Ohio Leases and Rental Agreements Laws

Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 20, 2016

The relationship between landlords and their tenants is regulated at the state level, where laws dictate limits on security deposits and other legal protections for both parties. Leases vary from one landlord to the next, within the constraints of state law, but should contain the following items:

Name and contact information of landlord (and property manager, if applicable)
Rent amount; due date; how it should be paid (mailed, placed into a slot, etc.)
Utilities that are covered by the landlord
Procedure for reporting needed repairs
Rules for subletting (if allowed)
What may result in lease termination, and how to break the lease
When the lease term begins and ends

According to Ohio's lease and rental agreement laws, deposits must be returned within 30 days of the termination of the lease. Ohio law does not limit how much a landlord may require for a security deposit.

In Ohio, it is strictly against the law to discriminate against tenants or prospective tenants (applicants) on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, handicap, national origin, or familial status. This mirrors federal anti-discrimination laws with respect to housing.

The key details of Ohio lease and rental agreement laws are listed below. See FindLaw's Landlord Tenant Law section for more articles and resources, including What Can a Landlord Deduct from a Security Deposit for Cleaning and Repairs? and Security Deposit Basics.

Code Section	4112.02(H); 5321.01, et seq.
Terms of Leases	Presumption that holdover converts to year-to-year term but it is rebuttable (Bumiller v. Walker, 116 N.E. 797 (1917))
Deposits	Interest on deposit required at 5% per year if tenant remains in possession 6 months or more and deposit is greater than $50 or one month's rent; deposit must be returned within 30 days of termination. There are no state limits on deposits.
Discrimination	No discrimination on basis of race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, handicap, national origin, familial status
Uniform Residential Landlord & Tenant Act Adopted?	No

Note: State laws are constantly changing -- contact an Ohio landlord-tenant attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.

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