Toilet Repair in Chicago, IL

Chicago is a renting town with old housing — 54% of households rent, and 81% of homes went up before 1990.

Short version

54% of occupied homes in Chicago are rented, so for most households the toilet is the landlord's fixture rather than the tenant's. Reporting it is normally the tenant's step, and arranging the repair is normally not. With 81% of the housing built before 1990, a fixture predating the 1.6 gallon standard may still be in place; the figure describes the building rather than the bathroom.

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B25003 and B25034.

Tank and Bowl is a referral service, not a contractor. We connect homeowners with independent contractors. Contractors are required to hold whatever credential their state or municipality demands. Every state page sets out who licenses plumbers there and where to check, so you can confirm before work begins. We carry out no work, we sell no fixtures, we do not set prices, and we never charge homeowners anything — the contractors in our network pay us when we route them a call.

Who this page is for in Chicago

54% of Chicago’s 1,140,118 households rent their home. For the 46% who own, the fault list below is the decision; for everyone else, the tenant page covers what to do instead.

Occupied homes in Chicago	Share	Homes
Owner-occupied	46%	519,666
Rented	54%	620,452

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003 (tenure), 2023 release. Universe: 1,140,118 occupied housing units.

What the age of Chicago’s housing suggests

81% of Chicago’s housing predates 1990 and 39% predates 1940. That makes the pre-standard fixture the base case here rather than the exception.

It is a statement about the housing stock. A house built in 1935 has had ninety years in which somebody could have replaced the toilet, and many have.

Housing in Chicago	Share
Built before 1940	39%
Built 1940 to 1989	42%
Built 1990 onwards	19%

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25034 (year structure built), 2023 release. Universe: 1,261,319 housing units, including vacant ones — a different universe from the tenure table above. Flush volumes: US EPA WaterSense, tank-type toilet supporting statement

What is actually wrong with it

Work from the symptom rather than the fixture. Continuous running has a ten-minute test that settles it; water at the base is identified by when it appears rather than where; and a handle that does nothing is visible the moment the tank lid is off.

Ask what happens to the floor. A leak at the base has usually been going for a while by the time it is visible, and whether the subfloor and flange are sound is the difference between a seal replacement and a return visit.

Other Illinois towns we route in

Park Ridge 85% owner-occupied · 82% built before 1990
Wheaton 75% owner-occupied · 82% built before 1990
Winnetka 91% owner-occupied · 78% built before 1990
Northbrook 82% owner-occupied · 71% built before 1990
River Grove 60% owner-occupied · 96% built before 1990

Everywhere we route in Illinois

Checking a plumber in Illinois

Checking a credential in Illinois

Illinois licenses are issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health, Plumbing Program, which publishes a public search you can use before work begins.

If the dye test pointed at the flapper, that is a part, not a fixture.Worth saying on the call, because it changes what somebody arrives with. We connect you to a contractor covering your area and you are never charged. We work across Chicago on every plumbing matter, not toilets alone.

Call (888) 525-3450