DeKalb, IL Municipal Code Ch. 10 Landlord-Tenant Regulations § 10.10
Rental Agreements – Required Terms
Operative Text
a) All rental agreements shall be in writing.
b) Every Landlord who requires an application fee or a deposit to reserve a rental unit shall
disclose in writing the conditions under which the fee is refundable and non-refundable. If no
such disclosure is made, any such fee and/or deposit shall be deemed refundable. This
provision shall not apply to security deposits, which are governed in Section 10.14.
c) Crime Free Housing Lease Addendum.
Every rental agreement, including lease extensions and renewals, shall contain a crime free
lease provision, the purpose of which is to make criminal activity engaged by, facilitated by,
or permitted by the Tenant, the Tenant’s guest(s), any member of the Tenant’s household,
and any person under the Tenant’s control, a violation of the Tenant’s lease to provide the
Landlord with authority under the crime-free lease provision to initiate eviction proceedings
pursuant to state law. The crime free lease provision shall be included as a part of the lease
or made an addendum to the lease that is signed by both parties (see DeKalb Tenant
Handbook, Appendix A, Crime Free Lease Addendum). The crime free lease provision shall
be in the same or substantially similar form as the following:
Crime Free Housing Lease Provision:
In consideration of the execution or renewal of a lease of the rental unit identified in this lease
(the “leased premises), Landlord and Tenant agree as follows:
1. The Tenant, any member of the Tenant's household, Tenant's guest(s), and any person
under Tenant's control shall not engage in or facilitate unlawful activity in, on, at or about
the leased premises.
2. The Tenant, any member of the Tenant's household, Tenant's guest(s), and any person
under Tenant's control shall not permit the leased premises to be used for, or to facilitate,
unlawful activity, regardless of whether the individual engaging in such activity is a
member of the household, or a guest.
3. The Tenant, any member of the Tenant's household, Tenant's guest(s), and any person
under Tenant's control shall not engage in or facilitate any breach of the lease agreement
that jeopardizes the health, safety, and welfare of the Landlord, his agent, or other Tenant,
or involves imminent or actual serious property damage.
4. The Tenant is strictly and vicariously liable for the unlawful activity of any member of the
Tenant's household, Tenant's guest(s), and any person under Tenant's control, whether
or not the Tenant had knowledge of the activity or whether or not the household member
or guest was under the Tenant's control.
5. In case of conflict between the provisions of this addendum and any other provisions of
the lease, the provisions of this addendum shall govern.
6. For purposes of this Lease Section, unlawful activity shall mean the following:
(i) Any offense defined and prohibited by Section 6-16 (Prohibited Sales and Possession)
or Section 6-20 (Transfer, possessions, and consumption of alcoholic liquor;
restrictions) of the Liquor Control Act of 1934, 235 ILCS 5/6-16 and 5/6-20, as may be
amended from time to time.
(ii) Any offense that constitutes a felony or misdemeanor under the Illinois Criminal Code
of 1961, 720 ILCS 5/1-1, et seq., as may be amended from time to time.
(iii) Any offense defined and prohibited by Chapters 38 and 52 of the City of DeKalb
Municipal Code, as may be amended from time to time.
7. For purposes of this Lease Section, pursuant to 65 ILCS 5/1-2-1.5, unlawful activity shall
not mean the following:
(i) Contact made to the police or other emergency services, if: a) the contact was made
with the intent to prevent or respond to domestic violence or sexual violence; b) the
intervention of emergency assistance was needed to respond to or prevent domestic
violence or sexual violence; or c) the contact was made by, on behalf of, or otherwise
concerns an individual with a disability and the purpose of the contact was related to
that individual's disability;
(ii) An incident or incidents of actual or threatened domestic violence or sexual violence
against a tenant, household member, or guest occurring in the dwelling unit or on the
leased premises; or
(iii) Unlawful activity or a violation of this Code occurring in the dwelling unit or on the
leased premises that is directly relating to domestic violence or sexual violence,
engaged in by a tenant, member of a tenant's household, guest, or other party, and
against a tenant, household member, guest, or other party.
