provision,subject,what_it_requires,key_figure,notes
5-12-070,"The maintenance duty","A landlord must maintain the premises in compliance with the Municipal Code and promptly make all necessary repairs.","continuing duty","The ordinance enumerates specific conditions constituting material non compliance, including failure to maintain structural integrity, heating or gas appliances, plumbing or electrical systems."
"minor defects","The fourteen day request","Where the landlord fails to maintain the property in compliance with the Code, and the tenant or their family or guests are not responsible, the tenant may request in writing that repairs be made within fourteen days.","14 days","The written request is the gateway to every remedy below."
"minor defects","Remedy one: withhold","If repairs are not made within fourteen days, the tenant may withhold an amount of rent that reasonably reflects the reduced value of the unit. Withholding begins from the fifteenth day and continues until repairs are made.","from day 15","The amount must reasonably reflect the reduction in rental value rather than being the full rent."
"minor defects","Remedy two: repair and deduct","Alternatively, after the same fourteen day written request, the tenant may have the repairs made and deduct up to 500 dollars or one half of the month rent, without exceeding one month rent.","500 dollars or half the rent","Repairs must be done by a professional. Receipts go to the landlord. Sources describe the threshold slightly differently, which is recorded in this dataset."
"major defects","Where the unit is not fit and habitable","Where the failure renders the premises not reasonably fit and habitable, the tenant may request in writing that repairs be made within fourteen days, and if they are not, may immediately terminate the lease.","14 days then terminate","The tenant must deliver possession and move out within thirty days or the termination notice is considered withdrawn."
"essential services","The seventy two hour route","Failure to provide an essential service such as heat carries a separate and faster remedy. Published sources describe a right to terminate where heat is not restored within seventy two hours of written notice, alongside rent withholding, paying for repairs, or relocating temporarily and recovering expenses.","72 hours","Homzora has not verified the seventy two hour figure against the ordinance text and records it as published."
heat,"The heating season","Heat must be provided from 15 September through 1 June.","Sept 15 to June 1",
heat,"Daytime minimum","Every habitable room, bathroom and toilet room must reach a minimum of 68 degrees Fahrenheit from 8:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night.","68 degrees","Chicago Municipal Code section 14X-8-802.2 as cited by published sources."
heat,"Overnight minimum","66 degrees Fahrenheit from 10:30 at night to 8:30 in the morning.","66 degrees",
"hot water","Year round","One published source states hot water must be available year round at a minimum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.","120 degrees","Single source. Homzora has not verified this against the code text."
"landlord remedy","The other direction","Where a tenant fails to comply with the Code or the rental agreement, the landlord may request in writing that the tenant comply promptly in an emergency, or within fourteen days otherwise. If the breach is not corrected, the landlord may enter and have the work done at the tenant cost.","14 days","The same fourteen day structure runs both ways."
"765 ILCS 742","The state level alternative","The Illinois Residential Tenants Right to Repair Act permits a tenant to pay to fix a problem threatening health and safety and deduct up to 500 dollars or half a month rent, whichever is greater, after written notice and a fourteen day wait.","500 dollars or half the rent, whichever is greater","This sits underneath the Chicago ordinance. Note the state act says whichever is greater where the city summary says up to 500 dollars or one half of the month rent without exceeding one month rent."
enforcement,"311 and city inspection","A tenant may file a complaint by calling 311, which triggers a city inspection and can result in citations from the Buildings Department.",311,"This runs independently of the lease and of any private remedy."
documentation,"What the remedies require","Verbal complaints do not satisfy the notice requirement. Written notice, temperature readings where heat is at issue, photographs and a record of communications are what establish the position.","written only","Every remedy in this dataset carries legal risk. A landlord may still sue for unpaid rent, and the defense depends on whether the process was followed and documented."