Function

• With an eye to lessening conflict and eliminating confusion between landlords and tenants, the Ohio Landlord and Tenant Act codifies the specific rights and responsibilities of a landlord and the same information for a tenant.
  
  Basic landlord responsibilities under the Act include maintaining the premises in a habitable condition, which translates to making sure local housing code requirements are met.
  
  Basic tenant responsibilities include paying rent in a timely manner and avoiding damage to the premises beyond normal wear and tear.
  
  

Retaliation Prohibited

• The Ohio Landlord and Tenant Act includes provisions prohibiting landlord retaliation and imposing penalties on a landlord who engages in retaliatory conduct. Under the law, a landlord is prohibited from retaliating against a tenant who takes any steps to enforce her rights as set forth in the Act and other Ohio and federal laws. For example, a landlord cannot retaliate against a tenant for filing a complaint with the county health department regarding the premises.
  
  Retaliation is defined as increasing rent, decreasing services or bringing or threatening to bring an eviction action against the tenant.
  
  

Eviction

• The Ohio Landlord and Tenant Act establishes the reasons a landlord can evict a tenant. The Act itself does not include provisions for an actual eviction but relies upon the Ohio Eviction Statutes for procedural purposes.
  
  Grounds for eviction include failure to pay rent, violation of housing or public safety codes and the failure of a tenant to vacate at the end of a lease term.
  
  

Sex Offenders

• A landlord has the option of evicting a tenant that permits a registered sex offender to occupy the premises if the property is located within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare. Permitting this type of occupancy allows the landlord to terminate the lease agreement immediately and file for eviction if the tenant does not vacate.
  
  

Expert Insight

• Ohio landlord and tenant law is complicated in some instances. A landlord or a tenant facing litigation arising out of the Ohio Landlord and Tenant Act and the companion Ohio Eviction Statute oftentimes are best served by engaging the services of an experienced real estate or landlord and tenant lawyer.