An Illinois 5 day notice, also called a 5-day eviction notice or notice to quit, is a type of eviction notice template that a landlord gives a tenant who owes rent. It tells the tenant that the lease will be terminated if the rent is not paid within a stated time, which must be not less than 5 days after service.[1] It is a notice, not a court order. Use the free form below to create it and download it as a PDF.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Illinois law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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Under 735 ILCS 5/9-209, a landlord or the landlord's agent can demand rent any time after it is due. The landlord does this by notifying the tenant, in writing, that the lease will be terminated if payment is not made within a stated time. That time must be not less than 5 days after service of the notice.[1]
To prevent invalidation, the notice must also prominently state the following:
Only FULL PAYMENT of the rent demanded in this notice will waive the landlord's right to terminate the lease under this notice, unless the landlord agrees in writing to continue the lease in exchange for receiving partial payment.
In plain words, only full payment of the rent demanded ends the landlord's right to terminate the lease under that notice. The landlord may, however, agree in writing to continue the lease in exchange for receiving partial payment.[1] The FormsPal template already prints this paragraph, so you do not have to write it.
A valid 5-day notice for unpaid rent therefore does four things:
A notice is not a lockout. Under 735 ILCS 5/9-101, no person may make an entry into lands or tenements except where the law allows entry. Even then, entry must be peaceable and without force. In plain words, a landlord may not force a tenant out.[2]
| Document Name | Illinois 5-Day Eviction Notice Form |
| Other Names | Illinois 5-Day Notice to Quit, Illinois 5-Day Notice to Vacate |
| Relevant Laws | Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, 735 ILCS 5/9-209 |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 10 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 27 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
Looking for a different notice? See our Illinois eviction notice templates for the other notices used in the state.
The FormsPal template has four parts, and you fill them in from top to bottom. You can answer the questions in the online builder above or fill in the downloaded PDF with our PDF editor. Then print the notice and sign it.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Illinois 5-day eviction notice template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Illinois law lists the ways a landlord can serve an eviction notice on a tenant. The notice can be handed to the tenant, left with a person who lives at the home, or sent by certified or registered mail. The steps below put those methods in order and add what to keep as proof.[3]
For unpaid rent, the shortest notice period is 5 days. Under 735 ILCS 5/9-209, the landlord must give the tenant not less than 5 days after service to pay. The notice must be in writing.[1]
A landlord can give a tenant a written eviction notice that ends the lease if the rent is not paid within the time it states. That time must be at least 5 days after service.[1] This is a notice, not a court order.
When a tenant is in default of any term of the lease, the law says it is not necessary to give more than 10 days' notice to quit. The landlord can give that notice at any time after the default.[4]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
