Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Illinois

Illinois has laws that says that if a tenant is under threat of domestic or sexual violence then if the tenant moves out because of it if the landord sues for rent the threat is a defense. But that doesn't sound like your situation -- it's just a nasty building/area. While that's a shame, unfortunately unless you're in Chicago, Evanston or another community with stricter laws governing how safe a landlord has to keep a building, your lease says what your rights are. Even Illinois' law is just an "extension" of what we call a "constructive eviction" meaning that things were so bad you had to move out, but that too is only a defense, and if the landlord sues you for rent you need to have a pretty strong case -- not just that there were a few police reports......