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
37.5%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Baileyville, IL, tenants prevail in roughly 37.5% 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
125d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Baileyville, IL until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 125 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$5.6–14.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Baileyville, IL costs landlords $5,583 to $14,121 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$782
27% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Baileyville, IL is $782 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 27% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
23.9%
of households
23.9% of occupied housing units in Baileyville, 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
3.1%
5.1% unemp.
3.1% of Baileyville, IL residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 5.1%. 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 +19.4% (2024)
4.8
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.8
State political climate
Illinois legislature & governorship
5.2
Economic stress
3.1% poverty · 5.1% unemp.
1.7
Supply constraint
$782 average · 23.9% renters
4.5
Rent Control risk
27.1% of income on rent
3.3
Eviction process difficulty
125 days filing → judgment
5.2
Tenant organizing strength
23.9% renters
4.5
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.0
Geographic context
Risk heat across Baileyville and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Baileyville compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Stephenson County
Very Low
#13of 13 cities
#13 of 13 cities in Stephenson County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Illinois
Low
#1067of 1,456 cities
#1067 of 1,456 cities in Illinois for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.8
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.8/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+2.0 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
125d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $782/mo. A contested eviction takes 125 days and costs $5,583–$14,121 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
23.9%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 99 residents, 23.9% rent. 27% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 3.1% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.8
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.8 and 4.8 (GOP margin +19.4% (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 5.2, housing court bias 3, rent-control risk 3.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.2 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
1.7
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 1.7. Supply constraint: 4.5. The numbers behind those: 3.1% poverty, 5.1% unemployment, 27% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Baileyville sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Baileyville · 125d · ~$9.9k all-in ($79/day) · score 3.8National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Baileyville, Illinois, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.8/10 (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.
Baileyville is a city of 99 residents where 23.9% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 27.1% of income on rent. At an average rent of $782/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 Baileyville eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.2/10, 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 Baileyville closes 125 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 Baileyville's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 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 Baileyville runs $5,583 to $14,121 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 125 days of typical timeline and $782/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 4.5/10 in Baileyville, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.3/10). 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 Baileyville: 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 $14,121 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Baileyville
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 Baileyville for not having a lease?
If a tenant doesn't have a formal written lease but is paying rent, they are likely considered a month-to-month tenant. You can terminate their tenancy by providing a 30-day notice to quit. If they don't move out after 30 days, you can then file for eviction. This is considered a "no-cause" termination, which is allowed statewide in Illinois.
Q2
What if my tenant pays rent late, but always within the 5-day notice period?
If they consistently pay within the 5-day notice period, they are technically complying with the notice. However, if your lease specifies rent is due on the 1st and late fees apply after the 5th, you can still charge those late fees. Repeated late payments, even if cured, can sometimes be a basis for a 30-day no-cause termination if they are on a month-to-month lease, but you must ensure your lease language supports this or you are terminating for other reasons.
Q3
Can I turn off utilities if a tenant stops paying rent?
Absolutely not. This is considered an illegal "self-help" eviction in Illinois. Landlords who turn off utilities, change locks, or otherwise try to force a tenant out without a court order can face significant penalties, including damages, attorney fees, and even criminal charges. Always follow the legal eviction process through the courts.
Q4
How do I deal with a tenant who is damaging the property?
If a tenant is damaging the property, you would typically serve a notice to cure the breach, or if the damage is severe and incurable, a notice of termination. The specific notice period depends on the nature of the damage and your lease. If they don't stop the damage or fix it, you then proceed with an eviction filing. Document all damage with photos and dates.
Q5
Is there rent control in Baileyville, IL?
No, Illinois has a statewide ban on rent control. This means landlords in Baileyville are generally free to set initial rent prices and raise rents as they see fit, provided they give proper notice for rent increases (typically 30 days for month-to-month tenancies). For more information, see Illinois rent control rules.
A 3.8/10 places Baileyville in the 27th 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 Baileyville (3.8/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
