Illinois tenants may be eligible to receive CBRAP assistance if:
-They have a pending eviction due to nonpayment. A court-summons document will be required.
-The household lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence.
-The household’s total gross income does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income for location (find county income limits here.)
-The household experienced a financial hardship, including a loss of income or increased expenses, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to program funding being exhausted, the Illinois Housing Development Authority is pausing the Court-Based Rental Assistance Program subject to additional funding. Current applicants can check the status of their CBRAP application here.
If you are risk of eviction, please contact a legal aid organization or a HUD-approved housing counseling agency right away.
No, CBRAP assistance is available to all eligible renters in Illinois regardless of immigration status. CBRAP assistance is not a “public charge” benefit.
Yes. If your tenant is an Illinois resident and rents the unit as their primary residence, they may be eligible for CBRAP assistance.
CBRAP assistance will cover up to 18 months of emergency rental payments, which includes up to two months of future rent payments. Rent owed starting March 2020 may be paid for with CBRAP funds. In addition, the combined assistance received from CBRAP may not exceed a total of $10,000.
Yes. Tenants may be eligible for CBRAP assistance provided they rent their own unit and are not members of the housing provider’s household.
There is not a limit. Housing providers/landlords will need to apply separately for each household that has a court case number.
Due to program funding being exhausted, the Illinois Housing Development Authority is pausing the Court-Based Rental Assistance Program subject to additional funding.
Housing providers/landlords will need the following information to apply:
- Valid email addresses for the tenant and landlord
- Rental unit information (unit type, address, rent amount)
- Grant payment information for check distribution
- Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (if payment is made to an individual)
- Employee Identification Number (if payment is made to a business entity)
Housing providers/landlords will need to upload the following documents during the application process:
- Evidence of past-due rent
- Copy of current installment of property tax bill or current monthly mortgage statement (dated within 90 days) or other proof of ownership.
- Current signed lease (if available)
- Fully executed and current property management agreement (if payment is made to a property manager)
- Eviction court documents (court case summons document)
- Proof of identity or LLC, Certificate of Good Standing, or Articles of Incorporation.
A list of acceptable documents is available here
A current lease must be provided, if available. If a current lease is not available, housing providers and tenants are still permitted to apply.
No. Tenants do not need to provide a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
After the tenant completes their application, it will be matched with their landlord’s corresponding application if one has been submitted and will be considered eligible for review. If the landlord has not yet completed their application, they will receive an email notification inviting them to create a CBRAP account and apply. Housing providers/landlords can check to see if their tenant has completed their application by logging into their CBRAP account and viewing their status on the application dashboard.If further information is needed, you will be contacted by IHDA via email with further instructions.If the landlord does not complete their section of the application, they will be considered unresponsive, and the tenant’s application will go through a separate review process. Those tenants may receive CBRAP funds directly and will be contacted by IHDA with further instructions.
After the housing provider/landlord and the tenant have both submitted their information, the application will enter IHDA’s queue for review.
Check the status of your CBRAP application here.
IHDA expects extremely high demand for CBRAP assistance and will review completed applications as quickly as possible.
All program communications will be sent to the email addresses provided in the application. Please make sure you maintain access to the email accounts associated with the application throughout the entire review and approval process.
If you have any questions or if you are unsure about anything regarding your CBRAP application, please click here for a list of Housing Stability Service agencies standing by to help.
For additional information, contact the CBRAP call center at 866-IL-HELP1 (866-454-3571). Call center representatives can answer questions related to the CBRAP program and provide further assistance if needed.
IHDA takes all allegations of fraud seriously. If you have reason to believe someone is providing fraudulent information in an attempt to obtain emergency rental assistance, please visit ilrpp.ihda.org/Application/ReportFraud and provide as much detail as possible so that IHDA can promptly investigate the matter. Alternatively, persons can file a complaint online with the Office of the Executive Inspector General.
Illinois tenants residing may be eligible to receive CBRAP assistance if:
- They have a pending eviction due to nonpayment. A court summons document will be required.
- The household lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence.
- The household’s total gross income does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income for location (find county income limits here.)
