In court-decided eviction outcomes for Stillman Valley, IL, tenants prevail in roughly 41.2% 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
108d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Stillman Valley, IL until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 108 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$5.4–12.9k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Stillman Valley, IL costs landlords $5,410 to $12,850 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,307
22% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Stillman Valley, IL is $1,307 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 22% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
14.9%
of households
14.9% of occupied housing units in Stillman Valley, 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
1.7%
1.3% unemp.
1.7% of Stillman Valley, IL residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 1.3%. 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
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
1.7% poverty · 1.3% unemp.
2.7
Supply constraint
$1,307 average · 14.9% renters
5.5
Rent Control risk
21.9% of income on rent
2.6
Eviction process difficulty
108 days filing → judgment
5.0
Tenant organizing strength
14.9% renters
4.1
Housing court bias
County bench composition
2.3
Geographic context
Risk heat across Stillman Valley and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Stillman Valley compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Ogle County
Very Low
#15of 15 cities
#15 of 15 cities in Ogle County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Illinois
Very Low
#1326of 1,456 cities
#1326 of 1,456 cities in Illinois for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.6
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.6/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+1.9 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
108d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,307/mo. A contested eviction takes 108 days and costs $5,410–$12,850 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
14.9%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,260 residents, 14.9% rent. 22% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 1.7% 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, housing court bias 2.3, rent-control risk 2.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
2.7
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 2.7. Supply constraint: 5.5. The numbers behind those: 1.7% poverty, 1.3% unemployment, 22% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Stillman Valley sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Stillman Valley · 108d · ~$9.1k all-in ($85/day) · score 3.6National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Stillman Valley, Illinois, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.6/10 (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.
Stillman Valley is a city of 1,260 residents where 14.9% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 21.9% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,307/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 Stillman Valley eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5/10, 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 Stillman Valley closes 108 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 Stillman Valley's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 2.3/10 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 Stillman Valley runs $5,410 to $12,850 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 108 days of typical timeline and $1,307/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 4.1/10 in Stillman Valley, and the city has limited rent control exposure (2.6/10). 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 Stillman Valley: 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 $12,850 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Stillman Valley
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Compare Stillman Valley to neighboring cities in Ogle County via the grid below. The 3.9/10 score is computed from nine sub-factors plus a state-law multiplier under ILCS preemption + Chicago RLTO. Ogle County 2020 presidential margin: R+25.9. Cross-reference the state overview link in the guides section for Illinois statutory detail.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What's the absolute fastest I can get a tenant out for non-payment in Stillman Valley?
Even with a low eviction risk, the "fastest" is still relatively slow. You issue a 5-day notice. If no payment, you file. Court takes time. Then, if you win, the sheriff needs to schedule. While the law allows for a quick process, expect at least 30-45 days from notice to lockout, assuming no delays or tenant defenses. The 108-day average reflects common real-world timelines.
Q2
Can I charge a late fee if rent is not paid on time?
Yes, your lease should clearly state the amount of any late fee. Illinois law doesn't cap late fees, but they must be "reasonable." Typically, 5-10% of the monthly rent is considered reasonable. Make sure your lease specifies when rent is considered late (e.g., after the 5th of the month).
Q3
Do I have to accept partial rent payments if a tenant is behind?
You are not required to accept partial payments after issuing a 5-day notice. If you accept a partial payment, it often "waives" your right to proceed with the eviction based on that original notice, meaning you might have to issue a new 5-day notice for the remaining balance. Consult your attorney before accepting anything less than the full amount due.
Q4
What if my tenant claims a maintenance issue is why they didn't pay rent?
In Illinois, tenants generally cannot withhold rent for maintenance issues unless the lease specifically allows it, or if they've followed a very strict "repair and deduct" procedure, which is rare. You must still follow the eviction process. Address maintenance issues promptly and document everything. That way, if a tenant tries to use it as a defense in court, you have proof you acted responsibly. See our Illinois tenant protections for more on this.
Q5
Can I evict a tenant for no reason in Stillman Valley?
Illinois is not a "just cause" eviction state statewide, meaning you can generally terminate a month-to-month tenancy for any non-discriminatory reason with proper notice. For a month-to-month tenancy, you need to provide a 30-day no-cause termination notice. However, if you have a fixed-term lease, you generally cannot evict a tenant without a specific lease violation (like non-payment or property damage) until the lease term ends. Understand Illinois rent control rules for more context.
A 3.6/10 places Stillman Valley in the 14th 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 climbed steadily 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 Stillman Valley (3.6/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
