As maintenance requests pile up, some renters may be tempted to stop paying rent to their landlords.
Whether they feel it's unfair to pay money for substandard living conditions or want to use the money to make the repairs on their own, it doesn't matter. Ohio law requires they must pay rent.
But, that rent doesn't have to be paid to the landlord if there are outstanding repairs.
Instead, renters can take advantage of a process called rent escrow, which allows those who are current on their payments to pay their rent to court instead of to their landlord in hopes of forcing the landlord to make needed repairs.
Renters who simply withhold payment without creating an escrow and putting the money in that account can face the possibility of eviction.
Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) is hosting a series of clinics on the third floor of the Franklin County Municipal Court, 375 S. High St., to help area renters understand the process and how to navigate it.
The Rent Escrow Brief Advice Clinics will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 2, Sept. 30, Oct. 31, Dec. 1 and Dec. 31.
"The clinics came about because LASCO wanted to meet rent escrow litigants where they are and to set rent escrow cases up for success," Melissa Lenz, a supervising attorney on the organization's housing team, said in an email.
Legal Aid has allowed eligible Franklin County tenants to reach out for more information and provide help filing the cases for years, but realized it was missing some people in need, Lenz said. For instance, last year 215 escrow cases were filed, Lenz said, compared against 25,329 evictions filed.
Tenants often make mistakes in escrow cases, she said, as they may forget steps like giving written notice before filing or not waiting the needed "reasonable amount of time" required by law.
"If tenants file an escrow case improperly, they are at risk of eviction and still won't have the necessary repairs made," Lenz said. "This clinic is intended for anyone who wants to get their landlord to make repairs."