Chicago Residential Landlord & Tenant Ordinance

Under Chicago’s Residential Landlord & Tenant Ordinance, a landlord must keep the rental property in compliance with all applicable city building and housing codes and make needed repairs promptly to meet those standards. This duty helps ensure rental homes remain safe, habitable, and up to local code.

Yes. The ordinance requires landlords to fix and maintain the property so it complies with Chicago’s municipal code. That means if there’s a repair issue that affects the basic condition of the home — like plumbing, heating, or structural problems — the landlord must address it quickly in line with code requirements.

Section 5-12-070 itself states the landlord’s duty to maintain the property, and other parts of the ordinance explain tenant remedies when a landlord materially fails to comply. In many cases, a tenant may be able to notify the landlord of the deficiency and, if the landlord does not make repairs within a reasonable time, seek remedies such as withholding rent, hiring a professional to fix the problem and deducting the cost, or terminating the lease — all subject to specific notice rules and ordinance requirements.