You have toured the community. You liked the staff, your mom liked the garden, and now there is a contract sitting on the kitchen table waiting for a signature. This is the moment when many families freeze. The document is long, the language is formal, and you are being asked to make a financial and emotional commitment for someone you love.
Take a breath. You are allowed to slow down here. A good community will never rush you, and the right assisted living contract questions can protect your family from surprises months or years down the road.
Illinois gives you a head start. Under the Illinois Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act, licensed communities are required to put key details in writing, including base rates, services, fees, and termination procedures. Knowing what the law requires helps you spot what is missing. Here are ten questions to ask before you sign.
1. What exactly is included in the base rate?
This is the foundation of the whole agreement. The base rate should spell out, in plain language, what your loved one receives every month: the room, meals, housekeeping, laundry, activities, and a defined level of personal care. Illinois law requires the contract to state the base rate and describe the services it covers.
Ask the community to walk you through it line by line. If something you discussed on the tour is not in the contract, ask for it in writing. Verbal promises are kind, but written promises are enforceable.
2. Which services cost extra, and how much?
Most surprises in assisted living billing come from add-on charges. Medication management, escorts to meals, extra bathing assistance, incontinence care, and transportation are often billed separately. The contract should list additional services and their fees.
Ask for a complete fee schedule and a realistic example: “Based on what you observed in my dad’s assessment, what will his actual monthly bill look like?” The answer tells you far more than the starting rate ever will.
3. How and when can fees increase?
Rates rise over time in nearly every community. What matters is how much notice you get and how increases are handled. In Illinois, communities must generally give 30 days written notice before changing a fee. Ask how often rates have increased in the past few years and by roughly how much. A community that answers openly is showing you how it will treat you later.
4. What happens if care needs increase?
This may be the most important of all the assisted living contract questions, because care needs rarely stay the same. If your mom needs more help with mobility next year, or begins showing signs of memory loss, what happens? Does the price change by tiers or points? Is there a level of need the community cannot serve?
Ask where the line is. You want to know now, not during a crisis, whether a move would ever be required and how that decision gets made.
5. Under what circumstances can my loved one be asked to leave?
Every contract has termination language, and you need to read it carefully. Illinois law requires contracts to describe the process for terminating the agreement, and residents have protections around involuntary discharge, including written notice requirements.
Ask directly: “What are the reasons a resident could be discharged, and how much notice would we receive?” Common reasons include care needs beyond the license, nonpayment, or safety concerns. Clear answers here prevent the most painful kind of surprise.
6. What is the deposit and refund policy?
If you pay a community fee, deposit, or first month in advance, find out what is refundable and under what conditions. What happens if your loved one moves out mid-month, moves to a hospital and does not return, or passes away? Illinois requires contracts to include the refund policy, so it should be there in black and white. If the language is vague, ask for specifics before signing.
7. What happens during a hospital stay or extended absence?
Seniors in assisted living sometimes spend time in the hospital or a rehab facility. Does the community hold the room? At full rate or a reduced rate? For how long? The contract should address charges during absences. Knowing this in advance keeps a stressful hospital stay from becoming a financial shock on top of everything else.
8. What are the staffing levels, day and night?
The contract tells you what services are promised. Staffing tells you whether those promises are realistic. Ask how many caregivers are on duty per resident during the day, and just as important, overnight.
This is an area where communities differ enormously. At Shepherd Premier Senior Living Crystal Lake IL, our small residential homes maintain roughly one caregiver for every five residents, compared to an industry norm closer to one for every twenty at large facilities. Whatever community you are considering, ask for the number and ask to see it in action on a second visit.
9. How are complaints and disputes handled?
No community is perfect, and at some point you may need to raise a concern. Illinois requires assisted living contracts to describe the complaint resolution process. Ask who you would talk to first, how issues get escalated, and how quickly you can expect a response. You can also ask whether residents and families have regular opportunities to give feedback. A community that welcomes this question is usually a community that listens.
10. Can I take the contract home and have it reviewed?
Yes. And any community worth trusting will say yes without hesitation. Take the contract home, read it slowly, and consider having an elder law attorney look it over, especially if there are complex financial arrangements involved. Attorney review often costs a few hundred dollars and can save far more. If a community pressures you to sign on the spot, treat that as an answer in itself.
A Contract Should Bring Peace of Mind, Not Anxiety
Here is the truth behind all ten questions: you are not just evaluating a document. You are evaluating how a community behaves when you ask hard questions. Patient, specific, written answers are a preview of the care your loved one will receive. Vague answers and pressure are a preview too.
At Shepherd Premier Senior Living, we welcome every one of these questions. Our homes across Illinois and Wisconsin are small, usually 10 to 30 residents, and we believe families deserve clear answers before they commit to anything. We are happy to sit down with you, go through our agreement page by page, and give you all the time you need.
If you are comparing communities or just getting started, call or text us at (847) 961-2551. We can answer your questions, schedule a visit, or simply talk through what you are facing. No pressure, ever.
