I contacted a Fair Housing Professional regarding breaking a lease in the state of Ohio. I have heard different things here and there, from various people, and I wanted to have legitimate information before touting any of it as fact. I’m all about reputable sources you know!

Anyway, I spoke with a wonderful counselor named Angela who informed me of my rights, to whom I am very grateful.

Long story short, there is no Ohio law that specifically allows the breaking of a lease due to current job relocation or a new job. Apparently a federal law has some sort of stipulation for individuals with disabilities, but not in general.

Ohio law does say, however, that you can technically break your lease at any time. In accordance with this law, one can either choose to follow the landlords policy and pay the penalties for breaking the lease, OR provide notice of intent to evacuate. If the tenant chooses to evacuate rather than pay the penalties, the landlord MUST actively seek to re-rent the apartment. The tenant is responsible for the rent and utilities until the apartment is re-rented. One option may be better than the other, depending on how much of the lease is remaining, but the tenant gets to choose which he or she would prefer.

Landlords are unable to double dip, and charge both a previous tenant and new tenant for rent. If the landlord is continuing to charge the former tenant rent, they should be able to provide documentation that the apartment is not filled and that they are actively seeking to re-rent. Such documentation would include things like a notice in the newspaper that they have apartments available, a list of potential renters they have shown the apartment to. The list of new renters placed in other units ( The landlord can not simply avoid your unit and place new tenants elsewhere in an effort to force you to keep paying)

It was all very useful information to know.

I know a lot of people in the state of Ohio are unaware of the law, and unaware of their rights and options. I would encourage those individuals making claims about this fabled Relocation law to get their facts straight before spreading any more misinformation. You can contact fair housing professionals for FREE if you have any questions about your rights as a tenant. You may also consider contacting legal aid if you need further assistance with a non compliant landlord.