Tenant rights for college students

 

As Kent State’s enrollment climbs closer to 40,000 total students, more may be looking into off campus housing or even housing outside of Kent to suit their needs. However, those renting for the first time may not know what actions to take when a serious issue arises.

If a major issue does occur, the landlord is required to fix it according to Ohio Landlord Tenant Law in section 5321.04 and 5321.05 in the Ohio Revised Code.

Ruby Myers, a Landlord and Tenant Counselor with Akron Fair Housing Contact Service said even experienced leasers are often confused about their rights and unsure of actions to take when issues occur. Myers said that when she gets a call regarding a maintenance issue, she recommends that the tenant submit a letter in writing to their landlord, giving them 30 days to fix the issue.

“The courts want to see some documentation that they’ve talked to their landlord about the repairs,” she said.
After this period, if the landlord does not comply, all tenants on the lease can put their rent into escrow by submitting it to their local municipal or county court, depending on the location of the property. The court will then notify the landlord who cannot have payments released until repairs are made.

Additionally, depending on where the property is located, the landlord may have to comply with building codes within the city. In Kent, a property owner is required to register with the city before they can lease.
“The Kent Health Department licenses over 300 rental properties in Kent. Each one is inspected annually to ensure that it meets the minimum standards outlined in the Environmental Health and Housing Maintenance Code. The Kent Building Department is responsible for regulating the smaller rentals,” said Kyle Kelly, Public Sanitarian at the Kent Health Department.

Complexes and owners also have to comply with the Kent Health Department’s Environmental Health and Housing Maintenance Code. This states that each building is required to meet the minimum standard for water lines, bathrooms, kitchen, solid waste disposal, storage and carbon monoxide alarms.

If tenants find an issue, they can also file a building maintenance violation with the city’s online portal. If it is determined that the violation meets requirements and that the building is within the city limits, a licensed sanitarian will come out and inspect the problem.

During an inspection, if it is determined that there is an issue, the owner will be given a citation with a stated period of time to get it into compliance. After that time, if they do not comply, the landlord will be fined by the city.

“Generally I will leave a violation at the door for simple stuff like trash, grass, old tires or cars in the yard. For things that are more structural, that I am observing from outside, I will usually send it right to usually the landlord,” said Paul Bauer, Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Kent.

The city also preforms inspections on all rental properties to make sure that they are safe.

“There are a large number of Kent residents that live in rental properties and this code was designed to improve the environmental health, safety, and sanitation levels of these rental properties. There are over 10,000 bedrooms in the city of Kent that get inspected by the Health Department each year along with the adjacent living spaces,” Kelly said.

From September 1 until November 28, there were around 222 total violations. These code violations can consist of anything from trash debris being left on a lawn to more serious issues, such as a water shut off or a broken window.

However, if a tenant is leasing outside of a city and lives in a township or village, their landlord or complex owner may not be tied down to strict codes, making help less available. Most of these areas will seek help from county offices in which they live.

Before the tenant even agrees to lease the property, there are steps that can be taken to ensure that problems don’t arise. Myers suggests having a lawyer or someone uninvolved in the situation read the lease prior to signing it and note any unusual language or rules.

“Sometimes there’s things put in there and they didn’t really read it and if there’s a problem about that later, you (already) signed the lease.”

Additionally, she suggests looking up the name of the company or the landlord within the local court of common pleas record system to see if there have been any civil violations and using that to make an informed decision about leasing.

“The landlord is going to do a background check on you, do a background check on them.”