HB1309eng 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1309 Engrossed LRB097 07117 AJO 47217 b

AN ACT concerning civil law.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Code of Civil Procedure is amended by changing Sections 9-120 and 9-210 as follows:

(735 ILCS 5/9-120)

Sec. 9-120. Leased premises used in furtherance of a criminal offense; lease terminated void at option of lessor or assignee.

(a) If any lessee or occupant, on one or more occasions, uses or permits the use of leased premises for the commission of any act that would constitute a felony or a Class A misdemeanor under the laws of this State, and the lessor has received written notification from a law enforcement agency of the use of the leased premises for the commission of an act that would constitute a felony or a Class A misdemeanor, then the lease or rental agreement shall, at the option of the lessor or the lessor's assignee be terminated become void, and the owner or lessor shall be entitled to recover possession of the leased premises as against a tenant holding over after the expiration of his or her term. A written lease shall state that if the lessee or occupant uses or permits the use of the leased premises for the commission of any act that would constitute a felony or a Class A misdemeanor under the laws of this State, the owner or lessor shall have the right to terminate the lease and recover possession of the leased premises. Failure to include this language in a lease, or the fact that the lease is oral, shall not waive or impair the rights of the lessor or lessor's assignee under this Section or the lease.

(b) The owner or lessor may bring a forcible entry and detainer action, or, if the State's Attorney of the county in which the real property is located or the corporation counsel of the municipality in which the real property is located agrees, assign to that State's Attorney or corporation counsel the right to bring a forcible entry and detainer action on behalf of the owner or lessor, against the lessee and all occupants of the leased premises alleging the criminal activity and any other alleged violations of the lease. The assignment must be in writing on a form prepared by the State's Attorney of the county in which the real property is located or the corporation counsel of the municipality in which the real property is located, as applicable. If the owner or lessor assigns the right to bring a forcible entry and detainer action, the assignment shall be limited to those rights and duties up to and including delivery of the order of eviction to the sheriff for execution. The owner or lessor shall remain liable for the cost of the eviction whether or not the right to bring the forcible entry and detainer action has been assigned.

(c) A person does not forfeit any part of his or her security deposit due solely to an eviction under the provisions of this Section, except that a security deposit may be used to pay fees charged by the sheriff for carrying out an eviction.

(d) If a lessor or the lessor's assignee terminates voids a lease or contract under the provisions of this Section and the tenant or occupant has not vacated the premises within 5 days after receipt of a written notice under Section 9-210 of this Code is provided to vacate the premises, the lessor or lessor's assignee may seek relief under this Article IX. Notwithstanding Sections 9-112, 9-113, and 9-114 of this Code, judgment for costs against a plaintiff seeking possession of the premises under this Section shall not be awarded to the defendant unless the action was brought by the plaintiff in bad faith. An action to possess premises under this Section shall not be deemed to be in bad faith when the plaintiff based his or her cause of action on information provided to him or her by a law enforcement agency, or the State's Attorney, or the municipality.

(e) After a trial, if the court finds, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the allegations in the complaint have been proven, the court shall enter judgment for possession of the premises in favor of the lessor plaintiff and the court shall order that the lessor plaintiff shall be entitled to re-enter the premises immediately.

(f) A judgment for possession of the premises entered in an action brought by a lessor or lessor's assignee based on an act that would constitute a felony or a Class A misdemeanor, if the action was brought as a result of a lessor or lessor's assignee declaring a lease terminated void pursuant to this Section, may not be stayed for any period in excess of 7 days by the court unless all parties agree to a longer period. Thereafter the lessor plaintiff shall be entitled to re-enter the premises immediately. The sheriff or other lawfully deputized officers shall execute an order entered pursuant to this Section within 7 days of its entry, or within 7 days of the expiration of a stay of judgment, if one is entered.

(g) In an action brought under this Section the court may also consider actions for forcible entry and detainer brought under other Sections of this Code. Nothing in this Section shall limit the rights of an owner or lessor to bring a forcible entry and detainer action on the basis of other applicable law.

(Source: P.A. 90-360, eff. 1-1-98.)

(735 ILCS 5/9-210) (from Ch. 110, par. 9-210)

Sec. 9-210. Notice to quit. When default is made in any of the terms of a lease, it is not necessary to give more than 10 days' notice, or, if the lessor is also providing notice of termination pursuant to Section 9-120 of this Code, more than 5 days' notice to quit, or of the termination of such tenancy, and the same may be terminated on giving such notice to quit at any time after such default in any of the terms of such lease. Such notice may be substantially in the following form:

"To A.B.: You are hereby notified that in consequence of your default in (here insert the character of the default) of the premises now occupied by you, being, etc., (here describe the premises) I have elected to terminate your lease, and you are hereby notified to quit and deliver up possession of the same to me within 10 days of this date (dated, etc.)." If the lessor is also providing notice of termination pursuant to Section 9-120 of this Code, "10 days" in the preceding sentence shall be replaced by "5 days".

The notice is to be signed by the lessor or his or her agent, and no other notice or demand of possession or termination of such tenancy is necessary.

(Source: P.A. 82-280.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.