Free Illinois Security Deposit Itemization — overview

An Illinois Security Deposit Itemization is the itemized statement of damage a landlord must furnish under 765 ILCS 710/1 before keeping any part of a security deposit for damage to the unit. The statement lists each damaged item and the estimated or actual cost of repairing or replacing it, with the paid receipts or copies attached, and it must be furnished within 30 days after the tenant vacated or the tenant’s right of possession ended, whichever is later. If no statement is furnished, the whole deposit is due within 45 days of move-out, and a refused or bad-faith statement combined with a late or withheld refund exposes the landlord to twice the deposit due plus court costs and attorney’s fees under section 1(c). The form on this page produces a complete itemized statement with a built-in deductions calculator; the rest of this guide walks through the legal framework, the deductible-versus-non-deductible standard, and the documentation requirements.

What this itemization does

An Illinois Security Deposit Itemization is the itemized statement of damage a landlord must furnish to a tenant under 765 ILCS 710/1 before withholding any part of a security deposit for damage. It does three things at once.

First, it explains every damage deduction. The statement must identify the damage allegedly caused to the premises and the estimated or actual cost of repairing or replacing each item. A general line such as “deductions for cleaning and damage” does not identify items or costs. Each deduction should stand on its own, described specifically enough that the tenant and a court can tell whether it is damage or normal wear and tear and whether the amount is reasonable.

Second, it documents the cost. The statute requires the paid receipts, or copies, for the repair or replacement to be attached. Where the work has not been done and the statement gives an estimate, the landlord must furnish the paid receipts within 30 days after the statement was furnished. A landlord who did the work personally may include the reasonable cost of that labor.

Third, it meets the deadline. The statement is due within 30 days after the tenant vacated or the tenant’s right of possession ended, whichever is later. If no statement and receipts are furnished, the landlord must return the security deposit in full within 45 days of the date the tenant vacated. Those three elements (itemization, documentation, timing) are what a court looks at when it decides whether the landlord refused to supply a statement or supplied one in bad faith under section 1(c).

The form on this page produces a complete itemized statement with a built-in deductions calculator, automatic balance computation, the Illinois statutory reference and a delivery block. The remainder of this guide walks through the legal framework, the deductible-versus-non-deductible standard, and the documentation that makes a deduction defensible.

Illinois legal framework — 765 ILCS 710

The itemization rule comes from the Security Deposit Return Act, 765 ILCS 710. Its operative section, 710/1, was substantially amended by Public Act 103-224 (effective January 1, 2024), which added email delivery, lease-specified charges and the verified-statement fallback. Interest is a separate statute, the Security Deposit Interest Act, 765 ILCS 715. Chicago units are also governed by the city’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, which has its own deposit rules and should be checked separately.

The provisions that matter for itemization

765 ILCS 710/1(a): the 30-day statement. A landlord “may not withhold any part of that deposit as reimbursement for property damage” unless, within 30 days of the date the tenant vacated or the date the tenant’s right of possession ended, whichever is later, the landlord furnishes an itemized statement of the damage and the estimated or actual cost of repairing or replacing each item, “attaching the paid receipts, or copies thereof.” Delivery may be by personal delivery, by postmarked mail directed to the tenant’s last known address, or by electronic mail to a verified electronic mail address provided by the tenant.

765 ILCS 710/1(a): estimates, own labor and lease-specified costs. If an estimated cost is given, the landlord must furnish paid receipts, or copies, within 30 days from the date the statement was furnished. A landlord who uses his or her own labor may include its reasonable cost. If a written lease specifies the cost for cleaning, repair or replacement of a component, the landlord may withhold that amount, provided it is for damage beyond normal wear and tear and reasonable to restore the premises to their condition when the lease began; the statement must reference that amount and include a copy of the applicable part of the lease.

765 ILCS 710/1(a): the 45-day full refund. If no statement and receipts are furnished as required, the landlord must return the security deposit in full within 45 days of the date the tenant vacated. If the tenant fails to provide a mailing or email address, the landlord is not held liable for damages or penalties because of that failure.

765 ILCS 710/1(b) and (c): unavailable receipts and the remedy. When receipts cannot be produced through no fault of the landlord, subsection (b) substitutes an itemized list of the cost, any other evidence of the cost, and a verified statement explaining why. Under subsection (c), if a circuit court finds the landlord refused to supply the itemized statement, or supplied it in bad faith, and failed or refused to return the deposit due within the time limits, the landlord is liable for twice the security deposit due, together with court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.

Move-out walk-throughs in Illinois

The Security Deposit Return Act does not create a pre-move-out inspection right, and it does not require the landlord to give a preliminary list of expected charges. A voluntary joint walk-through before the keys are returned is still good practice: it gives the tenant a chance to fix problems and gives both sides a shared record of the unit’s condition. It does not replace the itemized statement, which is still due within the 30-day window. See our Illinois Move-In/Move-Out Checklist guide for documenting condition at both ends of the tenancy.

