These guides are built from primary research — what working small landlords say and do, in their own words — plus the statutes, linked. Each one names its method. No recycled advice, no content-mill filler.
August 2026
No rental license and no registration — but a short-term rental ban with $1,000/day fines, a maintenance code with teeth, a utility-lien catch, and state deposit law that changed in 2024. The plain answer for DuPage and Will County landlords.
August 2026
Every non-owner-occupied unit in Aurora needs an annual license (renewals due August 31), an annual inspection, and — for new owners — the police department's Crime Free Multi-Housing seminar. The walkthrough, with 2026 class dates.
August 2026
Since January 1, 2024 the Act covers every residential rental in Illinois — the five-unit threshold is gone. The two clocks, the receipts rule, the 25-unit interest statute, and where Chicago and Cook County have their own laws.
August 2026
Copy-paste reminder texts for the three moments that matter — and the community's real finding: the wording matters less than the sender. A reminder from the system is routine; the same words from you personally read as nagging.
August 2026
The four-decision playbook from hundreds of landlord discussions: the system-sent reminder, the fee you charge (not waive), matching the response to the kind of late, and the record that settles disputes.
August 2026
Landlords who skipped increases to keep good tenants describe the same ending — a catch-up increase that ends the tenancy. Why small and predictable wins, and how to send it.
August 2026
Zelle, checks and apps compared by the people using them: why the simple rails win, where platforms hold your money, and the two gaps every method leaves open.
Also useful: late fee laws by state · security deposit deadlines by state