Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Ohio

I have a question regarding tenant rights and bedbugs. I rent an apartment unit. after about 2 months, I was waking up with bedbug bites all over. I agreed to pay for the treatment (3), as stated in my lease agreement. Today I searched my ceiling after being bitten one again, and found that the entire ceiling of the entire unit is covered in bed bug excrement that is specific to an infestation. Am I able to take action against the landlord due to unlivable conditions?


Asked on 10/28/14, 5:12 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Eric Willison Eric Eastman Willison

In Ohio, the landlord tenant act of 1974 governs the relations between landlords and residential tenants. That act is Ohio revised code 5321 and it is broken down into 18 or 19 different subsections.

The subsection that this question concerns is the landlord's duties to the tenant. That is the fourth subsection, Ohio revised code 5321.04. That section states that the landlord is required to putting keep the rented residential premises in a fit inhabitable condition.

Often, bedbugs come into an apartment on a human host and so landlords generally attempts to treat bedbug infestations as the fault of the tenant. However, it is possible for a bedbug infestation to have been caused by a previous tenant.

If the bedbug infestation was not your fault than the landlord will have a duty under Ohio revised code 5321.04 to remedy this condition. To better understand your rights to force the landlord to fix this problem you can go to: http://www.ohiolandlordtenant.com/faq1.html

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Answered on 11/03/14, 11:44 am


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