Illinois Code § 25

§ 25.

Penalty for violation of lock-change provisions. (a) If a landlord takes action to prevent the tenant who has complied with Section 20 of this Act from changing his or her locks, the tenant may seek a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, or permanent injunction ordering the landlord to refrain from preventing the tenant from changing the locks. A tenant who successfully brings an action pursuant to this Section may be awarded reasonable attorney's fees and costs. (b) A tenant who changes locks and does not make a good faith effort to provide a copy of a key to the landlord within 48 hours of the tenant changing the locks, shall be liable for any damages to the dwelling or the building in which the dwelling is located that could have been prevented had landlord been able to access the dwelling unit in the event of an emergency. (b-1) A landlord who changes the locks and does not make a good faith effort to provide a copy of a key to the tenant within 48 hours of the landlord changing the locks shall be liable for any damages to the tenant incurred as a result of not having access to his or her unit. (c) The remedies provided to landlord and tenant under this Section 25 shall be sole and exclusive for violations of the lock-change provisions of this Act. (Source: P.A. 94-1038, eff. 1-1-07; 95-378, eff. 8-23-07; 95-999, eff. 10-6-08.)