Columbus City Code Chapter 4565 prohibits landlord retaliation against tenants who report code violations, request repairs, or organize. The Tenant Protection Office investigates complaints, and ORC §5321.02 backs up state-level retaliation remedies.
CCC Chapter 4565, expanded by Ordinance 2078-2023, makes it unlawful for landlords to threaten, intimidate, lock out, shut off utilities, or constructively evict tenants who exercise protected rights. Protected acts include reporting health-code violations to Columbus Public Health, requesting habitability repairs, joining tenant associations, or filing complaints with the Tenant Protection Office. Ohio Revised Code §5321.02 reinforces these protections statewide, presuming retaliation if adverse action follows a tenant complaint within a defined window. Self-help eviction (changing locks, removing doors, shutting off water) is independently prohibited under ORC §5321.15 and triggers statutory damages.
Self-help eviction or retaliation triggers statutory damages of all reasonable harm caused plus reasonable attorney fees under ORC §5321.15(C) and CCC §4565 civil penalties up to $1,000 per incident.
Columbus, OH
Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923 permits landlords to terminate month-to-month tenancies with 30 days' notice and decline to renew fixed-term leases for any no...
Columbus, OH
Columbus does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. Ohio follows standard landlord-tenant law under ORC Chapter 5321. Landlords may terminate month-to-mo...
See how Columbus's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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