CINCINNATI — Cincinnati officials announced a new resource for renters. The Cincinnati Tenants' Guide includes information on leases, evictions, how to get rent and utility assistance, and the rights and responsibilities of both renters and landlords.
Councilwoman Meeka Owens has been working on the four-page, double-sided guide for the past few years.
"We are 60% renters and so it's quite necessary for people to know what their legal rights are but also what the expectations are of being a tenant and also being a housing provider," Owens said.
WCPO 9 News has reported multiple times on issues tenants say they have with their landlords. We’ve pushed for answers and solutions for renters like Sonia Kennedy from Walnut Hills, who reached out to us in February after repeated complaints of flooding, bug infestations and rotting walls.
While Kennedy’s management finally responded after our reporting, it led to calls for broader reforms.
“A lot of my neighbors — they were asking how they could get help," Kennedy told WCPO at the time.
Local officials hope the new guide will provide them with some much-needed answers.
WATCH: How the new guide helps renters
A key resource the guide explains is rent escrow, the process in which a renter can legally withhold rent if the landlord fails to keep the property in a livable condition.
Understanding this resource, West End renter Jackie Williams said, could’ve prevented her from damaging her rental record.
"I have dealt with slumlords where I have woken up to me and my kids walking in puddles of water, flushing the toilet, and the stuff coming from the toilet to the sink," Williams said. “If I would've (known) about escrow I would’ve put my money in there, instead of leaving and having evictions on my record.”
The guide will be available at the courthouse Help Center, where renters facing eviction can get counsel and legal aid. It will also be available through Cincinnati Public Schools, Hamilton County’s 513 Relief Bus, and is online. A copy is also available below.
Cincinnati Tenants Guide by webeditors on Scribd
