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What Illinois’s deposit statute requires, the deadline computed from your dates, and a ready-to-send demand letter that quotes the rule.
765 ILCS 710/1. The citation and the quoted fragments below come from the official source recorded for this state.
“may not withhold any part of that deposit as reimbursement for property damage unless the lessor has, within 30 days of the date that the lessee vacated the leased premises or within 30 days of the date the lessee's right of possession ends, whichever is later, furnished to the lessee, by personal delivery, by postmarked mail directed to his or her last known address, or by electronic mail to a verified electronic mail address provided by the lessee, an itemized statement of the damage allegedly caused to the leased premises and the estimated or actual cost for repairing or replacing each item on that statement, attaching the paid receipts, or copies thereof, for the repair or replacement.”
“If no such statement and receipts, or copies thereof, are furnished to the lessee as required by this Section, the lessor shall return the security deposit in full within 45 days of the date that the lessee vacated the premises, delivered in person or by postmarked mail directed to the last known address of the lessee or another address provided by the lessee.”
“Costs specified in a written lease shall be for damage beyond normal wear and tear and reasonable to restore the leased premises to the same condition as at the time the lease began.”
“Upon a finding by a circuit court that a lessor has refused to supply the itemized statement required by this Section, or has supplied such statement in bad faith, and has failed or refused to return the amount of the security deposit due within the time limits provided, the lessor shall be liable for an amount equal to twice the amount of the security deposit due, together with court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.”
765 ILCS 710/1 — fragments captured from the official source on 2026-11-05.
This row was marked verified on 2026-11-04.
A lessor may not withhold any part of the deposit as reimbursement for property damage unless, within 30 days of the date the lessee vacated or the date the lessee's right of possession ended (whichever is later), it furnished the lessee an itemized statement of the damage with the estimated or actual repair/replacement cost and paid receipts; if no statement and receipts are furnished, the deposit must be returned in full within 45 days of the date the lessee vacated; deductions must be for damage beyond normal wear and tear and costs not specified in a written lease do not qualify.
If if the landlord refused to supply the itemized statement, or supplied it in bad faith, and also failed to return the deposit within the time limits, the statute provides for 2× the security deposit due to the tenant, plus reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs.
765 ILCS 710/1(c): on a circuit-court finding that the lessor refused to supply the itemized statement required by Section 1, or supplied it in bad faith, AND has failed or refused to return the amount of the deposit due within the time limits provided, the lessor is liable for an amount equal to twice the amount of the security deposit due, together with court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Both elements are required; no fee award on the statement violation alone.
The form asks for the deposit paid, the amount returned, and the dates. You see the whole letter, watermarked, before you pay. $9.99 for the letter, $19.99 for the pack with the follow-up letter, complaint options and the small-claims checklist.
Build my Illinois letter — free preview
The deadline is computed from the dates you enter using the rule recorded for Illinois: 45 calendar days after the later of the date your right of possession ended and the date you moved out.
Where the statute has a verified penalty, the letter states it as possible exposure and names the condition the statute sets. If if the landlord refused to supply the itemized statement, or supplied it in bad faith, and also failed to return the deposit within the time limits, the statute provides for 2× the security deposit due to the tenant, plus reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs.
Tell the builder that you received one. The letter acknowledges it and disputes the amounts you say are wrong.
No. It is a self-help document tool, not a law firm. If your claim is large or disputed, speak to a landlord-tenant lawyer or legal aid.