Is there a certain percentage that a landlord can raise the rent at one time?

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:

The following is an Ohio statute:

§ 5321.02. Retaliatory conduct of landlord prohibited.

(A) Subject to section 5321.03 of the Revised Code, a landlord may not
retaliate against a tenant by increasing the tenant's rent, decreasing
services that are due to the tenant, or bringing or threatening to bring
an action for possession of the tenant's premises because:

(1) The tenant has complained to an appropriate governmental agency of
a violation of a building, housing, health, or safety code that is
applicable to the premises, and the violation materially affects health
and safety;

(2) The tenant has complained to the landlord of any violation of
section 5321.04 of the Revised Code;

(3) The tenant joined with other tenants for the purpose of negotiating
or dealing collectively with the landlord on any of the terms and
conditions of a rental agreement.

(B) If a landlord acts in violation of division (A) of this section the
tenant may:

(1) Use the retaliatory action of the landlord as a defense to an
action by the landlord to recover possession of the premises;

(2) Recover possession of the premises; or

(3) Terminate the rental agreement.

In addition, the tenant may recover from the landlord any actual
damages together with reasonable attorneys' fees.

(C) Nothing in division (A) of this section shall prohibit a landlord
from increasing the rent to reflect the cost of improvements installed by
the landlord in or about the premises or to reflect an increase in other
costs of operation of the premises.