CertRent Chicago
CertRent for Chicago landlords
CertRent gives Chicago-area housing providers a faster, cleaner way to evaluate applicants. Renters build a verified profile once — identity, income, and rental history confirmed at the source — and share it with you. You review real, corroborated data instead of a stack of loose PDFs. There is no cost to you, no subscription, and nothing to install. It works alongside whatever application process you already use, whether you manage one two-flat in Logan Square or a portfolio spanning the city.
Verified Chicago renter applications, free for landlords
No more fake pay stubs
Fabricated pay stubs and doctored bank letters are one of the most common problems in rental screening anywhere, and Chicago is no exception. CertRent verifies income directly from the applicant's own bank-linked deposits rather than uploaded documents, so the numbers in front of you are the numbers that are real. Applicants can present verified income using ITINs or alternative documentation, which helps you screen every applicant on the same objective criteria.
- Income confirmed at the source, not self-reported
- Identity verification to reduce application fraud
- Rental and payment history you can actually trust
- Consistent, apples-to-apples data across every applicant
Free tools built for the RLTO
Beyond applications, CertRent offers a free toolkit built for Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) — so you can disclose, hold deposits, and notice with confidence, if your building is RLTO-covered:
- A security-deposit interest and itemized-return template reflecting the interest-bearing-account requirement and the City Comptroller's annually published rate (MCC §§ 5-12-080, 5-12-081) — a figure worth confirming for the current year before you calculate
- The RLTO summary disclosure — linked directly to the City of Chicago's current official version, which must be attached to every covered lease and renewal (MCC § 5-12-170)
- A 5-day nonpayment notice template reflecting the statewide demand-for-rent requirement (735 ILCS 5/9-209)
- A free document library built for Chicago and Illinois law — receipts, checklists, repair-request letters, and a lease agreement you can fill in and send for e-signature, free with your account
These tools are educational, not legal advice, but they help you avoid the expensive mistakes — like a miscalculated deposit interest payment — that can trigger the RLTO's statutory-damages exposure.
Know whether the RLTO even applies to your building
Not every Chicago rental is RLTO-covered. If you live in your building and it has 6 units or fewer, most of the RLTO — including the deposit-interest requirement and the mandatory summary disclosure — doesn't apply to you (MCC § 5-12-020(a)). Confirm your building's status before assuming a specific rule does or doesn't apply; see our RLTO coverage guide.
Verify who actually owns — and manages — a property
For co-owned or professionally managed buildings, ownership details can get murky fast, and they matter for tenants trying to understand which protections apply. CertRent's who-owns-my-building tool helps you confirm and document ownership and management details for your own properties against free, official Cook County records.
Works alongside any application
CertRent is not a replacement for your leasing process — it is a verification layer on top of it. Keep your own application, your own criteria, and your own lease. Ask applicants to share their CertRent profile, and use the verified data to move qualified renters forward faster. Applying the same consistent criteria to every applicant also helps protect you if a screening decision is ever questioned.
Get started
Setting up takes minutes and costs nothing. Invite applicants to share a verified CertRent profile, or explore the free templates and RLTO compliance tools first to see how they fit your workflow.
Create your free landlord account or explore our Chicago landlord resources.
Frequently asked questions
Is CertRent really free for landlords?
Yes. There is no cost to housing providers to receive verified applications or to use the templates and compliance tools. Renters build and share their profiles at no charge as well.
Does this replace my current rental application?
No. CertRent works alongside your existing application and screening criteria. It adds verified identity, income, and rental-history data so you can trust what you are reviewing.
How does CertRent prevent fake pay stubs?
Income is verified directly from the applicant's bank-linked deposits rather than uploaded documents, so applicants cannot submit fabricated stubs.
Do I have to pay my tenants interest on their security deposit?
If your building is RLTO-covered (i.e., you don't live there, or it has more than 6 units), yes — the RLTO requires an interest-bearing account and annual interest payments at a rate the City Comptroller publishes each year (MCC §§ 5-12-080, 5-12-081). Confirm the current year's rate and your building's coverage status before calculating.
What is the RLTO summary, and do I have to give it to tenants?
For RLTO-covered units, yes — MCC § 5-12-170 requires the City's official RLTO summary to be attached to every written lease and lease renewal offer, and given to tenants even for oral agreements. Our document library links to the current official version.
What if a tenant applies using an ITIN instead of a Social Security number?
CertRent supports identity and income verification for applicants using ITINs and alternative documentation, so you can evaluate them on the same verified basis as any other applicant.
One verified profile. Every application.
Free to start. Build your profile in minutes and share it with any Chicago landlord.