Rent Regulations

Illinois Safe Homes Act

765 ILCS 750 — Safe Homes Act. Allows victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking to terminate a lease early without penalty; prohibits landlord from discriminating against such tenants.

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Provisions (10)

Short title. This Act may be cited as the Safe Homes Act

Definitions. For purposes of this Act: "Domestic violence" means "abuse" as defined in Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 by a "family or household member" as defined in Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. "Landlord" means the owner of a building or the owner's agent with regard to matters concerning landlord's leasing of a dwelling. "Sexual violence" means any act of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or stalking of an adult or minor child, including but not limited to non-consensual sexual conduct or non-consensual sexual penetration as defined in the Civil No Contact Order Act and the offenses of stalking, aggravated stalking, criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual abuse, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse as those offenses are described in the Criminal Code of 2012. "Tenant" means a person who has entered into an oral or written lease with a landlord whereby the person is the lessee under the lease

Affirmative defense

Change of locks

Penalty for violation of lock-change provisions

Nondisclosure, confidentiality, and privilege

Nondisclosure violation penalty. A landlord who, in violation of Section 27, discloses that a tenant has exercised his or her rights under the Act, or discloses any information provided by the tenant in exercising those rights, shall be liable for actual damages up to $2,000 resulting from the disclosure. A tenant who successfully brings an action pursuant to this Section may be awarded reasonable attorney's fees and costs

Prohibition of waiver or modification. The provisions of this Act may not be waived or modified in any lease or separate agreement

Public housing excluded. This Act does not apply to public housing, assisted under the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq., and its implementing regulations, with the exception of the tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher program. Public housing includes dwelling units in mixed-finance projects that are assisted through a public housing authority's capital, operating, or other funds

Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to promote the State's interest in reducing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by enabling victims of domestic or sexual violence and their families to flee existing dangerous housing in order to leave violent or abusive situations, achieve safety, and minimize the physical and emotional injuries from domestic or sexual violence, and to reduce the devastating economic consequences thereof