Many sellers and their agents, property managers, and land lords fail to realize that they are allowed to enter an occupied tenant dwelling that they own or manage after giving 24 hr notice whether the tenant is present or not.
In Ohio, landlord-tenant relations are governed by the Ohio Landlord Tenant law (Ohio Revised Code 5321) and by the Eviction statute (ORC 1923)
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5321 http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/1923
Here is what Ohio law actually states: (A) A landlord who is a party to a rental agreement shall do all of the following….(8) Except in the case of emergency or if it is impracticable to do so, give the tenant reasonable notice of the landlord’s intent to enter and enter only at reasonable times. Twenty-four hours is presumed to be a reasonable notice in the absence of evidence to the contrary. (B) The tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent for the landlord to enter into the dwelling unit in order to inspect the premises, make ordinary, necessary, or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements, deliver parcels that are too large for the tenant’s mail facilities, supply necessary or agreed services, or exhibit the dwelling unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors.” The only requirement is 24 hours beforehand. Those are some of the reasons that the landlord can enter- repairs, inspect, and show the property. There is no requirement that the tenant be home or away; the statute is silent. All that is required is 24 hour written notice beforehand of the entry.
Generally, the relationship between a landlord and a tenant begins with a lease. A lease can be either written or oral and is enforceable in a court of law. Landlord and Tenant law in Ohio is governed by Ohio Revised Code section 5321, and is implied into every rental agreement whether written or oral. Referenced from https://josephandjoseph.com/articles/landlordtenant-law-in-ohio/
But what happens if the tenant refuses entry during business hours and only allows access after hours or on weekends because they want to be present and they work full time? Truly a sticky situation since most contractors, appraisers, real estate agents, inspectors, etc prefer to work during business hours. Most owners, property mgrs and land lords are uncomfortable entering a tenant unit without the tenant’s consent, which is understandable, especially if the tenant is present OR if only a minor child is present between the ages of say 12 and 17. Our preferred inspection times are 10a or 130p during the week and sometimes on the weekends – but we will make an exception for a 330pm late start time which we can only do during the week and during the late spring through early fall as we require 2 hours of solid day light for the entire inspection in order to be thorough for our clients. If requested to start after 3:30 pm during this longer daylight season, we can typically do it but there is an extra fee for that late start time.