Q.Can a landlord evict me for the actions of my guests?

In the case of Associated Estates Corp v. Bartell (1985), 24 Ohio App.3d 492, the landlord sought to evict the tenant for the loud and boisterous actions of several persons whom the tenant had asked to leave her apartment. As the ex-guests left, they damaged the front door of the apartment and broke car windows in the parking lot. The Eighth Appellate District Court held that:

Moreover, appellant should not be penalized for the acts of uninvited "guests." According to the resident handbook, a tenant is responsible for the conduct of her "guests" in her apartment or in or around the public areas and grounds. In ABC Management Co. v. Gamble (Dec. 15, 1983), Franklin Cty. M.C. No. 83AP-788, unreported, the court held that the tenant was not responsible for the acts of an uninvited "guest." In the instant case, since the people who damaged appellant's door and another tenant's car windows were uninvited and in light of the fact that appellant brought criminal charges against them, they cannot be deemed "guests" and appellant is not responsible for their actions. Id. at 11.

In this case, when the guests became uninvited they were no longer "guests" and the tenant was not responsible for their actions.

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