The Columbus City Council voted 6-1 Monday to pass the city’s most comprehensive tenant protection ordinance in decades, establishing new requirements for landlords around eviction notice, just cause eviction standards, and relocation assistance that housing advocates say will meaningfully reduce displacement in the city’s rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods.

The ordinance, known as the Columbus Tenant Stability and Housing Security Act, requires landlords to provide 90 days’ notice for non-renewal of a lease rather than the current 30-day standard, mandates that landlords pay one month’s rent in relocation assistance when ending a tenancy without cause, and establishes a formal dispute resolution process for contested lease terminations. The law applies to most residential rental units in the city, with certain exemptions for small landlords with fewer than four units.

Council Member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, the bill’s primary sponsor, said the ordinance responds to a housing crisis that has accelerated economic displacement in neighborhoods like Franklinton, the Near East Side, and the South Side. “People are being pushed out of their homes and their communities because of rapid rent increases and opportunistic evictions,” Barroso de Padilla said. “This ordinance gives tenants stability and dignity.”

The ordinance drew significant opposition from the Columbus Apartment Association, which represents over 1,400 property owners in the city. CAA President Robert Vogt said the relocation assistance requirement in particular imposes an unreasonable financial burden on small landlords and will ultimately discourage housing investment in the city. “We all want housing stability, but this ordinance goes too far and will make Columbus a less attractive place for the housing investment we desperately need,” Vogt said.

Columbus has seen average rents increase by approximately 24 percent over the past three years, with lower-income neighborhoods experiencing disproportionate increases due to investor purchases of rental properties. Eviction filings in Franklin County increased 18 percent in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the Franklin County Municipal Court.

Landlord groups have suggested they may pursue legal action challenging the ordinance, potentially arguing that it conflicts with state law. Ohio’s landlord-tenant statute preempts local rent control, but Columbus officials and their legal team have concluded the ordinance’s focus on notice periods and procedural protections rather than rent levels places it on legally firm ground.

The ordinance takes effect 60 days from Monday’s vote. The city’s Department of Development will release implementation guidance and educational materials for both landlords and tenants within 30 days.