Fighting back
landlord tenant attorney Ohio Jul 26, 2026
Location: Ohio. Knox County Lost my job in March, unemployment was 1/3 of my income. Industry I was in pretty much collapsed, tens of thousands laid off. After a month of not a single returned call or application I started my own company in another Industry. Successful enough I've hired two employees already. Living in a trailer park, mortgage on trailer, rent on lot. Landlord is an "investment firm" from another state. Back in April they were willing, and gave written contract, to split May rent between June and July with no penalty, which was a huge help, but then auto-pay took it anyways May 1st. Come June a glitch with JFS would end our unemployment about 2 weeks before new company started bringing in money and we missed June rent. Landlord said don't worry, property manager would give us notice to vacate but "not to worry just keep us updated". Called and left messages every week. Paid up June rent on July 3rd. Eviction filed on July 8th without a word from Landlord. Now demanding hundreds in late fees and hundreds more to cover their legal costs for filing eviction. We did also win our appeal and got back payment from unemployment, so there's that. And both of our cars died in that time, one we still owed on. The late fees I could at least understand, but the filing of the eviction after we started paying is just plain bullying. They've got several empty lots, the trailer isn't worth what's owed, and the unit built the same time as ours two doors down has been vacant for two years. There's no financial incentive to evicting us. The only way I can fathom this is the landlord saw we finally had an income again and this investment firm saw a chance to pad their numbers. Joke's on them. Given that our income hasn't fully recovered, we maxed out credit card in the interim, the one car that we owe on that's not operational and the house not being worth what's owed, we started a bankruptcy and we're just going to chapter 7 the whole thing and start over. Meanwhile... a couple of things. I don't make enough to afford attorney for this, but too much to get assistance, and we don't want to stay anymore anyways. Just tired of getting pushed around and lied to by opportunist dipsticks. Agreeing, in writing, to let us skip May and split between June and July, then taking May rent on May 1st, would be breach of contract? Looking back at the rental agreement during all this, noticed a clause that says they cannot raise rent more than 5% per year. We've been here 2 years of 3 year lease. Was bought up by these guys after about year one. They raised rents from about $350 to $450. Also breach of contract? They gave us the 3 day notice in June, we paid June rent on July 3rd. They gave us July 3 day notice on July 6th, filed eviction on July 8th. I've already filed for dismissal based on not giving adequate notice, but still have hearing tomorrow. Any thoughts on this? Should that be successful in delaying eviction? Is there a negotiating in bad faith, or other legal precedent, for countering the eviction based on them just being jerks in this situation? Given that we've already started the bankruptcy (not filed though) can I just keep doing everything possible to run up their legal costs while waving my middle finger in the air or am I going to catch flak for that? Let's say I lose my case tomorrow and it's not dismissed, how long do I have to get out in this situation?