- The household experienced a financial hardship, including a loss of income or increased expenses, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to program funding being exhausted, the Illinois Housing Development Authority is pausing the Court-Based Rental Assistance Program subject to additional funding. Current applicants can check the status of their CBRAP application here.
If you are risk of eviction, please contact a legal aid organization or a HUD-approved housing counseling agency right away.
No, CBRAP assistance is available to all eligible renters in Illinois regardless of immigration status. CBRAP assistance is not a “public charge” benefit.
No, your application will be ineligible for review. You must be in a court eviction proceeding and provide eviction court documentation to receive assistance from CBRAP.
Due to program funding being exhausted, the Illinois Housing Development Authority is pausing the Court-Based Rental Assistance Program subject to additional funding.
Renters will need the following information to apply:
- Valid email addresses for the tenant and landlord
- Court case number
-Monthly rent and amount past due.
Renters will need to upload the following documents during the application process:
- Eviction court documents (court case summons document)
- Government-issued photo ID (regardless of expiration date)
- A utility bill or proof of address dated 90 days prior to the application (if the address on your ID is not your current address)
- Proof of current household income
- Proof of past-due rent
- Proof of public assistance (if applicable)
- Recertification of income (if applicable)
A list of acceptable documents is available here
Landlords and tenants must provide a current lease in their application if one is available. However, if a current lease is not available, you may still apply for assistance.
No, a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is not required for tenants.
After the tenant completes their application, it will be matched with their landlord’s corresponding application if one has been submitted and will be considered eligible for review. If the landlord has not yet completed their application, they will receive an email notification inviting them to create a CBRAP account and apply. Tenants can check to see if their landlord has completed their application by logging into their CBRAP account and viewing their status on the application dashboard.If further information is needed, you will be contacted by IHDA via email with further instructions.If the landlord does not complete their section of the application, they will be considered unresponsive, and the tenant’s application will go through a separate review process. Those tenants may receive CBRAP funds directly and will be contacted by IHDA with further instructions.
Check the status of your CBRAP application here.
IHDA expects extremely high demand for CBRAP assistance and will review completed applications as quickly as possible.
All program communications will be sent to the email addresses provided in the application. Please make sure you maintain access to the email accounts associated with the application throughout the entire review and approval process.
If you have any questions or if you are unsure about anything regarding your CBRAP application, please click here for a list of Housing Stability Service agencies standing by to help.
For additional information, contact the CBRAP call center at 866-IL-HELP1 (866-454-3571). Call center representatives can answer questions related to the CBRAP program and provide further assistance if needed.
Eviction Help Illinois is a state-funded network of legal aid and mediation service providers ready to help Illinoisans impacted by the eviction crisis. The goal is to keep people in their homes while also preventing foreclosures on rental property. Eviction Help Illinois connects renters and landlords to rental assistance, legal information and mediation services where available. Legal aid attorneys are available to advise and represent tenants should eviction proceedings move forward. Services are funded by a partnership between the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation.
-Call 855-631-0811 to talk with a legal aid professional and decide your next steps
-Visit evictionhelpillinois.org to chat with a virtual assistant
-Text “Eviction Help” to 844-938-4280 (English) or 844-938-4289 (Spanish)
All services are available in English and Spanish.
Landlords can access free legal information and chat with a virtual assistant at evictionhelpillinois.org.
Catholic Charities Legal Assistance (provides legal advice across the state, including Cook and Lake Counties. No restrictions on immigration status)-Land of Lincoln Legal Aid (serves 65 counties in central and southern Illinois)-North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic (serves residents in Lake and northern Cook Counties)-Prairie State Legal Services (serves 36 counties in northern and western Illinois)-University YMCA (serves immigrant populations in Champaign County)
*Please note that all referrals should be made to the hotline, text and website information listed above rather than to the individual organizations listed here.
Legal aid organizations have a regular presence at the eviction call only in certain Circuit Courts. This is subject to change as case volume increases in certain courts. For the most updated information, please call Eviction Help Illinois at 855-631-0811.
