*Loan,banking and credit>>>renters insurance

In the state of Ohio, is it legal to force a tenant to purchase "renter's insurance?"?

My landlord sent me a letter stating that in order to renew my lease, I must procure tenant insurance. He owns multiple properties, and last year one of his tenants caused a fire. I personally think he is trying to goad everyone into purchasing their own insurance, so his insurance deductible will be lower. Is this legal, is it right? I'm struggling as it is, and though it may not be much, I really can't afford another bill. Any valid insight would be greatly appreciated.

renter's insurance covers the stuff in the apartment or house. The owner has homeowners insurance to cover the building only. What you are saying doesn't really make sense. I am almost positive you can't be forced to buy it.

Here is a link to ohio landlord tenant law, in particular about renters insurance. You might peruse the site to find more info.

http://www.ohiolandlordtenant.com/faq30....

The problem is that he isn't evicting you. You do not usually need to renew a lease to stay someplace, there is usually a provision in the agreement that it simply defaults to month to month. So you might be able to not renew the lease and force him to evict you. At that point you might have more rights. Before you get to this point be sure you know the law. Don't just do it and then find out it wasn't the right course of action.

You should call a lawyer that specializes in landlord tenant law in your area and ask them a few free questions over the phone. If they wont let you ask a few questions for free then call another, someone will help you. They will know the law inside out.

The bottom line is if you are being screwed by the landlord, a court will side with you. This sounds like just such a case. Just talking to a lawyer and having them explain the law to you so you can call the landlord and tell them what you found will likely be enough. Landlords don't usually want to do the wrong theing they are just sometimes not up to speed on the law just like many tenants aren't. They try and do something that makes sense to them and don't realize it is wrong for them to do so.

Good luck with your problem