Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
35.5%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Grand Detour, IL, tenants prevail in roughly 35.5% 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
116d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Grand Detour, IL until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 116 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$5.2-12.9k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Grand Detour, IL costs landlords $5,223 to $12,897 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$941
26% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Grand Detour, IL is $941 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 26% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
9.5%
of households
9.5% of occupied housing units in Grand Detour, 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
4.6%
22.2% unemp.
4.6% of Grand Detour, IL residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 22.2%. 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
GOP margin +29.4% (2024)
4.3
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.3
State political climate
Illinois legislature & governorship
5.2
Economic stress
4.6% poverty · 22.2% unemp.
6.4
Supply constraint
$941 average · 9.5% renters
2.9
Rent Control risk
25.6% of income on rent
3.6
Eviction process difficulty
116 days filing → judgment
5.4
Tenant organizing strength
9.5% renters
2.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.3
Geographic context
Risk heat across Grand Detour and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Grand Detour compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Ogle County
Low
#10of 15 cities
#10 of 15 cities in Ogle County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Illinois
Moderate
#814of 1,456 cities
#814 of 1,456 cities in Illinois for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.7
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.7/10. 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
116d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $941/mo. A contested eviction takes 116 days and costs $5,223-$12,897 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
9.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 297 residents, 9.5% rent. 26% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 4.6% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.3
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.3 and 4.3 (GOP margin +29.4% (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 5.4, housing court bias 3.3, rent-control risk 3.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.4 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6.4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 6.4. Supply constraint: 2.9. The numbers behind those: 4.6% poverty, 22.2% unemployment, 26% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Grand Detour sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Grand Detour · 116d · ~$9.1k all-in ($78/day) · score 3.7National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0-4 4-7 7-10
Landlording in Grand Detour, Illinois, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.7/10 (LOW 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.
Grand Detour is a city of 297 residents where 9.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 25.6% of income on rent. At an average rent of $941/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 Grand Detour eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.4/10, 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 Grand Detour closes 116 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 Grand Detour's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 3.3/10 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 Grand Detour runs $5,223 to $12,897 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 116 days of typical timeline and $941/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 2.9/10 in Grand Detour, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.6/10). 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 Grand Detour: 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 LOW 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 $12,897 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Grand Detour
Trap · ILLINOIS
For state-level context, see the Illinois overview link in the guides section below. The score combines political climate, rent-to-income ratio, court bias, and tenant organizing strength under ILCS preemption + Chicago RLTO.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Grand Detour for being late on rent just once?
Yes, if they don't pay within the 5-day notice period. Illinois law allows you to issue a 5-day pay-or-quit notice for non-payment. If they don't pay the full amount or move out by the end of those five days, you can proceed with filing for eviction. However, if you've routinely accepted late payments without enforcing the lease, a judge might view your sudden strictness as unfair. Be consistent.
Q2
What if my tenant claims there are repairs needed? Does that stop an eviction?
Potentially. If a tenant can prove there are serious habitability issues that you were notified of and failed to fix, a judge might allow them to withhold rent or dismiss your eviction case. Always address legitimate repair requests promptly and keep records of all maintenance. This is why good communication and documentation are crucial.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Ogle County?
While you can technically represent yourself, it's highly recommended to use an attorney, especially if the tenant contests the eviction. Eviction law is complex, and procedural errors can cause significant delays or even dismissal of your case, forcing you to start over. Given the 116-day average timeline, mistakes are costly. An attorney ensures you follow all proper steps.
Q4
How long does it take for the sheriff to remove a tenant after I win in court?
After a judge issues an order for possession, you typically need to get a "Writ of Possession" from the court clerk. Then, you deliver this to the Ogle County Sheriff's office. The sheriff will schedule a time for the lockout. This usually takes a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the sheriff's schedule. You cannot remove the tenant yourself; only the sheriff can enforce the court order.
Q5
Can I charge a late fee in Grand Detour?
Yes, your lease agreement can include reasonable late fees. Illinois law doesn't specify a maximum late fee amount, but courts generally consider 5-10% of the monthly rent to be reasonable. Make sure the late fee is clearly stated in your lease, and only charge it if the rent is truly late according to your lease terms.
A 3.7/10 places Grand Detour in the 45th 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 Grand Detour (3.7/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
