Ohio landlord-tenant law.

Security deposits

Deposit limit. No statutory cap on the amount a landlord can charge as a security deposit (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.16)

Getting it back. Landlord must itemize and return the balance within 30 days of termination and delivery of possession; deposits over $50 or one month's rent (whichever is greater) earn 5 percent annual interest if the tenant stays 6 months or more (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.16)

Late fees and rent

No statutory cap; courts apply a reasonableness/liquidated-damages standard and the fee must be authorized in the written lease (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.06); some cities such as Dayton and Toledo are reported to cap local late fees at 5 percent of rent or $25, whichever is greater, though this was not independently verified against municipal code text

Ending a tenancy

Nonpayment of rent. Landlord must serve a statutory 3 day notice to leave the premises before filing eviction; despite the name it functions as a pay-or-quit period since courts generally allow the tenant to cure by paying in full during the 3 days (Ohio Rev. Code 1923.04)

Month-to-month termination. Either party must give at least 30 days notice prior to the next periodic rental date to terminate a month-to-month tenancy (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.17)

Landlord entry

Landlord must give reasonable notice of intent to enter and enter only at reasonable times, except emergencies; 24 hours is generally treated as reasonable notice in practice and case law (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.04)

Required disclosures

• Federal lead-based paint disclosure for units built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. 4852d, 24 CFR Part 35)
• Name and address of the owner (or the owner's authorized agent) must appear in the rental agreement or be given in writing; failure waives certain landlord notice rights in later disputes (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.18)

Lease clauses that do not hold up

• Confession-of-judgment (cognovit) clauses in residential rental agreements are void (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.13(A))
• Clauses requiring the tenant to pay the landlord's attorney fees are unenforceable (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.13(A))
• Any lease clause purporting to waive or modify tenant rights under Chapter 5321 is void except in the narrow instances the statute itself allows (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.13)
• A lease cannot let a landlord collect rent while excusing itself from the maintenance duties in Ohio Rev. Code 5321.04 (Ohio Rev. Code 5321.13(A)(3))

Notes for landlords

Ohio's nonpayment notice is technically a 3 day notice to leave the premises rather than a pay-or-quit notice, and it must demand only the actual past-due rent; adding late fees or other charges to the demand, or accepting partial payment afterward, can void the notice and force the landlord to start over. Skipping the owner/agent identity disclosure in 5321.18 can also cost a landlord procedural footing in an eviction case.

Sources

• https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.16
• https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.17
• https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.04
• https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.20
• https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.13
• https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.18
• https://law.justia.com/codes/ohio/title-53/chapter-5321/section-5321-16/
• https://tenantscreeningbackgroundcheck.com/free-ohio-3-day-notice-to-pay-rent-or-quit-fillable-pdf-form/
• https://tenantscreeningbackgroundcheck.com/ohio-late-fee-laws/