Ohio Tenant Harassment Laws
Ohio expressly prohibits landlord retaliation under Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.02[confirmed ] and self-help eviction under § 5321.15[ not confirmed ].
Key Rules
- Retaliation Prohibited
- Yes — explicit statutory prohibition on retaliatory rent increases or evictions
- Self Help Prohibited
- Yes — removing property, cutting utilities, removing doors/windows all prohibited
- Remedies
- Actual damages, injunctive relief, attorney's fees; rescission of retaliatory rent increase
- Penalty
- 2 months rent minimum damages for self-help eviction
Some citations below have not been confirmed against their official source. Confirm current requirements with local legal aid or an attorney.
Applicable Statutes
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.02
Link unavailable — codes.ohio.gov is currently unreachable. This citation is unchanged.
Retaliatory acts prohibited: landlord may not retaliate against tenant by increasing rent, reducing services, or threatening eviction for exercising rights under the landlord-tenant act.
Confirmed against an archived capture of the official source,
Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.15
Link unavailable — codes.ohio.gov is currently unreachable. This citation is unchanged.
Self-help eviction prohibited: landlord may not seize tenant's belongings, remove doors or windows, or interrupt utility services to force a tenant to vacate.
Not confirmed against its source · checked
Legal Aid Resources
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