Ohio Lease Agreement with ezSign

Ohio Residential Lease Agreement

Every Ohio Landlord needs an Ohio Lease Agreement. If you have a rental property in Ohio, it’s controlled by the Lease laws of the state. This means that a basic Lease or a generic Lease template won’t provide you or your property the protection it needs

We make sure you’re protected by:

• Providing State Assist tips as you create your Lease to highlight key state laws
• Automatically including all state-required language, terms, and clauses
• Automatically attaching any Ohio-required disclosures or addendums

Plus, our Ohio Lease is EZ to create and customize:

1. Simply follow user-friendly prompts to create and customize your Lease Package
2. Just check boxes to add any additional terms or addendums you need, for example, a Pet Addendum, Smoke-Free Property Addendum, or HOA Rule Addendum
3. Once created, your Lease can be reviewed, signed, and stored entirely online

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Landlord-Tenant Laws

Ohio Landlords have to comply with the state’s Landlord-Tenant Laws throughout every phase of the rental process. This includes everything from Tenant Screening to Lease Renewal.

In addition to these tools, here’s an overview of some key Landlord-Tenant Laws to help every Landlord be a Pro Landlord.

Ohio State Laws

Category	State Law
Ending and Renewing	A one-year lease with an automatic renewal clause must be notarized, per Ohio’s statute of conveyances. R.C. 5301.01 Fixed Term: Notice would be as is specified within the lease. However, leases requiring 60 days notice of intent not to renew have been held unenforceable by Ohio Courts. Periodic: However long the periodic tenancy is, that is how much notice one party wishing to terminate the lease must give the other. For instance, a month to month lease requires 30 days notice of intent to terminate. Please Note: The notice period does not begin until the start of the next rental period. (R.C. 5321.17)
Security Deposit	There is no limit to the maximum amount a landlord may collect for the security deposit. The landlord must pay the tenant interest on any amount of the security deposit in excess of 1 month’s rent. R.C. 5321.16(A) Any deduction from the security deposit shall be itemized and identified by the landlord in a written notice delivered to the tenant together with the amount due, within 30 Days after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession.
Returned Payment Fee	Assessed fees may not exceed $30 or 10% of the face amount of the instrument, whichever is greater, plus the amount of any fees charged to the holder of the check by any financial institution as a result of the check not being honored. Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 1319.16
Late Fee	Assessed fees should be reasonably related to the expenses the landlord incurs as a result of a late payment.
Insurance Requirements	Landlords may require tenants to obtain rental insurance, and could make the failure to do so a breach of the lease.
Addenda & Disclosures	If the leased premises was constructed prior to 1978, the landlord must provide all tenants with the Lead-Based Paint EPA Disclosure and the Lead-Based Paint EPA Pamphlet.
Notice to Enter	Landlords are required to at least give 24 hours notice before entering leased premises.
Landlord Requirements	Include the owner's name and address, along with the name and address of the owner's agent, if any. If the owner or agent is a corporation/business entity, list the name of the person in charge and the address of the principal place of business in the county or if the business is not located in the county, then include the principal business location in Ohio.

Contact your local housing or zoning office to be sure your rental property complies with city and county requirements for inspections, rent control, occupancy limits, property codes, and zoning. Many cities and counties require inspections, registrations and have specific maintenance regulations.

Required Disclosures

The only required disclosure in Ohio is the Lead-Based Paint Disclosure:

• Lead-Based Paint Disclosure: Pursuant to Federal law, Landlords of all properties built prior to 1978 must provide Tenants with an EPA-approved lead-based paint disclosure.

Note: This disclosure is automatically included in our Ohio Lease Agreement.

City Regulations

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do Leases need to be notarized in Ohio?

Only Lease Agreements that are three years or longer need to be notarized. Rental Contracts of less than three years just need to be signed by all parties in order to be fully executed and legally binding.

One exception to this is Leases with automatic renewal clauses. According to Ohio’s statute of conveyances, a one-year lease with an automatic renewal clause must be notarized

Is a verbal Lease binding in Ohio?

Ohio law says that both written and verbal Leases are enforceable in court. That said, verbal Leases don’t provide Landlords with the protection they need.

