City, State: Chicago, IL

I am a landlord leasing out a room in my condo. The man I leased the room to was great for the first few months. Then, he missed a rent payment. I asked him for the money, and he gave me a check which bounced. I issued him a 5-Day notice as required by the law. He did not pay and did not come back. His lease ended the last day of December as stated in the 5-Day notice.

He came back a week ago and gathered some of his things while I was not home. However, he did not leave his past due rent or the keys. He left some clothes, mail, bed, dresser, etc. He has not come back since then.

I am unclear on the abandonment laws of Chicago since I live in the unit with the tenant. What should I do so I can rent out the room again since it is clear he is not going to stay? I don't want to get in trouble for removing his belongings (if it's illegal for me to do so).

I do not want to go through the eviction process as that would be costly. I want to know if I can move his belongings into a storage area, send a letter to his last known address, and then sell or donate his belongings after a month of waiting.

I'm new to being a landlord so any help you can provide would be fantastic. Thank you!

So, to recap:
  • Tenant did not pay rent for December.
  • Tenant was issued a 5-Day notice and did not comply.
  • Tenant's lease was terminated at the end of the 5-Day notice.
  • Tenant has come back once since receiving the 5-day notice and only gathered some of his belongings, leaving the rest.
  • Can I put his things in storage and give him 30 or so days to collect it before it is sold or donated?