Landlord/tenant laws in Ohio?

[Harri Smith]

Hi: As a landlord in Ohio, I was paying utilities. Because the tenant has not paid rent in 6 months, is it OK not to pay the utilities? I am going to evict him, but because I am out of state, it has been harder.

[Chris Weiler]

It should not take 6 months to evict a tenant in Ohio. I have numerous rentals in Ohio and with a half way decent attorney, you can evict someone in 2 weeks for $200. Ohio is a very landlord friendly state. Feel free to contact me if you need a good lawyer referral for this. Utilities are another story. Not sure what county you are in but in Columbus all utilities should be in the name of the tenant (for SFR's), not the landlord. Water can be a bit of a pain though. If the tenant has a pass due balance and leaves or is evicted, it is the responsibility of the landlord to pay the deficiency if they want to rent out the property again. Water can be a real cash flow killer in Ohio.