Genoa, OH asked in Real Estate Law for Ohio

Q: I have a rental house in Elmore, OH that the renter has left, but all of her belongings are still there, what can I

The renter left the house on April 15th, as she ran up an electric/water bill so high that the village turned off both that day. Both the water and electric are still off today, so it is uninhabitable. She has not lived in the house since April 15th, nor has she paid rent since then. I have asked her to remove her belongings, but I am not sure that she is going to comply......what are my options?

Am I legally allowed to enter the house to check on it and make repairs while I am waiting for her to remove her belongings? I am assuming so since she has not lived there for two months.

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2 Lawyer Answers
Joseph Jaap
Joseph Jaap
Answered
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Licensed in Ohio

A: File an eviction, the hearing will be a couple weeks later, and when the court grants the eviction, move all her stuff out to the street. Use the Find a Lawyer tab to retain a local attorney to assist you.

1 user found this answer helpful

Bruce Martin Broyles
Bruce Martin Broyles
Answered
  • Lancaster, OH
  • Licensed in Ohio

A: You can enter the real property with reasonable notice. Typically, you have to provide 24 hour written notice. However, under the circumstances, I believe knocking on the door would be reasonable notice. You can make repairs.

I suggest that you file an eviction action. The tenant will not appear and you can then have a writ of possession issue. The writ will allow you to then set her property out to the curb. There would then be a second cause of action for past due rent, utilities and damages.

In the alternative, you could assert hat she has vacated the real property and abandoned her personal belongings. IN that case, you should rent a storage unit for 30 days, give notice to the tenant that unless she pays for the storage her belongings will be deemed abandoned. You can then sue for damages of past due rent, physical damage and utilities, plus the costs of storage.

1 user found this answer helpful

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