In court-decided eviction outcomes for Lyons, IL, tenants prevail in roughly 43.5% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
122d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Lyons, IL until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 122 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$5.3–14.9k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Lyons, IL costs landlords $5,251 to $14,888 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,198
30% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Lyons, IL is $1,198 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 30% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
35.8%
of households
35.8% of occupied housing units in Lyons, IL are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
9.1%
4.3% unemp.
9.1% of Lyons, IL residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.3%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +42.0% (2024)
7.8
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
7.8
State political climate
Illinois legislature & governorship
5.2
Economic stress
9.1% poverty · 4.3% unemp.
5.5
Supply constraint
$1,198 average · 35.8% renters
7.2
Rent Control risk
30.4% of income on rent
7.4
Eviction process difficulty
122 days filing → judgment
4.4
Tenant organizing strength
35.8% renters
7.4
Housing court bias
County bench composition
6.1
Geographic context
Risk heat across Lyons and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Lyons compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Cook County
Low
#73of 115 cities
#73 of 115 cities in Cook County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Illinois
Very High
#101of 1,456 cities
#101 of 1,456 cities in Illinois for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
4.7
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 4.7/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.3 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
122d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,198/mo. A contested eviction takes 122 days and costs $5,251–$14,888 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
35.8%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 10,339 residents, 35.8% rent. 30% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 9.1% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
7.8
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 7.8 and 7.8 (Dem margin +42.0% (2024)). State climate at 5.2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
5.2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 5.2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 4.4, housing court bias 6.1, rent-control risk 7.4. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-0.6 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.5. Supply constraint: 7.2. The numbers behind those: 9.1% poverty, 4.3% unemployment, 30% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Lyons sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Lyons · 122d · ~$10.1k all-in ($83/day) · score 4.7National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Lyons, Illinois, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.7/10 (MODERATE tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Lyons is a city of 10,339 residents where 35.8% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 30.4% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,198/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Lyons eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 4.4/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Lyons closes 122 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Lyons's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 6.1/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Lyons runs $5,251 to $14,888 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 122 days of typical timeline and $1,198/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 7.4/10 in Lyons, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (7.4/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Illinois, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Lyons: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a MODERATE tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Illinois's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $14,888 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Lyons
Trap · 9.1%
Local poverty rate is 9.1%, and the rent-burden distribution skews the eviction-filings curve toward moderate volume in Cook County. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 7.4/10. Tenant organizing is most active in the rental concentration corridors.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after the 5-day notice?
If your tenant pays only a partial amount after you've issued a 5-day notice, you generally should not accept it if you intend to proceed with the eviction. Accepting partial payment can "waive" your 5-day notice, meaning you'd have to start the notice process all over again. Consult your attorney on this immediately.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for breaking lease rules other than non-payment?
Yes, if a tenant violates other terms of the lease (e.g., unauthorized pets, property damage, illegal activity), you can typically evict them. The notice period for such breaches varies but is often 10 days for curable violations. For non-curable or serious violations, it might be immediate. Always refer to your lease and consult an attorney.
Q3
Is there rent control in Lyons, IL?
No, Illinois has a statewide ban on rent control. This means municipalities, including Lyons, cannot enact their own rent control ordinances. However, this could change in the future, as the rent-control-risk sub-score for Lyons is 7.4. Keep an eye on legislative changes. Read our Illinois rent control rules for more details.
Q4
What if my tenant claims a maintenance issue as a reason for not paying rent?
In Illinois, tenants generally cannot withhold rent for maintenance issues unless the issue makes the property uninhabitable (e.g., no heat in winter). Even then, there are specific procedures they must follow, like providing written notice to you. They cannot unilaterally decide to stop paying. If they do, proceed with your 5-day notice.
Q5
Do I have to accept Section 8 or other housing vouchers?
Yes, Illinois has source-of-income protection statewide. This means you cannot refuse to rent to someone solely because they use a Section 8 voucher or other legal forms of income. You can still screen them based on credit, rental history, and other legitimate criteria, but not the source of their income. This is a crucial Illinois tenant protection to understand.
A 4.7/10 places Lyons in the 94th percentile of Illinois cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Lyons (4.7/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
