Contractor Gone ยท Illinois
Contractor gone in Illinois: where the money can come from
Illinois has no state license and no fund, but the Attorney General's Consumer Fraud Bureau is active on abandoned home improvement jobs, and the Home Repair and Remodeling Act gives you a statutory hook. Small claims runs to $10,000.
Run the free check for Illinois
The four paths in Illinois
| Card chargeback | Same in every state. Dispute for services not rendered within 120 days of the promised completion, no later than 540 days after the payment. Each payment has its own clock. |
| State fund | None. Illinois has no recovery fund and no state bond program for homeowners. The money paths are the chargeback, small claims or civil court, and the bankruptcy claim if there is a case. |
| Bankruptcy claim | If the company filed, a proof of claim (Official Form 410) with the court by the bar date. A deposit for personal or household services is a priority claim up to $3,800 for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025 (11 U.S.C. 507(a)(7)); the rest is general unsecured. |
| Lien exposure: Real exposure | Illinois owners who pay the contractor without a sworn statement listing the subs do so at their own risk; a sub can lien. Ask the sub for its notice and the contractor for the sworn statement. |
Is the contractor licensed?
No state license. No statewide general contractor license (roofing is licensed by IDFPR; Chicago and some suburbs license contractors locally). Check the city or village for a local license and the permit record.
Deposits and the contract
The Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires a written contract over $1,000 and a consumer rights pamphlet; violations are actionable under the Consumer Fraud Act. confirm
Small claims
Circuit Court, small claims, generally up to $10,000 as of 2025; confirm the current limit on the court's site before filing. Above the cap, the regular civil docket, where a lawyer is optional but usual. confirm
In order
- Pull the contract, every receipt, and your card or bank statements. The contract page shows where each number lives.
- If you paid by card, call the issuer today and open a dispute for services not rendered. The window closes; everything else waits.
- Send the demand letter by certified mail. It starts the clock the licensing body and the court will want to see.
- Search PACER for the company. A bankruptcy filing stops the letters and the lawsuit and replaces them with a proof of claim.
- Answer any subcontractor notice in writing with proof of what you paid. Illinois owners who pay the contractor without a sworn statement listing the subs do so at their own risk; a sub can lien. Ask the sub for its notice and the contractor for the sworn statement.
The paperwork, done
The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with Illinois's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the small-claims worksheet, the lien-defense letter, the proof of claim worksheet, and a checklist for hiring the contractor who finishes the job. What's in it, or run the check first; the answers carry into the kit.
Page written 2026-09-07. Rows marked verified were read on the agency page or statute on the date shown in the data; rows marked confirm are from general knowledge and should be checked with the agency. Spot an error? Email jon@homestillworks.com and it gets fixed the same day.