear and tear excepted. The landlord may not increase for persons with a disability any customarily required security deposit. However, where it is necessary in order to ensure with reasonable certainty that funds will be available to pay for the restorations at the end of the tenancy, the landlord may negotiate as part of such a restoration agreement a provision requiring that the tenant pay into an interest bearing escrow account, over a reasonable period, a reasonable amount of money not to exceed the cost of the restorations. The interest in any such account shall accrue to the benefit of the tenant. A landlord may condition permission for a modification on the renter providing a reasonable description of the proposed modifications as well as reasonable assurances that the work will be done in a workmanlike manner and that any required building permits will be obtained; (2) to refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when such accommodations may be necessary to afford such person equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling; or (3) in connection with the design and construction of covered multifamily dwellings for first occupancy after March 13, 1991, to fail to design and construct those dwellings in such a manner that:

Third-party loan modification service provider. (A) It is a civil rights violation for a third-party loan modification service provider, because of unlawful discrimination, familial status, immigration status, source of income, or an arrest record, to: (1) refuse to engage in loan modification services; (2) alter the terms, conditions, or privileges of such services; or(3) discriminate in making such services available, including, but not limited to, by making a statement, advertisement, representation, inquiry, listing, offer, or solicitation that indicates a preference or the intention to make such a preference in making such services available.(B) For purposes of this Section, "third-party loan modification service provider" means a person or entity, whether licensed or not, who, for or with the expectation of receiving consideration, provides assistance or services to a loan borrower to obtain a modification to a term of an existing real estate loan or to obtain foreclosure relief. "Third-party loan modification service provider" does not include lenders, brokers or appraisers of mortgage loans, or the servicers, subsidiaries, affiliates, or agents of the lender

Unlawful activity. The prohibition against the use of an arrest record under Section 3-102 shall not preclude an owner or any other person engaging in a real estate transaction, or a real estate broker or salesman, from prohibiting the tenant, a member of the tenant's household, or a guest of the tenant from engaging in unlawful activity on the premises

Blockbusting. It is a civil rights violation for any person to: (A) Solicitation. Solicit for sale, lease, listing or purchase any residential real estate within this State, on the grounds of loss of value due to the present or prospective entry into the vicinity of the property involved of any person or persons of any particular race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, immigration status, source of income, or disability. (B) Statements. Distribute or cause to be distributed, written material or statements designed to induce any owner of residential real estate in this State to sell or lease the owner's property because of any present or prospective changes in the race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, immigration status, source of income, or disability of residents in the vicinity of the property involved. (C) Creating Alarm. Intentionally create alarm, among residents of any community, by transmitting communications in any manner, including a telephone call whether or not conversation thereby ensues, with a design to induce any owner of residential real estate in this state to sell or lease the owner's property because of any present or prospective entry into the vicinity of the property involved of any person or persons of any particular race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, immigration status, source of income, or disability

Refusal to sell or rent because a person has a guide, hearing or support dog. It is a civil rights violation for the owner or agent of any housing accommodation to: (A) refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny property to any blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability because the blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability has a guide, hearing, or support dog; or (B) discriminate against any blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental property, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith, because the blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability has a guide, hearing, or support dog; or (C) require, because a blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability has a guide, hearing, or support dog, an extra charge in a lease, rental agreement, or contract of purchase or sale, other than for actual damage done to the premises by the dog

Restrictive covenants. (A) Agreements. Every provision in an oral agreement or a written instrument relating to real property which purports to forbid or restrict the conveyance, encumbrance, occupancy, or lease thereof on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin is void. (B) Limitations. (1) Every condition, restriction or prohibition, including a right of entry or possibility of reverter, which directly or indirectly limits the use or occupancy of real property on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin is void. (2) This Section shall not apply to a limitation of use on the basis of religion of real property held by a religious institution or organization or by a religious or charitable organization operated, supervised, or controlled by a religious institution or organization, and used for religious or charitable purposes. (C) Civil Rights Violations. It is a civil rights violation to insert in a written instrument relating to real property a provision that is void under this Section or to honor or attempt to honor such a provision in the chain of title

Interference, coercion, or intimidation. It is a civil rights violation to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of, or on account of his or her having exercised or enjoyed, or on account of his or her having aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or protected by this Article 3

Exemptions. Nothing contained in Section 3-102 shall prohibit: (A) Private Sales of Single Family Homes. (1) Any sale of a single family home by its owner so long as the following criteria are met:

§ Art. 3 heading

Section Art. 3 heading