What a Landlord Cannot Do in Ohio
The main limits Ohio law puts on landlords — lockouts and utility shutoffs, entering without notice, retaliation, deposits, fees and discrimination — each with the statute or official source.
In short: a Ohio landlord cannot evict without a court order, cannot punish a tenant for asserting legal rights where state law protects them, and must follow the state's rules on entry, deposits and fees shown below.
| Lockouts & utility shutoffs | Landlord may not recover possession by cutting off utilities or services, excluding the tenant (lockout), or threatening unlawful acts, and may not seize the tenant's belongings to collect rent without a court order. Landlord is liable for all damages plus reasonable attorney's fees. Applies to current tenants and former tenants whose right to possession has ended. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.15 |
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| Landlord entry notice | Reasonable notice and entry only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable; 24 hours is presumed to be reasonable notice. For unlawful or harassing entry, tenant may recover actual damages, obtain an injunction, recover attorney's fees, or terminate the rental agreement (§ 5321.04(B)). Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.04(A)(8) |
| Landlord retaliation | Landlord may not raise rent, reduce services, or bring/threaten an eviction action because the tenant complained to a government agency about a code violation materially affecting health and safety, complained to the landlord about a § 5321.04 violation, or joined with other tenants to negotiate with the landlord. Tenant may use retaliation as a defense, recover possession or terminate, and recover actual damages and attorney's fees. No statutory presumption period. Landlord may still evict for nonpayment, tenant-caused violations, holdover, or other exceptions in § 5321.03 (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5321.03); rent increases reflecting improvements or higher operating costs are allowed. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.02 |
| Security deposit limit | No statutory cap § 5321.16 regulates deposits but sets no maximum amount. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 |
| Penalty for withholding | Tenant may recover the money wrongfully withheld plus damages equal to the amount wrongfully withheld (effectively double) and reasonable attorney's fees. Available only if the tenant provided a written forwarding address. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(C) |
| Late fees | No statutory cap Ch. 5321 sets no late-fee amount or grace period; a court may refuse to enforce an unconscionable rental-agreement clause under § 5321.14. |
| Rent control / increase limits | Local rent control and rent stabilization are preempted statewide. Amended by H.B. 430 (eff. Sept. 23, 2022) to expressly bar local rent control or rent stabilization. Exceptions: local housing/building/health/safety codes, rent for housing the locality owns or operates, and voluntary incentive programs (tax abatements, financing, grants). Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.19(A) |
| Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | No. Ohio's fair housing law (§ 4112.02(H)) protects race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, and national origin. It does not cover source of income or voucher use. Whether § 5321.19 preemption affects them was not determined. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 4112.02(H) |
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. Criminal laws apply: secretly or surreptitiously recording another person in a place where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy for the purpose of viewing private areas is voyeurism (misdemeanor; felony if the victim is a minor); spying or eavesdropping by trespass or surreptitious invasion of privacy for sexual gratification is also voyeurism. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications without being a party or having a party's consent is a fourth-degree felony (one-party consent). Voyeurism statute amended effective April 4, 2023. Interception statute: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2933.52. Landlords must give reasonable notice (24 hours presumed) before entering and may not abuse access (§ 5321.04(A)(7)-(8)); hidden cameras inside a unit may also support civil privacy claims. |
| Other rental fees | No statute. Chapter 5321 sets no limits on move-in, convenience, or other rental fees and no fee-disclosure rule. Lease clauses requiring the tenant to pay the landlord's attorney fees are unenforceable (§ 5321.13), and unconscionable terms may be refused enforcement (§ 5321.14). Political subdivisions are broadly preempted from regulating rights and obligations covered by chapter 5321 (§ 5321.19), which may limit local fee ordinances. |
Can I sue my landlord in Ohio? · All Ohio tenant rights
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.