<<The penalties that the RLTO imposes on landlords are often grossly disproportionate to the infractions, largely because the ordinance allows tenants to recover their reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs, even in legal proceedings brought to recover something as nominal as a $100 statutory penalty (and even if the penalized omission was utterly harmless). What’s more, dozens of Chicago lawyers specialize in representing tenants in these types of cases.>>

Anecdotally, landlords are moving/moved to having move-in fees over deposits due to the legal technicalities of handling them properly.

[0] https://www.domu.com/landlord-resources/apartment-lease-form...