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I was told that I could break the lease however I would have to pay two months rent just to break it so I decided to attempt to find someone to sublet the apartment.
So you have a lease that allows you to terminate your lease term prior to its expiration by paying a two month penalty. You have the option of paying that agreed amount, or risking that you will incur a greater liability if your landlord is not able to find a replacement tenant within a two month period. If this is a multiple unit building or complex, be aware that they can fill every other unit in the complex before they re-fill your unit.
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Am I correct in assuming that them asking for 2x the rent to be paid now and for me to pay rent for the next 45 days goes against "735 ILCS 5/9-213.1) (from Ch. 110, par. 9-213.1)
As you have been told, no, you are not.
Quote Quoting tmc1284
What should be my next step?
You can (a) pay, (b) negotiate for a lower amount, or (c) do nothing and see what your landlord does.
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I was contacted by renters-rights.com(based in Chicago) through a listing I had on craigslist to sublet the apartment, and they told me that I would be able to break the lease without any further payments. Their service would cost 1/2 months rent.
They tell you that if you pay them money they might be able to get you out of your lease? For some reason I'm thinking of a saying about a fool and his money....
Quote Quoting tmc1284
They told me that there is an ordinance in Chicago for an early lease termination process, and that I should not have to pay any more rent since the landlord did not make a reasonable effort to re-rent the apartment.
You did not break your lease until you vacated and told your landlord that you were breaking your lease, something you told us only just happened. Unless you follow proper protocols with your landlord and define an actual move-out date, your landlord is in a very poor position to find a potential replacement tenant, as your lease remains in effect and if you say "I changed my mind" they won't have an apartment for that tenant.
Quote Quoting tmc1284
The early lease termination process is a mail notice procedure based on the specific language of the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance [City of Chicago Municipal Code Title 5, Chapter 12, Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance].
They sent you an unsolicited ad for their services in response to your craigslist ad? Did you not indicate that you didn't want solicitations in response to your craigslist ad? Here's their office -- which appears to be a residence.

Do you know why they didn't identify an actual ordinance that would in any way invalidate the early termination clause that is set forth in your lease? You can take a look at Title 5, Chapter 12 of the municipal code right here, and see for yourself -- no such provision exists.

What the outfit seems to be stating is that if you pay them money they'll produce a notice to the landlord pursuant to which they state grounds, real or imagined, why you should be allowed to terminate your lease for cause -- that is, based upon an act or omission of the landlord that justifies early termination of your lease. As you have already broken your lease, even if we were to assume that the ostensible violation by your landlord weren't purely imaginary, it's too late for them to do that for you. You may, of course, contact them and ask them to clarify what they would actually do, and if they will provide a money-back guarantee.

These may be great people, devoted to a cause, or... not. But if they're spamming craigslist advertisers, over-promising, and offering no guarantee, I would be extremely skeptical of their business model and ethics.