Mediation is an opportunity for landlords and tenants to resolve issues with the help of a knowledgeable and neutral person.
Eviction Help Illinois-funded court-based mediation services are available in the following counties: Alexander, Champaign, Cook, Jackson, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Macon, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, St Clair, Union, Williamson and Winnebago.
Eviction Help Illinois-funded mediation programs are available in the 1st, 6th, 16th, 17th, 20th and 21st Judicial Circuits. Additional court mediation services are offered in Lake, Madison and Rock Island Counties. Other mediation programs are in formation. For the most updated information, please call Eviction Help Illinois at 855-631-0811.
-Center for Conflict Resolution provides training for mediators in eviction mediation programs.
-Dispute Resolution Institute provides a combination of onsite and virtual eviction mediation services in the 1st, 6th, and 20th judicial courts.
-Resolution Systems Institute provides onsite/virtual hybrid mediation services in the 16th Circuit and virtual mediation programming in the 17th and 21st Circuits.
Eviction Help Illinois partners can refer interested landlords and tenants to the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Court-Based Rental Assistance online portal and to housing counseling organizations for guidance. Some partners may be able to assist with the CBRAP application, though this is not their area of expertise.
Court partners can take the following actions:
- Refer litigants to the Court-Based Rental Assistance Program as well as legal aid and mediation services:
Statewide: evictionhelpillinois.org
- Help litigants apply for the Court-Based Rental Assistance program and check the status of their applications.
- Ask for a case to be continued to allow parties to seek legal assistance and rent assistance and provide referral information for legal aid and rental assistance programs.
- Direct litigants to the statewide approved orders in eviction cases to help facilitate resolutions (e.g., Agreed Order Dismissing Eviction Case with Permission to Reinstate, Agreed order in Eviction Case (Pay & Stay), Agreed Order in Eviction Case (Defendants Agree to Move)
Landlords and tenants should inform the judge that a CBRAP application is pending, and the judge may continue the case to allow time for the application to be processed. To check the status of applications submitted with the Illinois Housing Development Authority, visit www.IllinoisHousingHelp.org.
The eviction process involves the following steps:
1. Notice to Terminate Tenancy (eviction notice): A landlord must give a tenant written notice before starting an eviction case in court. This is often a 5-day notice, and if the tenant pays within the 5 days, the landlord must take the money.
2. Filing an Eviction Case: If the tenant does not pay the rent within the notice period, the landlord can file an eviction case in court. The landlord will file an Eviction Complaint, which starts the case, as well as an Eviction Summons, which informs the tenant the case has been sent to eviction court. While the Complaint creates the court case, it does not mean the eviction has been approved.
3. Eviction Order Entered: A hearing will be held and once the judge has enough information, they will make a decision and enter an order. If the judge rules in favor of the landlord, an Eviction Order will be issued, meaning the tenant has lost the right to stay in the unit and the eviction process will proceed. The order may also require the tenant to pay any past-due rent, which may include rent accumulated during the eviction process.
4. Eviction by the Sheriff: After the judge issues an Eviction Order, the Sheriff has the authority to remove a tenant from their home and prevent them from entering. After the Sheriff evicts a tenant, the landlord can remove any remaining belongings from the home. Eviction procedure changes from county to county, contact your Sheriff's office to find out what their process is
A landlord can evict a tenant if the tenant:
- Fails to pay rent.
- Breaks any of the rules in the lease agreement.
- Damages the property.
- Does not leave the property after the lease comes to an end.
- Does not have a written lease, but pays rent monthly, and the landlord gives a notice to move.
A landlord cannot evict a tenant for:
- Complaining to a building inspector, fire department, health inspector, or other governmental agency about unsafe, unhealthy, or illegal living conditions.
- Not paying rent, if the tenant left the property for a period of time because of domestic violence or the threat of domestic violence.
- Not paying rent, if the landlord accepted the rent due before the notice period ended.
- Race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, religion, familial status, military status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or being a protected party under an order of protection.
Yes. Governor Pritzker’s eviction moratorium expired on October 3, 2021. All eviction cases may be filed, and all eviction orders and judgments may be enforced.