Information for Landlords

Landlords and the Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Act

Illinois has new amendments to the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2017. The amendments are about mitigation notices for lead paint hazards. While the Zoning Department does not inspect for lead, landlords should be aware of their responsibilities to provide their tenants with certain disclosures. 

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, "Lead poisoning, the number one environmental illness of children, is caused primarily by lead-based paint in older homes. While Illinois has made great progress in recent years, we maintain one of the highest rates in the nation for the number of children with elevated blood lead levels. The most common exposure to lead by children is through the ingestion of paint chips and contaminated dust from deteriorated or disturbed lead-based paint in homes built before 1978. About 75 percent of Illinois homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint" (IDPH website).

You can read about the amendments on the Illinois General Assembly website. Richard Magnone's "A Blog for Landlords" website also has a reader-friendly version of the new amendments.

Rental Registration

Every year there is an open registration period. The enrollment period is October 16th through November 17th   of this year. This needs to be done EVERY year to help us keep our rental database up to date.

Use this time to let us know if you have sold your properties or added more, or changed any of your contact information. Please keep in mind that you also need to have a local agent, if you live outside of the Monmouth area.

If you have sold your rental properties, we will remove your information from the rental database. This process must be done every year, even if you have already registered in the past. 

Registration Fees are as follows:

Single-family dwelling containing one rental unit - $10.00

Dwellings containing two five rental units - $20.00

Dwellings containing five or more rental units - $30.00

Apartment complexes – Each separate building will be assessed a fee as outlined above (i.e., One building containing five rental units will cost $30.00).

If you fail to (re)register your property during the open enrollment period, a $75 violation ticket will be issued for every property not recorded per City Ordinance

Online Rental Registration Form (use for newly registered properties)

Online Re-Registration Form (use if there are no changes to a previously registered property)

Rental FAQs

We've compiled a list of frequently asked questions from landlords about our rental registration and inspection program (called the Property Enhancement Program). To access the FAQ list, either use the FAQs menu to the left, under the Main Menu, or click the link below.

Rental Registration and Inspection FAQs

Landlord/Tenant Checklist

It's often a good idea for a landlord and a new tenant to do a quick walkthrough together of a rental dwelling as part of the lease-signing process. It's an opportunity for both parties to get on the same page as to the state of the rental unit before the tenant moves in. The checklist below can be a helpful tool for both parties and it can provide protection for the landlord if there are later issues about missing smoke detector batteris and such. Feel free to use as-is or modify for your own needs

Rental Dwelling Requirements

There are minimum requirements that a rental dwelling must conform to based on the zoning district the property is located in.  The sheet below is a quick but helpful checklist of what is required to turn a property into a rental dwelling and the requirements of the zoning district it is located in.

Rental Inspection Criteria

A rental registration and inspection program is part of the City's larger Property Enhancement initiative. The goal of the program is to provide safe and secure rental properties for Monmouth residents who chose to rent. Inspections are conducted by the Monmouth Fire Department, with a focus on life safety, backed up by both the International Fire Prevention Code and the International Property Maintenance Code, both adopted by the City.

The document linked below is the listing of all areas that a rental inspector will be looking at, backed up by the related code. Our goal is to provide as much information as possible to inform our landlords and the community as a whole on on our efforts to enhance our residential building stock here in Monmouth.

Tenants are encouraged to ask landlords for copies of their rental inspection certificates before they sign a lease. If a landlord's property has not yet been inspected, they can simply call the Zoning Office to schedule an inspection (309-734-7590).

Rental Registration and Inspection

Per ordinance 11-023, adopted on November 7, 2011, all rental properties within the city limits are to be registered with the City of Monmouth, with the information updated yearly. Rental dwellings will be inspected for code compliance, with compliant dwellings receiving a certificate of inspection that will be valid for three years. For informational purposes, Ordinance 11-023 is attached below. Any questions will be answered at City Hall (309-734-2141) or via email.