8. Violation of any of the above provisions shall be a material and irreparable violation of the
lease and good cause for termination of the tenancy; provided, however, a Tenant shall
not be retaliated against nor evicted when merely a victim of unlawful activity, but the
Tenant shall be strictly and vicariously liable and responsible for the unlawful activity of
the Tenant’s guests, any member of the Tenant’s household, and any person under the
Tenant’s control. A single violation of any of the provisions hereof shall be deemed a
serious violation and material non-compliance with the lease. It is understood and agreed
that a single violation shall be good cause for immediate termination of the lease. Unless
otherwise provided by law, proof of unlawful activity based upon a preponderance of the
evidence shall be sufficient to establish a violation of the crime free housing lease
provision. Tenant consents to venue in any court within the county wherein the unit is
located in the event Owner initiates legal action against the Tenant.
To the extent permitted by law, Tenant agrees that service of process of any legal
proceeding, including but not limited to, a special detainer or forcible detainer action, or
service of any notice to Tenant, shall be effective and sufficient for purposes of providing
legal service and conferring personal jurisdiction upon any Illinois court as to any Tenant,
co-signor, occupant or guarantor, if served upon any occupant or other person of suitable
age and discretion who is present at the premises and residing therein, notwithstanding
the fact that a Tenant, co-signor, occupant or guarantor may reside at a different location
other than the property address described in the lease agreement. This agreement
regarding service is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any manner of service authorized
under Illinois law or rule. By signing this lease, the undersigned hereby waives any
objection to service carried out under the terms of this agreement.
d) A Landlord is authorized to ban Tenant’s guests or invitees who engage in conduct that
Landlord reasonably believes is prohibited by the Crime Free Housing Lease Addendum.
e) Failure of Landlords to comply with the Crime Free Housing Lease Provision shall be
punishable by a minimum fine of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per day for every day
that rental agreement does not contain the Crime Free Housing Lease Provision.
Notwithstanding a Landlord’s failure to comply with the Crime Free Housing Lease Provision
in a rental agreement, any action to enforce this Section shall be stayed and dismissed if the
Landlord promptly complies with this Section shall be stayed and dismissed if the Landlord
promptly complies with this Section and exercises reasonable care to abate unlawful activity
at the Rental Property.DeKalb Municipal Code Ch. 10 § 10.10 establishes several mandatory requirements for rental agreements in DeKalb, IL. All leases must be in writing, application fees must come with written refund disclosures (or be treated as fully refundable), and every rental agreement—including renewals and extensions—must include a Crime Free Housing Lease Addendum signed by both parties. The addendum makes criminal activity by tenants, household members, guests, or anyone under the tenant's control a lease violation and grounds for eviction, while explicitly protecting victims of domestic or sexual violence from retaliation or eviction solely on that basis.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 10.10, compliant landlords in DeKalb ensure that every rental agreement, lease renewal, and extension is in writing and contains the Crime Free Housing Lease Addendum in the form specified by the ordinance, signed by all parties. When collecting application fees or reservation deposits, operators provide written disclosure of the conditions under which those fees are refundable or non-refundable before collecting them. Landlords who fail to include the Crime Free Housing Lease Provision face fines of at least $1,000 per day for each day of non-compliance, though prompt correction and reasonable efforts to address unlawful activity can result in enforcement action being stayed and dismissed.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 10.10 requires that tenants in DeKalb receive a written rental agreement that includes the Crime Free Housing Lease Addendum, and that any application fee refund conditions be disclosed in writing before a fee is collected—if no disclosure is made, the fee is deemed refundable. Importantly, the addendum as required by § 10.10 explicitly states that tenants who are victims of domestic violence or sexual violence cannot be retaliated against or evicted solely because of that status, and that emergency calls related to domestic or sexual violence do not constitute a lease violation. Tenants who believe their landlord has failed to meet these requirements—such as by omitting required disclosures or improperly applying the crime-free provision—may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or review the DeKalb Tenant Handbook for guidance on available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 10, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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