(a) If the lessor, or agent of the lessor, of residential real property, containing 100 or more residential units in either a single building or a complex of buildings, maintains a business office on the premises of the building or complex that has regularly scheduled office hours, then the lessor, or agent of the lessor, must accept rent payments from a lessee of any of those residential units at that business office during the regularly scheduled office hours and the lessor may not impose any penalty, fee, or charge for making rent payments in this manner that are otherwise considered timely under the lease, but the landlord may refuse to accept payment by cash when rent payments are made in this manner.
9-218.Rent payments at business office.
Article IX. Eviction · Part 2. Recovery of Rent; · Last amended 2005 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceLarge residential landlords, those with a hundred or more units who keep a staffed on-site office, must let tenants pay rent in person there during office hours, free of any extra fee, though they can still refuse cash.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/9-218
(b) This Section applies to each lease and other rental agreement in effect on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly unless there is specific language in that lease or other rental agreement that conflicts with the provisions of this Section. If any provision of a lease or other rental agreement entered into, extended, or renewed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly conflicts with the provisions of this Section, then that provision of the lease or other rental agreement is void and unenforceable.
Plain-English Summary
Section 9-218 applies only to sizable residential operations: a lessor or agent of residential property with one hundred or more units in a single building or complex, who maintains a business office on the premises with regularly scheduled hours. Under subsection (a), that lessor or agent must accept rent payments from a lessee of any of those units at the business office during those regular hours, and may not impose any penalty, fee, or charge for paying that way, as long as the payment is otherwise timely under the lease.
The subsection leaves the landlord one carve-out: even though other forms of payment must be accepted at the office, the landlord may still refuse to accept cash when rent is paid this way.
Subsection (b) sets the section's reach in time. It applies to leases already in effect when this amendatory Act took hold, unless that particular lease has language conflicting with the section. For leases entered into, extended, or renewed after the amendatory Act's effective date, any conflicting provision in the lease is void and unenforceable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which landlords must accept in-person rent payments at a business office?
Those with one hundred or more residential units in a single building or complex who maintain an on-site business office with regularly scheduled hours.
Can the landlord charge extra for accepting rent this way?
No, not if the payment is otherwise timely under the lease.
Must the landlord accept cash at the office?
No. The landlord may refuse cash payments made in person at the office.
Does this section apply to leases signed before the law took effect?
Yes, unless that lease has specific language conflicting with the section.
What happens to a new lease provision that conflicts with this section?
It is void and unenforceable if the lease was entered into, extended, or renewed after the amendatory Act's effective date.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 94-2, eff. 5-31-05.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
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