Ohio tenants – it’s your turn. Here’s the Tenant Right To Repairs Tip Sheet for Ohio! You must know your tenant rights in order to protect yourself and your family from an unscrupulous landlord. Among a number of other rights, when you pay rent you have a tenant right to repairs. In addition, your state gives you a powerful tool to force your landlord to make repairs – escrow of your rent! However, there are steps you have to take before you can use this weapon. We tell you those steps here. Because some landlords are actually slumlords, it is important that you let your landlord know you understand your tenant rights and are ready to use them. We get that no one wants to read the boring statute or code, so we are giving you state specific Tenant Tip Sheets with the most important parts. If you live in another state and want to move your state up in the process, let us know by leaving a comment with your city and state.
OHIO TIP SHEET
TENANT RIGHT TO REPAIRS
LANDLORD REPAIR OBLIGATIONS
Ohio landlords are required to:
- Comply with all applicable building, housing, health, and safety codes that materially affect health and safety
- Make all repairs and do whatever is reasonably necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition
- Maintain in good and safe working order all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and other facilities and appliances supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord
- Supply running water, reasonable amounts of hot water, and reasonably amounts of heat at all times
- Not abuse the right of access, give reasonable notice of the landlord’s intent to enter except in the case of emergency or when it is impracticable, and only enter at reasonable times
ORC § 5321.04 http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5321.04v1
TENANT OBLIGATIONS
Tenants are required to:
- Keep the property safe and sanitary
- Dispose of garbage and other waste in a clean, safe, and sanitary manner
- Keep plumbing fixtures as clean as their condition permits
- Use and operate all electrical and plumbing fixtures properly
- Comply with the requirements applicable state and local housing, health, and safety codes impose on tenants
- Not intentionally or negligently destroy, deface, damage, or remove any fixture, appliance, or other part of the property and forbid others from destroying or damaging the property
- Honor any written lease provision that requires the tenant to maintain in good working order any range, refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher, or other appliance supplied by the landlord
- Give landlord reasonable access to enter the property to inspect it, make repairs or improvements, supply necessary or agreed upon services, or show the property
ORC § 5321.05 http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5321.05v1
TENANT REMEDIES
Under Ohio law, if:
- The landlord fails to fulfill an obligation imposed under ORC § 5321.04 or under a written lease agreement OR
- Conditions at the property cause a tenant to reasonably believe the landlord has not met its duties OR
- A governmental agency finds that the property is not in compliance with building, house, health or safety codes that apply to any condition at the property that could materially affect an occupant’s health or safety, then
The tenant must give the landlord written notice (by sending it to the person or place where rent is normally paid – e.g. to the property manager) identifying the specific acts, omissions, or code violations that constitute the landlord’s noncompliance.
If, after receiving the notice, the landlord fails to fix the problem within a reasonable time considering the severity of the condition and the time needed to repair it, or within 30 days, whichever is sooner AND the tenant’s rent payments are current, then the tenant has the right to:
- Escrow all rent that is due and thereafter becomes due by depositing it with the clerk of the municipal or county court where the property is located
- Ask the court for an order directing the landlord to make the needed repairs AND to reduce the monthly rent owed during the period of time the landlord is not in compliance AND escrow the rent
- Terminate the lease
ORC § 5321.07 http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5321.07v1
So there you have it. In a nutshell we’ve given you the most important parts of the repair sections of the landlord-tenant law that every Ohio tenant needs to know. When you have a problem with your landlord, knowing what tenant rights you are entitled to by Ohio law and, more importantly, knowing the steps you have to take to enforce those rights is invaluable. If you think you could use additional help in resolving issues with your landlord, check out Our Services at https://protenantagency.fairness4tenants.com/our-services/. If you have effectively used your state’s landlord-tenant laws against your landlord and to enforce your tenant rights, we’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment sharing your experience with us.
We are currently working on Tenant Tip Sheets for other states. Next up is Georgia and Illionois. If you’d like your state to move to the top of the list and get its Tip Sheet done earlier, let us know by leaving a comment with your city and state.