Ohio landlord-tenant law and what a Columbus rental owner has to comply with

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321 governs residential landlord and tenant relationships. The core duties: keep the unit fit and habitable, comply with building, housing, health and safety codes, make repairs, keep common areas safe, give at least 24 hours of reasonable notice before entering, return the security deposit with an itemized statement of deductions within 30 days of the tenancy ending and possession being delivered, and follow the notice and filing process in Chapter 1923 to end a tenancy. Local ordinances add to that, and they differ between Columbus and a suburb a mile away. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Yes, as of the ordinance Council passed on April 20, 2026. Columbus City Code Chapter 4515 requires every residential rental unit inside the city to register annually with the Department of Building and Zoning Services, at $15 per unit capped at $1,500 per complex, with a safety inspection of common areas and building systems every three years. Not registering carries civil penalties of $2 per unit per day, minimum $10 per day. The city has not published the portal or the first deadline yet, and the Columbus Apartment Association has signaled a challenge, so treat the operational details as unsettled and the requirement itself as real. Requirements also differ by suburb, so a property in one of our service communities may face rules a Columbus property does not.

You may set standards, and you may not apply them selectively. Write the standard before you advertise, publish it with the listing, apply it identically to every applicant, and document every decision. Advertising language matters too, since describing an ideal resident rather than the property is where many complaints start. Federal law protects race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. Ohio adds ancestry and military status. Columbus adds sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, and source of income, which is why a Housing Choice Voucher cannot be refused inside the city.

No. Service and assistance animals are not pets. A no-pets policy does not apply to them and pet fees are not charged for them. Our $4,000 pet damage coverage, which sits above the security deposit and is funded by a monthly pet administration fee, applies to approved pets only, not to service or assistance animals. Where a disability or the need for the animal is not obvious, a housing provider may ask for documentation of both. We handle those requests the same way every time, in writing.

A Rental Dwelling Policy or Commercial Policy carrying at least $1,000,000 in liability coverage, with RL Property Management named as an additional insured. If proof of coverage is not on file we charge $20 per unit per month until it is. A homeowner's policy on a property you no longer occupy is one of the most common and most dangerous gaps we see.

You own the property, so you carry the ownership liability, which is exactly why the insurance requirement exists and why we are named as an additional insured. We carry the responsibility for operating within the law on your behalf. If a lawsuit other than a normal eviction arises, our time on it is billed at $75 per hour.

It moves the operating work to a team that does it every day, and it gets you a lease reviewed by counsel and a documented, consistent process. It does not transfer ownership obligations, and no manager should tell you it does. Keep your own counsel and your own insurance agent.

Improvising the screening decision. The second is a handshake lease or a downloaded template that does not match Ohio requirements. The third is a security deposit deduction with no move-in documentation behind it. All three are cheap to prevent and expensive to lose.