Dayton Court Proposes Rule Changes To Drive Out Small Business Landlords

December 14th, 2025

Dayton Municipal Court is considering a rule change to its eviction process. Presumably the underlying impetus for this change purports to be to help tenants, but as always with these efforts it has the opposite effect and the real benefactor is Big Landlord.

The proposed rule change with a public comment deadline of December 31st, 2025. So if you are going to weigh in on the new rule, do it soon.

This rule will not have any discernable benefit or even impact for the vast majority of tenants. It will have zero negative impact on Big Landlord. This rule is going to affect just a few small groups of people. On the landlord side this will negatively impact quasi-landlords and small business landlords. On the tenant side this will provide a windfall to "professional tenants" AKA scammers with a further compliance loophole to abuse.

Full rule change proposal

Most Tenants & Big Landlord
Most tenants and Big Landlord will not be affected by this rule at all. Most tenants already live in units managed by Big Landlord (that's what makes them Big Landlord) and Big Landlord has the tech systems and human resources in place to mitigate the cost of compliance down to a negligible effect. Hitting a button on their computer system to also print out the latest ledger is not a significant cost to the landlord.

On the tenant side, when it comes to Big Landlord, they're often behind in rent. They know that. They admit it in court all the time. Does it help them in any meaningful way if the eviction complaint includes an extra sheet of paper showing that the exact amount is $1,350? No, it doesn't. There might be an argument about the exact amount, whether the late fees are proper, and further, but that is already argued about and the extra sheet of paper isn't going to solve it.

Quasi-Landlords
Quasi-Landlords are mom & dad who still have an adult child living with them. They are adults who inherited mom & dad's house and decided to rent to a family member, a friend, an acquaintance in a tough spot.

These landlord often don't have a lease agreement. Their son has been living with them all his life, they're not going to draft up some paperwork just because he turns 18. But now he's got some drug or alcohol issues, or just plays video games in the basement all day and won't get a job. Or a woman brings a roommate into her house and now they can't get along. A long-term boyfriend won't leave girlfriend's house after the break-up.

By the time they get to the legal process of eviction, they are at wit's end, verbal and/or physical abuse is happening, theft and intentional destruction of property is happening.

Now they read Ohio eviction laws, file what they think is appropriate, get to court in a month and get their case dismissed for not having an affidavit stating the same thing that they'll testify to in 10 seconds if the Court would give them a hearing. Now they will re-file, wait another month, perhaps call an attorney and expend more money, and the situation at home will become worse. Imagine the frustration and emotion in one of these situations after getting summarily dismissed for lack of an affidavit. Some people will literally die because of this rule.

Small Business Landlords
These landlords will suffer a period of compliance adjustment as they are less likely to be in tune with the latest news on legal rule changes. New landlords will suffer a greater first-time failure rate as they don't meet cash-flow requirements. The overall compliance costs will go up and in the aggregate put pressure on those least able to absorb the costs. Big Landlord? Literally no impact. Small landlord? Hours of extra time for absolutely no value.

Professional Tenants
The scammers and fraudsters out there will enjoy more free time to abuse others as they exploit the inexperienced landlord.

Three cheers for big business
We can determine the purpose of something by what it does. Not by what it is called, or what is claimed about it, but if we look at the actual output of a thing, then that is it's purpose. This rule change will not help tenants, it will not hurt Big Landlord, it will only harm small business. It is a farce. It is dressed up so that the tenant advocate cheerleaders can waive their pom poms and pretend like they just got a victory. They didn't. They got nothing. Big Landlord isn't hurt. Depending on the perceived optics Big Landlord can fight it or magnanimously "concur" that there needs to be more transparency in the eviction process. Either way is fine with them, all this does is hurt their competition. "Bring it on!" they'll say, red-tape the small businesses out of existence.

The tenant advocates are in the courthouse every day. The lawyers and representatives for Big Landlord are in the courthouse every day. The only people who don't have an active voice in this debate are the small business landlords & quasi-landlords, is it any surprise they're getting they're getting screwed?