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Illinois Notice to Vacate Letter
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[Date]
[Your landlord's name]
Re: Notice to vacate — [Rental property address]
Dear [Your landlord's name],
Please accept this letter as my formal written notice that I will terminate my tenancy at [Rental property address] and vacate the premises on [Move-out date].
Under Illinois Code of Civil Procedure — Notice to terminate tenancy for less than a year (735 ILCS 5/9-207), a month-to-month tenancy may be terminated by the tenant on 30 days written notice. This notice is given in accordance with that requirement and with any additional notice period my lease provides.
I will leave the unit clean and in good condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and will return all keys and access devices on or before my move-out date. I would like a move-out inspection during my final week; please propose a date and time.
Please send my security deposit, with any itemized statement required by law, to my forwarding address: [Your forwarding address]. Kindly confirm receipt of this notice in writing.
Sincerely,
[Your full name]
Know your rights
Notice to vacate law in Illinois
- Tenant notice required
- 30 days
- Governing statute
- 735 ILCS 5/9-207
- How the clock runs
- 30 days' written notice ends a month-to-month tenancy. The statute is worded in landlord-facing terms, but Illinois courts apply the same period reciprocally to tenants, and case law requires the notice to terminate at the end of a rental period — so deliver it at least 30 days before the last day of a rental month and name that last day as the termination date.
- Delivering the notice
- Notice must be in writing; personal delivery or certified mail with a kept copy and proof of delivery is the safe practice for a tenant.
- Fixed-term leases
- A fixed-term lease ends on its stated date with no statutory tenant notice (though many leases add their own non-renewal notice clause, which controls); a willful holdover can expose the tenant to double rent under 735 ILCS 5/9-202, while landlord acceptance of rent after the term can create a new month-to-month tenancy.
Worth knowing: Week-to-week tenancies need only 7 days' notice under § 9-207(a), and non-farm year-to-year tenancies need 60 days under 735 ILCS 5/9-205 (farm tenancies take 4 months under § 9-206). Chicago's RLTO and the Cook County RTLO add landlord-side obligations — Chicago's Fair Notice Ordinance requires 30 to 120 days from the landlord depending on length of occupancy — without shortening the tenant's 30-day duty. The Safe Homes Act (765 ILCS 750) lets victims of domestic or sexual violence terminate a lease early with written notice.
Last reviewed August 2026 · General information, not legal advice · Read the statute · Also for Illinois: security deposit demand letter
Field notes
Three tips before you send
- Notice must be in writing; personal delivery or certified mail with a kept copy and proof of delivery is the safe practice for a tenant.
- 30 days' written notice ends a month-to-month tenancy. The statute is worded in landlord-facing terms, but Illinois courts apply the same period reciprocally to tenants, and case law requires the notice to terminate at the end of a rental period — so deliver it at least 30 days before the last day of a rental month and name that last day as the termination date.
- Date math is unforgiving — the clock usually runs from the day your landlord receives the notice, not the day you write it. Build in a few days of cushion, and photograph the empty unit when you hand back the keys.
Other states
Notice to vacate letters for every state
Straight answers
Questions people ask
How much notice does a tenant have to give in Illinois?
30 days' written notice ends a month-to-month tenancy. The statute is worded in landlord-facing terms, but Illinois courts apply the same period reciprocally to tenants, and case law requires the notice to terminate at the end of a rental period — so deliver it at least 30 days before the last day of a rental month and name that last day as the termination date. The governing statute is Illinois Code of Civil Procedure — Notice to terminate tenancy for less than a year.
What happens when a fixed-term lease ends in Illinois?
A fixed-term lease ends on its stated date with no statutory tenant notice (though many leases add their own non-renewal notice clause, which controls); a willful holdover can expose the tenant to double rent under 735 ILCS 5/9-202, while landlord acceptance of rent after the term can create a new month-to-month tenancy. Check your lease for a renewal or notice clause — where the statute allows it, the lease controls.
Anything else Illinois renters should know before moving out?
Week-to-week tenancies need only 7 days' notice under § 9-207(a), and non-farm year-to-year tenancies need 60 days under 735 ILCS 5/9-205 (farm tenancies take 4 months under § 9-206). Chicago's RLTO and the Cook County RTLO add landlord-side obligations — Chicago's Fair Notice Ordinance requires 30 to 120 days from the landlord depending on length of occupancy — without shortening the tenant's 30-day duty. The Safe Homes Act (765 ILCS 750) lets victims of domestic or sexual violence terminate a lease early with written notice.
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When to use this letter
Moving out should be the easy part — but in Illinois, when you give notice and how you deliver it decide whether you owe another month of rent. The rule that matters: for a month-to-month tenancy, Illinois law generally requires 30 days written notice from the tenant, under Illinois Code of Civil Procedure — Notice to terminate tenancy for less than a year. This generator writes a tenant's notice to vacate that cites 735 ILCS 5/9-207 by name, states your move-out date, and asks for the move-out inspection and your deposit instructions in the same letter — so nothing gets renegotiated later. No blank template to fight with: fill in your landlord, the address, and the date, then send it in a way you can prove, because notice clocks here run from delivery, not from the day you write it.