Federal anti-discrimination overlay

Independent of 765 ILCS 710, the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.) and Illinois’s fair housing law prohibit deposit-handling decisions that target tenants based on race, religion, national origin, familial status, disability, or other protected characteristics. A landlord who consistently charges higher cleaning amounts to families with children, or applies different deduction standards to tenants of certain backgrounds, invites a fair-housing claim with its own remedies, separate from section 1(c).

When and how to deliver

The 30-day clock

The 30 days run from the date the tenant vacated the premises or the date the tenant’s right of possession ended, whichever is later. A tenant who moves out early under a lease that runs to the end of the month therefore starts the clock at the end of the lease term, not on the moving day. Document both dates: the key return (photographs, a signed key receipt or walk-through form) and the lease end or termination date.

Within those 30 days the landlord must furnish the itemized statement with the paid receipts or copies. The statute does not separately set a date for paying the balance when a statement is sent, so the safe practice is to send the undisputed balance with the statement. If no statement is furnished at all, the entire deposit is due within 45 days of move-out.

Method of delivery

765 ILCS 710/1(a) allows three methods for the statement: personal delivery, postmarked mail directed to the tenant’s last known address, or electronic mail to a verified electronic mail address provided by the tenant. Certified mail with return receipt requested is postmarked mail with proof of the date, which makes it the most useful choice when a dispute is likely. Email counts only if it goes to an address the tenant provided and that has been verified. Paid receipts that follow an estimate are delivered in person or by postmarked mail to the last known address or another address the tenant provided.

Delivery address

Deliver to the forwarding address or other address the tenant provided. If none was provided, use the tenant’s last known address, which is often the rental unit itself. The statute adds that if the tenant fails to provide a mailing address or email address, the landlord is not held liable for damages or penalties as a result of that failure; keep the mailing record that shows where and when you sent it.

What to do if you discover damage after delivery

Section 1(a) ties the right to withhold for damage to a statement furnished within the 30-day window. Inspect thoroughly before sending it, including appliances, closets and exterior areas the tenant used, and do not count on adding charges after the window closes. If an item needs a contractor’s quote, list it as an estimate within the window and follow up with the paid receipt within 30 days of the statement.

Categories of deductible expenses

The Security Deposit Return Act describes a deposit taken “to secure the payment of rent or to compensate for damage to the leased premises.” Section 1 regulates withholding for property damage, which is where the itemization, receipts and deadlines apply. The practical categories are these.

1. Unpaid rent

Rent the tenant owes and did not pay can be applied from the deposit, because the deposit secures the payment of rent. The receipts rule in section 1 is written for damage, but list any rent applied on the same statement so the tenant sees one complete accounting. Document it with the lease (rent amount) and the rent ledger. Late fees depend on the lease; Illinois courts review late-fee clauses and can refuse to enforce a charge that works as a penalty rather than a reasonable estimate of loss.

2. Repair or replacement of damage the tenant caused

Specific damage attributable to the tenant (large holes, broken fixtures, pet damage, water damage from negligence, missing items) can be withheld if the statement lists each item with its estimated or actual repair or replacement cost and attaches the paid receipts or copies. The wear-versus-damage standard is covered in section 5.

3. Cleaning that repairs tenant-caused conditions

Cleaning is a damage item like any other: heavy grease, pet contamination, trash and belongings left behind, or smoke residue can be itemized with the cleaner’s paid receipt. Ordinary dust and light use are wear. The deduction must say what was cleaned and why; “general cleaning” identifies nothing. If the lease specifies a cleaning cost, section 1(a) lets the landlord withhold that amount only if it is for damage beyond normal wear and tear and reasonable to restore the unit to its starting condition, with the lease page attached.

4. Lease-specified component charges

Since 2024, a written lease may specify the cost for cleaning, repair or replacement of a component of the unit, building or common areas, including a component that will not be replaced if damaged. The landlord may withhold the specified dollar amount if the charge is for damage beyond normal wear and tear and reasonable, and the itemized statement references the amount and includes a copy of the applicable part of the lease. Any charge not specified in the lease follows the ordinary receipts rule.

What you cannot deduct: normal wear and tear of any kind, routine repainting or carpet cleaning between tenancies without specific damage, repairs to conditions that existed before the tenancy, the landlord’s own maintenance obligations, costs of re-leasing the unit (advertising, commissions), or damage charges with no statement, receipts or estimate furnished within the 30-day window.

Wear and tear vs. damage — the standard

The wear-versus-damage distinction is the single most important analytical question in security deposit deductions, and the most common source of bad-faith retention claims. Illinois courts and the statutory framework draw the line clearly: damage is what