Should you ever need to go to court, you’ll be much better positioned to win if you have a well-written and comprehensive Lease Agreement that’s been signed by the Landlord and Tenant.

What is the standard rent term?

A standard Lease term is one year. However, Rental Contracts can be written for any term that the parties agree on. Month-to-month, Short-term, or Vacation Leases can also be created and are fully enforceable.

Who needs a Lease Agreement?

Anyone that Leases real estate needs a Lease Agreement. This is true whether you rent commercial real estate, single-family houses, condos, apartments, or duplexes. The Lease Agreement documents the terms under which Tenants - or lessees - rent property from Landlords, or lessors. It provides all rules and policies and protects the Landlord should problems arise with the Tenant or if the Tenant does not comply with all property rules and requirements.

It’s the most important form that Landlords use and it’s vital to have a great Lease in place before handing over legal possession of your property.

What should be in the Rental Contract?

All Rental Contracts should include some basic information including names of occupants, name and contact information for the Landlord, rent amount, Lease term, late fee policies, and security deposit information.

This is the general information that’s included on all simple Leases, including blank and fillable Lease templates or the Lease Agreement provided by the Ohio Association of Realtors.

While this information is important, it’s usually not enough to protect Landlords and their investments. Full protection comes with a great Lease that includes all state-required language and disclosures, including terms specific to the rental property - for example, parking policies, yard maintenance policies, and pet policies.

Other Popular Forms

• Rental Application: Always screen Tenants! A good Rental Application, credit report, criminal background history, and eviction history are all key parts of effective Tenant Screening. Start your Tenant Screening here. Pro Tip: Our Rental Application is free!
• Tenant Welcome Letter: Good Landlord-Tenant relationships start with good communication. Customize this Welcome Letter to include all details, contact information, and tips that Tenants need for their new home.
• Move-in/Move-Out Walkthrough Checklist: This form is EZ to customize for your property and the best way to track the condition of your unit from move-in to move-out. Pro Tip: This form provides key documentation should you need to withhold some of the security deposit.
• Rent Ledger: Keep up with rent payments, stay organized, and create documentation of rent payments for each rental unit you manage. This form makes it EZ to stay on top of any late payments and can be used in court if you need to file eviction proceedings for unpaid rent.

Ohio Rental Forms and Templates

We know that the Lease Agreement is only the first of many forms that Landlords need. That’s why we have over 450 Landlord forms, including over 200 free forms, for every phase of the Landlord Lifecycle.

Here are a few of the most popular Ohio forms:

• Ohio 3 Day Notice to Pay or Vacate: This form is for Tenants that have unpaid rent. It must be issued before the eviction process can be initiated.
• Ohio 3 Day Notice to Vacate: This form can be used for Tenants with unpaid rent or for Lease violations other than nonpayment of rent. This form is required before initiating eviction proceedings.
• Cleveland 3 Day Notice for Non-Payment: Cleveland Landlords must submit a 3-day Notice before filing for eviction. This form includes all language required by the laws of Ohio and Cleveland.
• Cleveland 3 Day Notice to Vacate: This form can be used for Tenants that break the Lease for reasons other than nonpayment of rent. It includes all language that is required before Landlords can file for eviction.

Lease Agreements for Neighboring States

When you own property in multiple states, it means that one, great state-specific Lease won’t do the job. That’s why we have state-specific Leases for all 50 states!

Here are some of the ones used most frequently by Ohio Landlords:

• Indiana Residential Lease Agreement: Meets all requirements for the state of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis!
• Kentucky Rental Contract: Complies with all Lexington and Louisville lease laws.
• Michigan Lease Agreement: EZ to create and customize, ideal for Detroit Landlords.
• Pennsylvania Rental Agreement: The EZiest way to create a great Pennsylvania and/or Philadelphia Lease.
• West Virginia Residential Rental Contract: Create the complete Lease Package and get unlimited access to ezSign.

But, we know that oftentimes results speak louder than words. Thankfully, we’ve got the results to back up our products.

• Over 3 million Leases created since 2006
• Rated “excellent” 4.8 from 5,000+ reviews
• Recommended by Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran

Rated “excellent” 4.8 from 5,000+ reviews on Trustpilot

We hope you’ll join our community of Pro Landlords!

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