Can my landlord raise my rent by $50 after my lease ends?

Full question:

I was wondering if there is a law for apartment complexes as to a certain percentage that they can raise your rent if you sign with them for the next year. Example, we are paying 649. They are wanting to raise our rent $50.00 monthly if we resign at the end of our lease to stay another year. I feel that $50.00 is way too much. Most places we have looked at, have said they raise rent $5-30.00, that they are not technically suppose to raise rent about 4% of what you are already paying. What do I need to do to find out if they are cheating us? Plus, not only that, they have not fixed any of the main problems that has been in the apartment upon us moving in and doing the move in inspection. Yet they say that if we sign for the next year that everything will be fixed.

• Category: Landlord Tenant
• Date: 04/07/2025
• State: Ohio

Answer:

In Ohio, landlords cannot retaliate against tenants by raising rent if the tenant has complained about health or safety violations. According to Ohio law (Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.02), a landlord may not increase rent, decrease services, or threaten eviction in response to a tenant's complaint about code violations. If a landlord does retaliate, the tenant has several options:

• Use the landlord's retaliatory action as a defense in an eviction case.
• Recover possession of the apartment.
• Terminate the rental agreement.

Additionally, tenants can seek damages and reasonable attorney's fees if they face retaliation. However, landlords can raise rent to reflect improvements made to the property or increased operating costs. If you believe the rent increase is excessive and linked to unresolved issues in your apartment, you may want to document your complaints and seek legal advice.